I landed near her quivering form, my feet touching the ground near her curled feet. Toph's head snapped up instantly, her blank eyes glaring into my face, lip twitching into a snarl. I crouched down next to her and extended my hand to try and comfort her. Toph rushed forward, grabbed my hand and slammed me into the ground. Her footsteps retreated down the alleyway into the next street. My nose now bleeding, I walked steadily after her, knowing now that I had to talk to her. I had to know what was wrong.

I jogged faster and faster into the twisting lanes, finally skidding out into the main road, raising a cloud of dust around myself. I starred down the street, then levitated slightly to try and see further than usual. Suddenly a missile sailed into my temple, knocking me to the ground in a heap of sweat, blood and dirt. My head spinning, my blurred vision spotted the small assailant, a perfectly smooth rock, chiseled into a point that defied natural explanation. That little... I twisted to my feet, and glared down the street. And yet another missile rocketed in my direction! I jumped into the air, and flew towards the source, dodging the increasing volleys of projectiles that continued to try and incapacitate my being. I threw two flaming infernos ahead, incinerating the next column of rock, and flew throught the smoke, only to see a young girl sitting in the middle of the road, her palms flat against the earth. I alighted a few feet away from her.

Toph starred up once again into my eyes, her hands twitching as she kept a close watch on me. I took a step forward, only to see her patch of ground melt and shift herself back another two feet. Holding my ground, I said: "What's this all about Toph? Why are you running from me? WHAT DID I DO?!" Her eyes blazed at my words and streams of curses erupted from her mouth:

"WHAT DID YOU DO? WHAT DID YOU DO!!! WHERE DO I START!? First you try and woo me over with looks and small talk and for about two days I fell for it. I thought you actually might like me, but no! You go and engage in some disgusting activitites with Katara just to travel with our group! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT!! HOW COULD EVERYONE LIE TO ME LIKE THAT!?! Scores of townsfolk were now in the street, searching for the source of all the commotion, especially at this late hour. Toph's shoulders were quivering, hands dug deep in the earth now and I could vaguely feel that an earthquake was coming on. I chose the only course of action I thought would save those around us. I ran forward through the now rumbling disaster zone, grabbed Toph out of her position and sped off into the desert.

Night was upon the quiet sea-side town, its citizens slumbering in their beds. The sole light illuminated four occupants in an apartment, two arguing excessively while the remaining pair quietly snuggled close together near the fire. Kasumi said: "Well, I wouldn't know where those stupid kids could have run off to ok? I was trying to secure a boat all day". Sokka replied: "Hey, stop yelling at me! I was helping you out all day". "Yeah right, all you did was oogle at all the girls at the beach while I was stuck haggling out a price for five hours!". Sokka stomped away, steam rising from his head. Katara pressed her head closer to Aang, in case Sokka was watching, just to make him steam a little more. With Aang's mind distracted, no one saw the brief and brilliant flash in the desert night.

Toph was becoming a hazard to my health as of late. I had taken her to a small cave a few miles out of town, where she had cried for hours inside her own little stone fortress. I merely stood back until she had finished, which was around midnight. I finally walked over to the walls that encircled her, touched them briefly and felt their structure crumble like dust in my hand. I swept away the remaining encloseure and knelt down next to Toph's sleeping form. I briefly lay my hand upon her form, only to leap back when spires rose swiftly from the ground around her, spiraling out to cover most of the cave floor. I was nearly stripped of a very vital component several times. Enough! I dashed forward, smashed through the rocks one by one, slivers and boulders of stone dnacing in a frantic attempt to keep me away. Nothing could keep me away though and I broke through the walls of granite and iron to wrap my arms around that small girl who hated me, who I loved.

Darkness is not a void in which we are trapped, a place in which our souls can never escape. It is simply an area that needs to be filled, a location that yearns to be known. At times, it seems that a void does exist, that nothing can fill the hole that aches in your chest. I have known many people who say they are creatures of darkness; though they may seem happy, I don't truly believe they are. For to them darkness is their being and I can scarcely imagine what they must feel like, day after day after day. Darkness is the essence of creation though, like space, it fosters the formation of wondrous objects and triumphs over everything in the end. It was on this day that the void which made up the deep pit of my soul was filled.

Night laid a dark hand over this coastal desert, its suffocating fog blanketing the countryside for miles around. I awoke in a cherry-colored cave, flames lapping shadows against the walls, driving back the darkness outside. Pushing myself up, I released the light grip I had around Toph's small body and leaned back against a stalagmite. Peeling off my worn shirt and gray overcoat, I felt the tender, wine-colored bruises that Toph's assault had left on my body. Wincing, I pressed against each small injury in turn until I had determined that no matter how ugly the marks might be, I would live. I shifted my position to add another log to the fire, then fell backwards again against the rock and let my eyes flutter shut.

Dawn awoke me next, rays of dappled sunlight awakening me from slumber to see the same scene as the night before. I stood and stretched, then grabbed my packet of herbs and walked out into the morning light. Desert greeted me, with the sea shining miles away as a line of twinkling light. It's so beautiful today. I believe that this morn will be the last one I see of the earth kingdom. I laughed deeply, not caring who saw this madness, not knowing who heard it.

I walked back into the cave later that day to see Toph crouched by the fire, chewing hastily through a meal of sand-crabs and desert beetles. I sat beside her and offered up my water skin, which she reluctantly accepted. After sitting for a few moments, I dared to breach the silence that permeated the air. "Why are you still here Toph? I mean, it's not as if you can't find your way back to the town and I'll bet they have better food than beetles there. My question is… if the only grudge you have against me is my participation in some tests that your group put me through, why don't you just say it?" Her eyes met mine and then with a little shake of her head, she stared again at the fire. I waited for her response.

"You really want to know why I'm mad at you Ryu?.. Well, I cannot truly tell you. The reason I'm saying this is because I'm not mad at you any longer". I starred at her in surprise. She continued: "Yeah, I mean at first I was angry that everyone would put you through those "trials" and of course I was a bit jealous that you might like Katara, but what really got me ticked was your indifference to me after we headed out here". She looked away as I sat back against the wall, leaning my head against the cool stone.

I spoke after perhaps twenty minutes of pondering her words, voice ringing out unspeakable truths. "Toph, my actions in this past week have not been ideal, yet it was never to you that I wished indifference on. Merely, I wanted to become again a shadow figure in the journey to the fire nation, and let everyone just forget about me. I even contemplated leaving you all stranded in the middle of the ocean while I escaped to hide myself away again. However, yesterday I think I realized that no matter how much I want to, I cannot simply abandon this group anymore". Toph starred at me now, her eyes suspicious of my words.

Toph continued to stare into my eyes, and then asked: "So why do you stay now?" I looked at her then whispered: "I think you know why". Her eyes widened with realization and I saw fear leap from her face. She rushed towards me, embracing and kissing me. Our lips met time and again, tongues dancing to a feverish beat, arms locking our bodies against one another. Toph shifted into my lap and continued her assault on my mouth. The day stretched on, yet we continued to kneel and sit in that cave, our emotions turbulet and restless to be recognized and cherished by the other. Sunlight danced through the cave, love sang in the air.