Finally, I am done with ch. 10. Please remember to R&R.

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Tao's POV

"That was so epic! Were you actually inside that thing?!"

Toph turned to stare at me with her milky green eyes. "Not exactly. I was controlling it from a remote location underground. You may not have noticed, but there was a small breathing hole behind you and the other students. That's where I was the whole time. It's something I've been working on. Pretty cool huh?"

"Totally. But how did you do it? In fact, how do you move around and not bump into anything. That is if you don't mind me asking."

She smiled. "Not at all. I was born blind, but I can "see" just fine by using earthbending to sense vibrations in the earth. Everything gives off vibrations, and I analyze them to know exactly what is happening around me. My way of seeing allows me to see things that normal people can't. For example, I can sense that there are exactly seven people in that house over there. There's one man, one woman, two girls, two boys, and the man is holding a baby. They will exit the house in five…four…three…two…one…"

I looked on the left side of the street at the house to which Toph was pointing. Right after she said 'one', seven people came out of the house in question, accurately fitting her description.

"Wow! So you can see through walls and stuff?"

"Yeah. I guess you could put it that way."

"You are so awesome! I can see why my brother likes you." I chuckled as I remembered the night we met Toph. "When we were watching you fight Roan, Terran looked like he was in a trance or something. He was even drooling a little."

I felt an agitated and deeply embarrassed Terran ram his elbow into my side. Toph started laughing which only made my brother turn a deeper shade of red.

"Tao, if you enjoy riding on my back, then you'll shut your mouth."

Honestly, Terran needs to learn how to laugh at himself. "What? Toph thinks it's cute."

Toph slipped her arm around Terran's. "Loosen up, Book Worm. That is kind of funny."

Book Worm? Is that some sort of pet name she has for him? I snickered at the thought. "Book Worm?"

Terran sighed. "Toph likes to give nicknames to people that are close to her. All of her friends have one too, so I'm not the only one."

"Well I think it's adorable. Hey Toph, do you have a nickname for Roan yet? Make it something stupid!"

Toph smirked. "I've been had a few names in mind for him."

Terran smiled weakly at her. "Go easy on him Toph. Being beaten up by a small blind girl in front of a large group of people was a little tough for him deal with."

"Don't worry. I'll stick with light insults…and maybe a prank or two."

Toph's POV

I sensed Terran stop in front of a small building, which I could only assume to be his house. He let Tao slide down from his back and I heard the sound of a key being turned and the front door creaking open. When I stepped inside, I was relieved to find out that the floors were earthen, but the same couldn't be said for the walls, which were made of wood. Despite it being such a small house, it didn't feel cramped. After taking a minute to survey my surroundings, I sensed a feeling of warm coziness that was very inviting. I felt the vibrations of a woman standing in front of a stove and the smell of baked pig-chicken wafted through the house. Tao bounced off around a corner.

"Mom! We're home, and guess what?! Toph is gonna eat dinner with us!"

Somewhere above me, a muffled angry voice yelled 'What?!'. I heard a large cooking spoon being put down and the vibrations of footsteps made their way out of the kitchen and into the living room where I was standing with Terran.

"Well hello Toph. I would be happy to have you join us for dinner. I'm almost done cooking, so just make yourself at home. Tao, come help me set the table."

Just before they could return to the kitchen, I heard a set of heavy footsteps thudding against wooden stairs. I smirked once they reached the ground where I could see.

"You again?!"

"Roan, Toph is our guest and you will treat her with respect. Dinner is almost ready. Come on Tao."

The little girl followed her mom, leaving me, Terran and Roan alone in the room. Sweet.

Roan growled at me, and just to mess with him, I made like I was going to hit him. I chuckled when he recoiled involuntarily.

"Glad to know you remember who I am."

"Let's get something clear. I don't like you, I never will like you, and you will always be the scum of the earth to me, understand?"

Roan's mother, Maya, called in a stern tone. "Roan, you better not be making any trouble in there."

I smirked when he flinched. "Yeah Roan. You should try being nicer to me. I am the guest after all."

Roan grumbled but stopped and spoke in a mocking tone. "Fine, let's chat for a while. Do you like being blind as a gopher-bat?"

