Revenge

(Four funerals and a wedding)

Disclaimer:

Santa: Here you go!

Belgianwritersblock: Wow, are these the rights to atla? Those that I don't own?

Santa: You wish! Those are the results of your physicals, the doctor asked me to give them to you.

Belgianwritersblock: I've got cancer...

Santa: Merry Christmas!

Wow, I can't believe we're already halfway through the story. Well, I couldn't have done it without my reviewers, so many thanks to all of you!

Let us not see the glass as half empty but as half full, six more chapters to go! So please review

Chapter 6: The white dress and the white dragon

Sokka woke up in the middle of the night, he was kind of mad about this, he had a nice dream about earlier today, the day he spent with Toph. He tried to get up, he couldn't see, hear or feel everything yet. First he had to find out why he had awoken. As his hearing came back he noticed a sound. In the seconds that it took for him to regain his senses the sound became louder and louder until finally he could hear that it was Toph screaming. As soon as he understood this he got out of bed and sprinted to her room.

She was screaming her lungs out, sitting in her bed. Her blind eyes trying to look for a way out. Screaming, half crying. She looked hysterical trying to beat off invisible enemies. The sound wouldn't die down and neither would her panic. She was in pain, a torture she had felt over a year now, not allowing her to rest, to be happy, not even allowing Toph to be herself. Sokka rushed towards her and tried to calm her down. Toph just kept hitting everything around her. When her hands found Sokka she started to try and push him away.

"Toph it's me! You're safe, calm down!"

Toph didn't recognize his voice in this state of mind and kept pushing her away. Somehow he managed to wrap his arms around her.

"No no!" she yelled "Let me go, please let me go!" she broke down into crying.

He didn't release his grip but held her. It would seem that somehow in his arms she started to feel safe, she calmed down enough to know who's arms she was in, placed her head on his chest and cried, just cried for hours. Sokka didn't let go, he didn't want to and didn't feel the need to. All he wanted to do was make her feel safe, and that outweighed the need for his own comfort. He would've gladly sat there for the rest of his life if it made Toph comfortable.

After a while her crying came to an end. No words were in order, no words were needed at all. They both knew what the nightmare had been about, both knew how the other felt and what he or she was thinking, it was a moment beyond our little world of words. And they just sat there for hours.

She didn't have anymore nightmares for a few days but the feeling and memory remained. It was a sign for her to get back to work and find 'the white dragon'. First things first though, she and Katara had to find a wedding dress.

As the avatars bride to be she was offered the most beautiful dresses. Katara had already found a bridesmaids dress for Toph, but couldn't find one for herself. Toph could help her with this a little, because she could see what they looked like through the vibrations and feel their touch. She had laughed at the ridiculous dresses the shopkeeper made Katara wear. There were dresses with trains big enough to cover Ba sins se's great walls. They were all to fancy, a wedding day is supposed to be fancy, but it has its limits.

Katara tried to explain to the shopkeeper that she didn't need a dress made by two hundred specially trained nuns while Toph was searching for the right one. She let her hand touch every dress she went by as she past a long row. No dress was right for her best friend, she needed a special one. To rough, To soft, to detailed, to exposing, to big, ... the list went on. She was starting to give up hope and wanted to tell Katara to search somewhere else when she felt it. She stopped and moved one step back to where se had felt it. Soft silk, cool and light, not to big and not to small. Toph moved her hand to touch every peace of the dress. It was decorated with small rose-buds, small lines that showed the curves of the carrier, but didn't expose them to much. It was exactly Katara's size, like someone had made it especially for her.

"Hey Katara, try this one." She yelled to the waterbender at the other end of the room who was arguing with the shopkeeper.

When Katara putted on the dress she knew from the beginning that it was the right one. A beautiful dress that didn't try to impress everybody who looked at it but somehow did.

"Well it looks like your bridesmaid has an eye for perfection." The shopkeeper said and then realized Toph was blind "Sorry" he apologized to her.

"Toph, this dress is incredible, really it is!" katara shone in proud off how she looked. Toph just smiled back at her.

"Yes, it's the last dress made by the famous designer Yao Koa." The shopkeeper explained. "He was one of Ba sing se's most successful people. He was my idol when I was little. You know, apart from designing dresses he was also a skilled swordsman."

"Really" Toph said, pretending to be interested.

"Oh yes, he created a fighting dojo called 'the white dragon' and that dojo holds a fighting tournament every five years, I have a ticket for this years finals, really an honor, they're tonight. Never heard of it?"

Toph froze, this was her chance, it was like someone was guiding her to revenge "No, but tell me everything..."

The white dragon was an impressive dojo. Fully decorated in marmer and statues of warrior monks everywhere. It was all made out of rock so she could see everything, If it had not been lead by her mortal enemy she might have enjoyed her being here. She sat in a front row with Sokka beside her. Toph had told her friends she wanted to go see the finals because she was told it would be a very impressive fight. Aang had pulled some strings and received two tickets, he wouldn't go because he detested violence and Katara wouldn't go without him. So it was just her and meatboy.

"You know I was invited to participate?" The watertribe warrior spoke.

"What?" Toph said in disbelieve, although she sensed he didn't lie.

