A/N: MoonClaimed peeks out through the bars of the cage she's been stuck in for the last six months. She peers around then calls out, "Is anybody out there? —out there?—out there?"

Hmm…judging from the echo…

But seriously, I'm very, very sorry about the huge gap between updates! But to make up for it, here's the "High school fic" chapter I've been promising! I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 10: Welcome to Elemental High (You may now run screaming)

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"—and this is where the children in Water House have their dorm rooms. Now, I asked a student in your grade to meet you here and show you around the school." The old man smiled fondly down at Elemental High's newest student, "Don't hesitate to come to me if you have any questions or concerns, and make sure to introduce yourself to everyone so you can make some new friends!"

The young boy bounced on his heels in excitement, "Oh, don't worry about that! I love making friends! Thanks for showing me around, Principal Iroh-"

"Oh, I'm not the principal, Aang; I'm the guidance councilor. My younger brother is the Headmaster of this fine hall of learning."

Aang narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to ask a question when the genial old man cut him off, "Ah, there's young Miss Toph now. I'll let her take you to your first class." He pat the boy on the head and marched merrily down the hall.

Aang stared after the departing guidance councilor in mild confusion but was quickly broken out of his reverie by a voice right behind him.

"Thanks for finally showing up, Twinkle Toes, I've been waiting for nearly half an hour."

Aang whipped around and blinked at the petite girl he found there. "But…but you just got here-"

"Did I say you could talk?" The girl demanded, "No? Than keep quiet. They made me memorize a whole long schpiel about how to 'advertise the excellent characteristics of our hallowed hall of blah, blah, blah,' and if you interrupt me I'll lose my train of thought and forget the whole thing so shut up and let me finish already."

Aang blinked at his guide. He had no idea how a girl that tiny could possibly have a lung capacity big enough to say all that in one breath. "…Okay."

"Good," Toph nodded in satisfaction, "Then welcome to…" She trailed off, then started off with new determination, "I meant, this is… "

She groaned audibly then snapped her head up to glare…over his left shoulder. "It's too late. You ruined it." She was quiet for a moment before giving a philosophical shrug, "Ah heck, I'll just wing it." She turned on her heel and trotted off.

Aang stared after her in an awed stupor.

After a few seconds Toph called back, "Are you coming or not? 'Cus I'm not waiting around here all day!"

As he scrambled after her, Aang took a moment to wonder if he had fully considered just what it was he had signed up for when he decided to come to Elemental High Boarding School.

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"Ow!"

"Ah, sorry." Zuko shifted back off of the girl's foot but couldn't go far in the cramped space. "But, Katara…why are we in the janitor's closet again?"

"Well," Katara huffed, "it seemed like a good idea at the time, alright?"

"…Okay. I can accept that. But that doesn't change the fact that right now a mop is poking me where the sun don't shine!"

"…More information than I needed."

Zuko sighed, "Can we just get out of here?"

The girl crossed her arms and huffed, "Fine."

Toph, fed up with waiting around for Aang to finish gawking at the 'sights,' was pulling the boy through the halls by the wrist and snarking about everything they passed.

"And that's Katara and Zuko."

Aang blinked in the direction the girl pointed, "Okay. But, um…why are they in the janitor's closet?"

"Oh, they're dating. And trying to be sneaky about it—even though everyone already knows." She emphasized loudly.

Hearing Toph from the hallway, Zuko turned to face his girlfriend. "…I told you so."

"Damn it!"

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By Tuesday, all the talking Toph had done about the school had started to catch up with her. There were just a few niggling, little details that didn't make sense…

"Does anybody else ever wonder," she asked out of the blue during lunch period, "why kids between the ages of twelve and seventeen all go to the same school and share the same classes?"

The rest of the group conferred briefly. "No," Sokka decided unanimously, "Not really."

"Oh." She shrugged. "Never mind then. You gonna finish that?"

Sokka whipped his meatloaf away from Toph's inquiring fingers and hugged it to his chest protectively.

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"I've been thinking—" Toph began on Wednesday as she strode up to the lunch table.

"Oh, not again…" Sokka muttered under his breath.

Toph only continued louder, "Does no one else finds this Harry Potter-ish?"

The others blinked at each other in confusion for a minute before Zuko summed up the group's collective feelings.

"Huh?"

"You know," Toph gestured heatedly, "the whole 'boarding school with opposing rival houses out to get each other, with students that are somehow magically sorted to accommodate personality and family tradition' thing?"

The others conferred. Katara decided, "No. Not really."

After another moment, Sokka asked, "…Who's Harry Potter?"

Aang piped up, "Isn't that the short, blond kid in our art class?"

"Him? He owes me twenty bucks!"

Toph's shoulders slumped in defeat. "…Just… just forget it."

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On Thursday, Toph stopped chewing halfway through her sandwich to ask a serious question.

"Zuko, don't take this the wrong way."

Said boy looked up from his macaroni to swallow inquiringly at the small girl.

"Well, didn't your father come up on child abuse charges when he gave you that big honkin' scar I've heard so much about?"

"Yep." The teen answered easily.

"Well…then how is he allowed within 200 feet of a school, let alone legally recognized as a headmaster?"

She was met with a tableful of blank stares.

Toph groaned into her friends' vapid faces and excused herself, muttering about the supposed 'value' of education.

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Aang was following Toph on yet another Iroh-mandated tour of the premises, when voices drifted out to them from a supposedly empty classroom.

"Oh, they have got to stop doing this!" Toph complained to no one in particular.

"Huh?" Aang asked. "Who has to stop doing what now?"

"They're having another Romeo and Juliet moment! Or…at least Katara is."

Aang scratched his head in confusion, "What do you—?"

Toph waved him off impatiently, "Just listen for a minute."

"—Your father, the cruel dictator of the school—"

"Hey!"

"—And my father, who—"

"Katara," Zuko cut in, "…Your father's the gym teacher."

"What's your point?" She snapped defensively.

"I…um…" he looked around uncomfortably, before trying, "…You're really pretty?"

Her eyes narrowed, "That's what I thought you said."

Aang blinked. "And they…do this often?"

Toph groaned and gestured helplessly, "Often? They never stop."

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On Friday Toph marched into the lunchroom, a girl on a mission. She set her feet shoulder width apart and faced her friends with steely determination.

"What is it now?" Katara sighed in exasperation.

"Have any of you even been to a class this quarter?" Toph demanded, "Any class?"

"Of course!" Katara defended, "Why just yesterday—"

"Not including study hall."

"Oh…Well then…" Katara stared at the younger girl in surprise, "…No, I guess not."

"And no one else finds that strange?"

"No." Sokka said, "Not particularly."

"Though," Zuko added thoughtfully, "There was that one partner project in Home Economics where me and Katara had to raise a child together." His brow screwed up in confusion, "Which is odd…because I'm not taking Home Economics…"

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After class, Sokka and Aang sat outside waiting for the others to meet them. The younger boy fidgeted for a moment before turning to his companion and asking a question that had been bothering him all week. "Toph really likes asking weird questions and stuff… Is she on the school newspaper or something?"

Sokka paused in his off-tune humming long enough to let out a simple, "Nope."

"Oh." Aang paused thoughtfully, "Why not?"

Sokka turned around to face the shorter boy. "Probably because she can't read or write."

Aang blinked, "Not…not even brail?"

"Nope."

"Oh." Another pause. "This…isn't a very good school, is it?"

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A/N: So…what does everyone think of a second, unrelated high school chapter that goes into different scenarios than the ones mentioned here? There are more then enough of them out there after all…