I was completely unfazed by this and just continued to smirk at him. Two can play this game. "Did you like being everyone's bitch in jail?"

Terran snickered behind me and I could sense Roan heart rate speed up in anger. "Seems like you would know all about being someone's bitch. Honestly Terran, is a blind girl the best you could get?"

This time Terran decided to join the show. "It's a lot more than what you have."

"At least I had someone normal."

This one was too easy. "How'd you do that? Drop the soap?"

I felt Roan move toward me and I shook him slightly with a warning tremble through the ground, effectively stopping him in his tracks and making him back up to his original spot. Respect through fear; gotta love it.

"So Jail Bird…what's it like being scared to death of a small blind girl?"

"Jail Bird?!" If I didn't know he was an earthbender, I would have thought he was breathing fire right now.

"Like your new nickname? I think it suits you. But if you don't like it, how about Ass Wipe? Or maybe Pansy. Yeah, I think that one fits you nicely. I mean, think about it. You tried to gang up on a blind person half your size. That alone is pathetic. Then not only do your lackeys get knocked out like total newbs before they can even lift a finger, but you also get your ass handed to you? That is just too rich."

Roan sounded like he was speaking through clenched teeth. "I didn't know you were blind."

"But you did see a small and seemingly defenseless girl. Face it, Pansy, you pulled a punk move and still got your ass kicked."

Even though I couldn't see it, I could tell Roan was boiling just under the surface. Just to drive the message home I grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him down to where I assumed would be eye level.

"And just so you know, if you ever mess with me again, I'll make sure you get two servings of iron."

I roughly shoved him away just as Maya was calling us to the table.

Terran's POV

Everyone took their seat at the table, with me sitting next to Toph on one side, Roan sitting next to Tao on the other side, and my mom sitting at the head of the table. As we filled our plates, I noticed my mother smile sweetly at Toph.

"So Toph, how did youlike teaching the free class today instead of Master Yu?"

Toph looked up from her plate. "The kids were fun to work with. Unfortunately, a certain assistant of mine decided to set a bad example and challenge my authority. Isn't that right, Terran?"

Toph looked jokingly at me and poked me in my ribs. Mom chuckled. "Terran, what did you do?"

"I just wanted to see for myself what Toph could do. Though I don't think I'll be doing that again for a while."

"Yeah mom, you should have seen her! She had this one move where she made a giant sand monster come out of the ground!" Tao's expression changed to one of slyness. "But I'm sure Roan knows all about Toph's skills."

Roan glared at the smug looking girl next to him. "Shut up, Tao!"

"Roan, you are already on thin ice. Either be nice or you can eat your dinner upstairs, and Tao, stop teasing your brother." Mom gave them a stern look and both of them went back to silently eating their meal. "Toph, I don't remember you ever mentioning your family. What are they like?"

Toph stopped eating and stared at her plate with a look of uneasiness. I wondered if she would even decide to tell, but my question was soon answered.

"My parents are good people but they don't get me."

Mom looked questioningly at her. "What do you mean?"

Toph sighed and looked like she was searching for the best way to answer. "Since the day I was born, every time my parents looked at me, all they ever saw was a small blind girl who they thought was too weak to do anything. They don't understand that I can do things for myself. They were so over protective of me that they hid me away from the world for the first 12 years of my life and had me guarded at all times. They wouldn't even allow me to develop my bending properly, so I had to sneak out and teach myself. Fortunately, I was able to find a suitable teacher."

"Oh that's terrible."

"It's ok. When Aang and his friends showed up at my house looking for an earthbending teacher, I was able to leave with them. They're my family now," Toph chuckled "complete with older siblings that are fun to annoy."

Mom smiled warmly at her. "Well that's good to hear. Everyone needs a family they can turn to. Though I do hope you'll eventually work things out with your parents. So…Terran tells me you and your friends live in the Fire Nation. What's it like?"

