A/N: First waterbending lesson! I've just been waiting to write and post this one XP
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or the characters
Feel the Flow
It was early in the morning, the sun's rays just breaking beyond the horizon. Two pairs of foosteps echoed through the stone halls of the Air Temple, one airily light, the other firm and a bit loud.
"Why are we going this way?" Toph asked. "I thought that since we're doing waterbending, we would go to the fountain."
"Ordinarily, yes, I would take a waterbending student to the fountain," Aang answered. "But we're going to the main hall, since you're not exactly an ordinary waterbending student."
"Is that a compliment or an insult?"
"Depends on how you look at it," he responded, humor in his voice.
"What are we gonna do anyway?"
"Ah, about that. You see, in waterben-" Another pair of echoing footsteps interrupted him, and they both turned to see Katara trying to catch up with them.
"Aang, Zuko's been looking for you," she said.
"But I was going to-"
"He said that if you're not at the usual training site before the sun's completely up, you're going to do hot squats for the whole of today."
Aang sighed in defeat. Zuko meant business this time.
"Don't sweat it, Twinkle toes," Toph said. "Let's just start waterbending tomorrow."
Katara perked up at what she had said. "Oh? Toph wants to learn waterbending?"
"Yeah, I was going to start teaching her today," Aang explained, completely oblivious of the warning signals Toph was giving him.
"Then why don't I teach her? After all, I am the waterbending master in our group," she said, pride quite clear in her voice.
"The thing is Sugar Quee-"
"Yeah! That's not a bad idea!"
It took all of Toph's concentration to stop herself from burying Aang in a rockalanche. She had a general idea on how Katara taught Aang, and she was quite sure that it wouldn't be an enjoyable exprience, at least not for her.
"Great! You should get going Aang. You only have a few seconds by the looks of it," Katara said, looking at the sun peeking over the horizon.
"Alright, I'll check up on you later Toph!"
"Wait! Twinkle to-" It was too late. He ran off, waving goodbye over his shoulder.
"C'mon, Toph," Katara said eagerly. "Let's go to the fountain."
Toph groaned. "This is gonna take a while," she mumbled to herself.
-x-
The two girls stood beside the fountain, one eager, the other not so much. It isn't really hard to guess who was which.
"Okay, we're here," Toph said lazily. "Now what?"
"First, let's start on the origin of waterbending. The first waterbenders learned from watching the moon, observing how it pushed and pulled the tides in and out. This continued to..."
Toph wasn't really listening at all. True, she had said before that it was better to learn from the source itself like what she had done, but Katara was going through all the famous waterbending masters and their contributions to the art. That part she could live without.
"So, as you know now from what I've said, the most basic waterbending motion is the push and pull."
"Yeah, push and pull..." she repeated dully.
"Since waterbending focuses on shifting between offence and defense, using the opponent's force against him or her, we have to master feeling these forces and energies to act accordingly. To help you with that, we're going to do a basic exercise. You should have a much easier time because I would think that airbending training has made you a lot more flexible. "
She motioned Toph to come over next to the circular fountain. "I've made the water in this fountain spin around in circles. What you're going to do is keep it flowing with your own hands. I want you to put your hand in and push the water, keeping the speed of the water constant."
Toph unenthusiastically complied. She inserted her hands into the cool water and pushed it along. Unfortunately, Katara's attitude wasn't helping at all.
"Toph, you should move with the water to do this better."
"You have to feel how fast and strong the water is moving, Toph."
"You're using too much of your own strength. Do it like this."
"You just have to redirect the water, Toph. You shouldn't fight it's flow."
Her patience was maddening. Toph couldn't understand how someone could be so calm with her. Of course, this should usually be a good thing but it put Toph on edge how she was way too patient. She would have preferred a lesson where the subject was beaten into her, like what Aang had done most of the time. Plus, the exercise was boring.
She was just about to give up and walk out on Katara when she felt a gust of wind and heard a swooshing sound. "Hey guys!"
"Hi Aang," Katara greeted. "Zuko let you go already?"
"I guess. He suddenly kicked me out shouting to finish what I have to do before going to training. How's waterbending?"