"Yeah, I got a note asking me about six months ago."

"So what happened? Did you lose or something?"

"No I declined their offer."

"Why on earth would you do that?"

"Because I didn't feel like it."

"Why?"

"Well see, I ..."

"Ladies and Gentlemen be prepared for the finals of the 'White dragon Championship'!" A loud voice interrupted their talk.

"I'll tell you later Toph." Sokka whispered to her

The loud voice continued "Our first finalist is a man from the Northern Watertribe, strong agile and quick he is Teico Mong." More people were booing then they were cheering, it seemed obvious that they didn't want a watertribe member winning their tournament. "And he'll have a tough time fighting our other contestant. Please welcome triple time champion and owner of 'the white dragon' Lee Ataki."

Toph froze, she had expected him to be here, but to be a participant? Let alone a finalist. This would prove to be a very interesting hunt. As the strong muscular man appeared she could have sworn his heartbeat jumped up as his gaze past her. He must have definitely been aware his friend had been murdered, and now he saw her, that couldn't have been a coincidence. Toph was sure he knew, but what could he do? Shout 'Hey that's the girl I raped and now she's coming after me.?' But soon, soon it wouldn't be a watertribe he'd be fighting in that stone ring, it would be an earth kingdom civilian. She'd beat him at his own game.

Toph watched the fight, discovered his strong-points and his weaknesses under the sound off clashing metal. In the end he was victorious, tired but champion once more. She wished she had met him earlier, so that he wouldn't have received this honor. But then again, it would be a lot more painful to be beaten now. She'd give him a few days rest, she wanted him at his strongest and then break him.

Back at home they found a note saying that there were some problems with the wedding and that the lovely couple wouldn't be home for a while. Sokka mixed them a drink and they sat down in the living room. Toph was kind of glad he shut up about the fight.

"So" she started.

"So what." He asked

"You've been avoiding the subject all night."

"What subject?" He pretended not to know, sipping his drink.

"Sokka..."

"Mhh"

"Why didn't you enter the competition."

"Ah well, I just didn't feel like it."

"You're not telling me everything."

"I was, kind off depressed. If you must really know."

"Why, because Suki left?"

"...No, not because Suki left."

"What, me?"

"Well yeah."

"I didn't know that me leaving would have such an impact on you."

"To be honest, me neither." Toph narrowed her eyes. "Sorry, that's not what I meant. Anyway when you were gone, I noticed I had lost my best friend."

'Friend' that word lingered on in her mind for a long time. At least it was a start.

Sokka went on "I really didn't feel like doing anything anymore."

"Is that why Suki..."

"Don't blame yourself Toph, I don't, Suki doesn't, nobody does. Suki and I just weren't meant to be."

"Still..."

Sokka moved closer to her "Look Toph, I don't want you to worry about it. It wasn't your fault that Suki and I broke up and you didn't do anything wrong? Do you understand that?"

"I guess so."

A silence fell upon their conversation.

"I'm sorry for making you sad that I left Snoozles."

"Don't worry about it."

"Am I really your best friend?"

"Yeah, I always thought it was Aang, but face it, we have a lot more in common. Actually it's a miracle I'm friends with a vegetarian."

Toph giggled at this. Then she realized this was very out of character. She couldn't help it, she giggled at how stupid she was making herself look, she just couldn't stop it.

"Are you ok Toph?"

"Yeah," she said regaining some off her own self "just glad to hear your sarcasm again."

"I've missed you Toph."

"I've missed you to Sokka. And I'm glad I'm here with my best friend."

It was a moment, one of those anyone would be more then lucky to have in their entire life, they both were silent, and looked at each-other. Simultaneously they started to slowly close their eyes and move their heads closer to each-other. It almost looked magical. Their lips found each-other in perfect darkness. Both pares pressed against each-other. Sokka's left hand found her cheek, Toph wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned back on the sofa. They didn't brake the kiss doing so. Toph never knew a kiss could feel so good. Sokka's right hand started to move over her arm. She started to feel warmer inside. It felt like a beautiful bubble.

And then it burst. Sokka's hands weren't his anymore, and there were more of them. All groping her, touching her, spreading her.

"No, no stay away! Please don't! I want to go!" She shrieked

Sokka got off her, looking confused for a second. And then tried to calm her down. She awoke from from her nightmare in his arms once more. After a while she spoke.

"I'm sorry Sokka."

"Don't be."

"I just can't do this, not yet anyway."

"That's ok Toph, I can wait till the end of times, I could die waiting, and still I wouldn't regret it."

"Don't let go off me yet." She whispered almost begging. Don't let go off her and don't give up on her yet.

They embraced each-other for a long time and didn't let go until someone opened the door. It were Katara and Aang.

"I'ts all settled, we're going to get married in fifteen days." Aang spoke, holding Katara.

"We'll be wed in The Saolin Temple, the most beautiful temple of Ba sing se, off the whole world even."

A/NThanks for reading and have a happy new-year, you can give me a present by reviewing!

The next chapter will be: "Taming the dragon" and I can already tell you that the identity of Toph's master will be revealed. Why don't you try guessing who I chose?

Enjoy the rest of the holly days and please review!