"It's hot. Well…during the spring and summer. Despite it being called the FIRE Nation, it can get to be pretty cold during the winter, but never to the point of snow, so that's a plus for bare foot people like me. As for the people…well let's just say that before moving there, I had no idea that nationalism could reach levels like that. May the spirits help you if you talk trash about their nation. But they're good people though. But I am convinced that their digestive system is different from everyone else's, because I can't think of any other way for them to be able to ingest food that is so spicy, it will make anyone breath fire regardless of their bending capabilities."

"Well I'm sure Terran will have plenty of time to learn about the Fire Nation when he leaves with all of you at the end of the festival." Mom sighed and a hint of sadness entered her voice. "Though it will be sad to watch my baby leave. Who would have guessed that my son would end up working for the firelord?"

Here we go again. I slouched in my chair and groaned. "Moooooom."

Mom just smiled at me. "What? I'm not allowed to be proud of my own child? Besides, after raising you for 17 years, I have a right as a mother to be sentimental. In fact I remember when you were just two years old-"

"Mom, please! Don't! Girlfriend…right here!"

But the large grin on Toph's face told me my embarrassment was only just beginning. "Nonsense! I would love to hear stories about when Terran was little."

What did I do to deserve this? I simply hid my face in my hands and prepared for the worst.

"When you were two, you had this strange belief that your blanket was alive and was out to get you." Toph, Roan and Tao started snickering. "Though now I think that may have been the result of Roan telling you something that wasn't true."

Mom looked disapprovingly at Roan who was now practically falling out of his seat. "Anyway, one afternoon, I had put you down for a nap and went into the kitchen to finish a new recipe I was trying out. A short while later, I heard screaming coming from your room. I rushed in thinking that something horrible had happened, only to find you cowering in a corner and staring at your bed. When I asked you what was wrong you told me that your blanket was moving all by itself and that it was going to hurt you. I looked back at the bed and saw that a breeze was blowing through the open window and rustling the blanket. I tried telling you that nothing was going to hurt you, but you were too scared to listen. When the breeze picked up and made the blanket rise up a little, you screamed and ran out of your bedroom and out the front door."

Toph burst out laughing and Mom chuckled. "You ran down the street in nothing but your underwear, screaming your head off and attracting the attention of the neighbors. It was a long time before me and a few of the people on our street finally found you."

By now, Toph and Tao were struggling to catch their breath and I was secretly wondering if it was possible to actually die of embarrassment.

Toph roughly prodded me in my side. "Oh come on, this is hilarious. Maya, do you know anymore stories?"

I looked in horror as mom smiled and looked like she was trying to think of another, possibly even more humiliating memory. I was sure Toph could feel the heat radiating from my face. In fact, that's probably why she wants to hear more about the less proud moments of my childhood.

Mom told one humiliating story after another. I swear its like she thinks its her job or something. Everything from awkward first experiences to embarrassing fears was mentioned.

"Oh! This is a really cute one. I think Terran was about five. We decided to get him a pigmy puma because those horrible little boys in the town would beat him up and he had trouble making friends."

I don't think mom noticed when Toph kicked the floor under the table and made Roan stop laughing like hyena-tiger, though I could see she was trying to hold back her own laughter. Great, now she probably thinks I'm weak.

"Terran's father had heard from one of the customers in the restaurant that an animal merchant was passing through town and had a few pigmy puma kittens for sale. Terran was so excited and practically dragged us all the way to where the merchant had set up shop. As I spoke with the merchant, I noticed that the pigmy pumas didn't look too happy and kept yowling and hissing for some reason. It wasn't until I looked down into their cage that I realized it was because Terran was eating their food and wouldn't share any of it with them. The merchant said that it was the funniest thing he had ever seen."

Toph almost fell out of her seat from laughing so hard. "Terran, you actually ate cat food?! I'll need to remember that one!"

Mom chuckled and continued. "I was surprised that the merchant didn't seem to mind at all. He brought out the kittens and Terran picked the one that jumped on him. He named him Kyji (A/N: Keejee) and they've been inseparable ever since."

Toph stopped laughing and looked curious. "So that means you still have him? Where is Kyji?"