"It's going okay," she answered. "Toph's still on the basic exercise, but I think she's starting to get it." Aang looked over Katara's shoulder and saw that Toph was making a gagging motion behind her back. He got the message.
"Hey Katara, why don't you take a break? I can watch over Toph for a bit," he offered.
"Hmm, I don't know... I mean we're already doing quite well..."
"No, it's really okay, Sugar Queen," Toph said, a bit too quickly. "Twinkle toes can handle me for now."
"Well, okay... just call if you need any help."
Aang and Toph both waved goodbye to Katara, grinning broadly and arm slung over the other's shoulder. As soon as she disappeared from their view, Toph wiped the grin off her face and punched Aang hard on the shoulder, wiping his grin off as well.
"Ow! What was that for? I just helped you didn't I?"
"It was your fault I got stuck training with her in the first place!" she yelled.
"Okay, okay. So I'm guessing training's not going so good?"
"It's boring the heck out of me," she complained, crossing her arms. "And I don't even think I'm learning anything! All I know is that I'm just pushing the water."
Aang laughed. "I thought so." He looked around the area with a critical eye. "I guess this place is good enough."
"Good enough for what?"
"My lesson for you," he answered with a smile. "But first, Katara gave you a lecture before you started right? What do you know about waterbending so far?"
"That waterbending came from watching the moon and some stuff about dead guys from long ago."
"Yeah, what else?"
"Waterbending works by shifting offence to defense and vice versa or something. That we have to be able to feel the forces and energies to do it."
"Good, you've pretty much got it," he said, nodding. "Like you know, a waterbender needs to be very sensitive to the forces acting on and around him. And there is one very simple way to learn this."
"And that way is?"
"Dancing," Aang answered, a wide grin on his face.
-x-
"I am seriously gonna kill you." She was standing with her arms crossed, back toward him. She definitely wasn't enthusiastic about the idea of dancing.
"Oh come on, that's like the third time you've threatened to take my life this week and you still haven't done anything. Quit being such a baby and come here."
Toph growled at him but nevertheless, stepped forward until she was right in front of him. He took her right hand in his left and held it a bit extended.
"Now put your other hand on my shoulder," he instructed.
"WHAT?"
"Just do it."
"I don't think I have to," she said, huffing.
"Come on, Toph!" he pleaded. "I mean, since we're using dancing to learn waterbending, you might as well learn how to dance properly!"
"I know how to dance!"
"The hog-monkey dance Sokka taught you doesn't count. Come on already!"
Grumbling, she reluctantly complied, and Aang put his other hand on her waist. She blushed at the contact. She really wasn't a touchy-feely kind of person, so having such close proximity with someone embarrassed her quite a bit. Fortunately, Aang's laughter interrupted her feeling of embarrassment.
"What are you laughing at?" Her voice was a menacing growl, very scary.
"You," he answered simply, smiling broadly. "I've never seen your face so red!"
"Just shut up, Twinkle toes. Why the heck do you have to embarrass me in practically all your lessons?"
"Aw, but it's fun seeing you so embarrassed," he said, laughing. "Anyway, I don't see anything particularly embarrassing about dancing. We're just two friends, performing the art of fancy footwork! It's not like I'm trying to seduce you or anything," he joked.
"Whatever." Her 'I-don't-care' tone was betrayed by her red face. "Let's just get this over with."
"Alright! It's a shame we don't have any music but I guess it can't be helped. Anyway, I'm not going to teach you any dancing movements. I'm just going to start moving."
"How the heck am I supposed to dance with you if you don't teach me how?" Aang winced at the volume of her voice.
"We're practicing feeling forces, remember? I want you to feel my movements and move accordingly. For example..." He quickly took a step forward toward her, and she managed to stumble back to make space. "Like that. I made a movement, and you reacted accordingly."
Toph nodded, understanding. This lesson was a lot more clear for her than Katara's water pushing exercise. Aang proceeded to take three steps back and she in turn took three steps toward him, their steps fitting like pieces of a puzzle.
He suddenly spun to his right, startling Toph. They only just managed avoiding tumbling and becoming a tangle of limbs as she stumbled into the proper position.
"C'mon, Toph. I know I taught you to be more graceful than that," Aang said, laughing.
"Don't use my name with graceful, Twinkle toes. It doesn't sound right. And do you think you could slow down a bit? It's already hard enough to keep up with you."