I smiled, realizing my opportunity to change the subject and put an end my mother's embarrassing story telling. "Oh he's probably upstairs somewhere. He usually comes running at the sound of food hitting the floor." I grabbed a pig-chicken leg and dropped it on the floor. We immediately heard scratching and shuffling from above and soon a blur of grayish black fur came whizzing into the kitchen and attacked the free meat on the floor. He refused to let go of the leg as I picked him up and set him down in Toph's lap. I was a little shocked at how gentle she was with him.

"He seems friendly."

Tao got down from her chair and took her dishes to the sink. "Don't let him fool you. He destroyed plenty of my socks and still thinks its fun to pounce on me in the mornings."

Once finished with the pig-chicken leg (bone and all), Kyji started licking his paws and purred contently as Toph continued to stroke him. I collected mine and Toph's empty plates as she got up and cradled Kyji like he was a human infant while rubbing his belly. Kyji, needless to say, was soaking up all the attention.

"Hey, whenever I do that, he gets agitated and runs off."

Toph looked up at me and smirked. "Meh. It's a gift."

Tao walked up to Toph and lifted Kyji from her hands. "Sorry Toph, but Kyji has been smelling wild lately." She looked at the struggling ball of fur in her hands. "Let's go, old timer. You need a bath."

As soon as Tao said 'bath', Kyji went insane, bucking and hissing like he was about to be slaughtered as Tao, grinning, hauled him upstairs to her bathroom.

Toph's POV

After saying my good-byes to everyone, Terran offered to walk me home. He walked as if he were slightly hunched over and I could tell he was trying to hide his face from me.

"You know, your folks aren't all that bad."

"Yeah, well, I just wish if mom wouldn't tell such humiliating stories. I can only imagine what she'll be like when I actually leave. Oh, before I forget…" I heard Terran's clothes rustling as he dug around for something. He pressed a piece of paper into my hands. "Give that to Zuko. It's the ownership papers to the restaurant."

I pocketed the document. "No problem. Soooo…" I said in a sly manner.

Terran's heartbeat rose a little and he stepped away from me. "What?"

"What other crazy things did you do as a kid?"

Terran lightly shoved me to the side. "Like I'd really tell you. So what was up with you and Kyji? I know you have a badgermole and all, but I had no idea you had such a soft spot for animals."

I turned my head away, trying to hide the creeping blush that was slowly heating up my face. "I do not have a soft spot for animals."

"Toph, you were treating him like he was a baby. You're an animal lover, and there's nothing wrong with that."

"Yeah, yeah, just don't tell anyone. Especially Sokka- he'll never let me live it down."

"Why not? I'm sure he- ahhh!"

Terran never finished his sentence. He tripped over a plank of wood lying in the middle of the road. With quick reflexes, I softened the ground under him to absorb the impact.

"You didn't see that piece of wood? It should have been in plain view for you."

"Not everyone can see in the dark like you. I just wish if the city would put more lamps in this area. This place is practically a breeding ground for crime at night. You should really watch yourself out here." Terran said, brushing the dirt off his clothes and continuing to walk .

Please, I can handle any two-bit, moronic thief in these parts. "Well if some bad person attacks us, you can just beat them up like you beat up those kids in your town." I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Aww, come on. Surely you have more faith in me than that. I could be your heroic prince." I felt him pull a sword-shaped rock from the ground and swing it around in what he thought was a 'heroic' manner.

"Sorry, but by the time you get there, I'll have already saved myself. Uhhgg. My mother used to tell me those stupid fairy tales and I hated every last one of them. Some girl gets locked away in a castle or an equally elaborate estate, and has to wait there for some man in shining armor to come save her. I really hate the ones that are set in the fire nation, because they usually involve a dragon for the hero to defeat. Fuck that! Why can't she save herself?! Think about it. The dragon or whatever villain of the story would never see it coming! If that were me, I'd turn that stupid dragon into steaks."

Terran answered in a quiet tone. "I know. I'd still come for you anyway. But you'd have to share some of the steaks with me."

Well, I had to give the guy points for dedication. "So tell me, oh heroic prince, how exactly would you confront a villain?" I said with a mock snotty, high society accent.

I could practically hear the smile in Terran's voice as he played along with an identical accent. "Fear not, my fair lady, for I will see to it that every riff-raff who dares to make their threat known will be dealt with swiftly and severely. With my trusty sword, I'll gut them all like hapless fish."

"My hero!" I said as I punched him square in his shoulder. He tried to swing the rock sword at me but I ducked just in time and ran off in the direction of my house. I could hear Terran calling after me.

"Come back here and face me!"

I just stopped where I was and smirked in his direction. "And what are you gonna do if I don't?"

Terran was silent for a moment, and then I felt his vibrations fast approaching toward me. We chased each other all the way to my house, each of us taking random shots at the other. I'm sure the other people around us thought we were crazy. Especially a certain unlucky cabbage merchant whose stand we accidentally destroyed in the midst of our careless roughhousing.

We reached my front porch still laughing about the whole thing.

"I wish you could have seen that lady's face, Toph. She looked so pathetic waving her fist at us."

"You mean the one who had so many wonderful things to say about us? Yeah, I gave her something to complain about. She had a lot of nerve calling us delinquents."

An uncomfortable silence settled over us. It's moments like this when I curse the awkwardness of adolescence. Now I was trying to think of something a bit more on the polite side to get him to leave.

"So, um…yeah. Thanks for dinner, your folks are great people, and I'll be going inside now. Later."

Terran stepped a little closer to me. "So I don't get a good night kiss?"

"Sure I could do that. And then I'll tuck you in and read you a bedtime story."

He closed the distance between us and wrapped his arms around my waist. "Seriously, just one?"

I would have told him no, but then after all the humiliation he went through today, well, that would just suck.

"Ok, but make it quick."

I felt him tilt my head up and soon his lips were on mine as he pulled me closer to him in a tender kiss. And then we broke apart. Or at least that's what I was expecting to happen. But for whatever reason, reality decided not to comply with my expectations. After a few seconds, I slowly became aware of the fact that I was now gradually moving backward until my back hit one of the wooden columns that supported the roof of the porch. Assuming that I knew the kind of person Terran was, I expected things to stop there. But that was because I had forgotten that reality didn't care about my expectations. Suddenly, the next thing I know, I can no longer sense my surroundings. You can probably imagine the panic that was flooding inside me. Until I felt Terran's thigh supporting my weight and keeping me in a sitting position. Now, you'd think I would draw the line at him lifting me off the ground. But as soon as I felt him press me further against the column, all angry thoughts vanished from my love-clouded head. Instead of punching him for separating me from my precious earth, I wrapped my arms around his neck and deepened the kiss that should have been over by now. To tell you the truth, I didn't think the book worm had it in him to test my boundaries like that.

So let's recap. I had somehow allowed Terran to go from an innocent kiss good night to our current…situation. We went from cute, to Terran feeling under my shirt. And I can tell you that I was so much happier for it, even if I didn't want to admit it right away. Even after we broke apart after what seemed like an eternity, I still didn't want to let go of him. So instead we just stayed that way while he nuzzled my face.

"So I take it that you two are done?"

I felt both our hearts skip a beat as we realized that the person we heard was Zuko and we weren't the only ones on the porch anymore. Terran immediately set me back on the ground where I could sense who the audience was. Zuko, Katara, Aang, and Suki were all standing in the door way, and all were chuckling at the scene.

Terran was the first to speak. "How long were you guys standing there?"

"Long enough." I could hear the smirk in Zuko's voice.

Can't I have one romantic moment without it being ruined? "So you all stood there and watched us? You perverts!"

I felt Katara close the door behind her. "Yeah, but it was Suki's idea. We just wanted to see how long it would be before you noticed us standing here. Besides, it's not like you give any of us the same kind of respect."

"Go. Away. NOW!"

They drifted back inside, all cracking up laughing.

I sighed and turned back to Terran. "Sooo…good night?"

"Yeah, I should probably leave. Good night."

Terran hugged me one last time before he walked down the steps of the porch and headed for home. And once I was sure that he was out of sight, I smiled before heading inside to deal with my so called "friends."

See that little 'go' button? Press it. You know you want to. Because you know that reviews make everything better. Next up: a certain Water Tribe warrior is forced to follow through with the terms of a certain bet.