"What, you want me to take it easy on you? I guess I could if this is too tough," he teased.
"There you go again, you use that almost every time you teach me."
"It's working isn't it?"
Toph smirked in response. "Pick up the pace, Twinkle toes. I'll show you what I can do."
He didn't hesitate to comply. He quickly took a number of steps to his left and then twisted to the right, letting go of her and stepping to her left side. He took a number of steps the right, which Toph mimicked. He smiled at the fact that she was able to keep up, and not only that, she matched each of his steps almost perfectly, as if they had rehearsed it. And as they went on, she seemed to be doing it more and more unconsciously, sensing each of his movements and moving to match or accomodate it.
Toph felt a bit strange. The way she was moving, it was foreign to her. She was usually always in control, moving how she wanted. But right now, it was like she was just there, watching herself move. She was just reacting to whatever movements Aang made.
"Come on, Toph. I know you can do more than that. Sway your hips a little," he laughed.
She growled at him. "I'll only go along as much as I need to, Twinkle toes. Toph Bei Fong does not sway her hips."
Aang started slowing his pace, moving back to their original position. "Alright, you've pretty much gotten how to move with the forces acting on you anyway. Now, we're going to do things a bit differently. I'm going to make a move, and then I want you to move in a way you want to."
Toph smirked. Finally, a bit of control. He took a step toward her, and she automatically took a step back. Deciding to move toward him, she took a step forward. However, something felt a bit off as she changed Aang's direction.
"Did you feel that?" he asked. Toph nodded in response. "Waterbending works by redirecting forces, so you can't decide on just any movement. It has to be a move that accomodates that force and works it around. The best way to be able move as freely as possible is to know how to receive that force in a way that makes it easy for you to move the way you want to. Here, try it again."
He once again took a step toward her, but instead of simply stepping back, she angled a bit to her left, and redirecting Aang's forward step, pulled him in, turning him, and then took a step toward him. It definitely felt different from earlier, much more fluid.
"Better," he said, smiling. "Very graceful."
Ignoring the comment, Toph continued with the exercise. They took turns taking the lead, moving to fit into each other's move and yet still move how they want to.
Taking the lead, Aang loosened the hand that was holding Toph's. Feeling it, she let go and they both stepped outward. Aang slipped his hand away from her waist and caught the hand that used to be on his shoulder, stretching their free hands in opposite directions. Smirking, Toph pulled him in. Moving along with her, he spun toward her, but was surprised when she let go of his hand, catching his back, and finally, dipped him.
"Hey! I'm the guy! I'm supposed to dip you!" He was smiling though. He had to admit that the situation was quite hilarious.
"Please, you're not man enough for that, Twinkle toes," she teased.
A new voice suddenly spoke up. "Well, don't you two look cute."
Toph quickly let go of Aang, letting him drop to the floor, and jumped away a decent distance, her face flushed. Aang propped himself up on his elbows and saw Katara standing at the doorway.
"You know, if you two wanted to be alone, you should have just said so," she teased, a devilish smirk on her face.
"I-It's not what you think, Sugar Queen!" Toph said, flailing her arms.
"Why? What is she thinking?" Aang asked, completely oblivious.
"Riiiight. I'll just leave you two to your training." Having said her piece, Katara left again, still wearing that evil smirk.
"Wait! Sugar Queen! I'm telling you, it's not what it looks like!" Toph ran after the waterbender, her face still burning bright red.
Aang was left alone, sitting on the floor, a confused expression on his face.
"Am I missing something?"
A/N: Love this lesson, just because it gave me a chance to embarrass Toph. Definitely a fun thing to do. And yeah, I couldn't help but sneak in a little Taang. This is still a friendship fic though.
I actually got this idea back when I was still writing airbending lessons. I remembered what my sensei told me that learning how to 'cha-cha', or just dancing would help learn aikido a lot easier. This was originally supposed to be the lesson to teach Toph to move more fluidly but I thought it fit waterbending more since aikido is also about redirecting forces. The dance was more tango than cha-cha though. I'm more familiar with tango, and I've seen how cha-cha goes, it's hard to see Aang and Toph go like that, much less write it. Anyway, review please!
