This is the second part of Trying Circumstances, Chapter XI. Thank you for the reviews everyone!

Both parts of this split chapter are dedicated to CynicBoarder, who was my first reviewer (ever) on both this story and this website and who has reviewed every one of these chapters since then with both compliments and constructive criticism. Thank you.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my words.

(Trying Circumstances)

Chapter XI (Friendship Part II)

Toph and Aang continued to walk towards the pool. The bright sunlight on their backs and heads didn't help Aang's smell. Toph had slowly started to drift to the other side of the trail. Even though she was being distant in the literal sense, Aang didn't blame her. He almost wished that he could get away from his own smell.

"So what were you doing last night anyway? Why were you so close to where I was meditating?"

Aang looked toward Toph as she considered the question. Her head was tilted sideways, and upward, as if she was thinking of not answering. He would have been worried that she would reject the question… if she hadn't assumed that same expression after every question he asked over the past ten minutes.

"I was doing my own meditations."

"Then how did you know how to find me?"

She paused again, and Aang waited patiently for her answer.

"I meditate differently from normal benders. Instead of drawing into myself, I spread out as far as I can. I try to see everything I possibly can. The trees, the rocks, the bugs, I see them all. Then I let it all sink into me, and I become apart of the land. Last night, I saw you, Katara, and Zuko. I saw Sokka too, back at camp, but he wasn't important at the time."

She took a deep, steadying breath before continuing.

"Then Zuko and Katara stopped, and you stopped meditating. I started to go over there slowly, on a hunch. Then your heartbeat started going faster. I dived underground and was there in a few moments. I realized what was going to happen with Katara and Zuko, and what you were going to do. So I hollowed out that cave underneath you, and came up behind you. You remember when I dragged you underground."

Aang paused, deep in memory, before responding.

"But, why did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Stop me from calling out, stop me from confronting them."

Toph gave a deep sigh, "Because your little group, our small family is splintering, Twinkletoes. You know it, but you just don't want to believe it. I know it, but I'm more firmly rooted in reality than you are. I know that one more Zuko-Sokka confrontation would tear us apart. I know that Sokka still wishes that he had managed to gut Zuko the day he came to us. That Zuko still sleeps with his swords under his pillow, his hand resting on the hilt. That's an improvement! The first few days, he slept with both of them drawn, in his hands." Toph paused again and turned her face towards his. She gave him a sad smile. "My blindness is both a burden and a gift. Even the 'gift' side, however, has its burdens. I have always seen more than most people ever will. I've also seen more that I ever wanted to."

Toph swung her hand up to point at Aang, who had started to turn towards her in an attempt to give her a hug.

"Hey, back off, Twinkletoes. You're not clean yet."

He smiled at her.

Only Toph… I'm happy she's here, but this 'news' isn't good. What am I going to do when they all get back, maybe with the rest of the invasion force and the Kyoshi Warriors?

"I'm the Avatar… I'm supposed to try and keep peace in the world. How am I supposed to do that if I can't even keep my own group together?"

"Beats me, Twinkles. All I know is that we're almost to the waterfall-pool thing. Its time for your bath."

Aang's tragic sigh turned into a laugh at Toph's words. He couldn't feel depressed about the weight of the world even if he wanted to.

I love how Toph can make me laugh.

They rounded a bend and Aang saw that Toph was right. There it was. It looked cool and refreshing in the midday sun, especially to his sweat-covered body. They got there and put their stuff down. Aang was dying to jump into the cool, clear water. He turned towards Toph.

"Ummm… Toph?"

"Yeah, Twinkletoes?" She was examining a stone she had found.

"Could you please turn around? Just for a few moments?"

She turned her head up towards him as she continued to shape and change her rock. "… why?"

"I… er… need to take off my clothes to bathe. Now could you just turn around?" His voice cracked slightly on the last syllable and Toph snorted as he turned a deep red.

"Uh, Twinkletoes, I'm blind in case you haven't noticed. You could caper around naked in front of me and you wouldn't look any different than you usually do, except that you'd be just the tiniest bit lighter. Besides, you're keeping your underwear. There's no way I'm washing that."

Aang hadn't thought it was possible, but his face turned an even deeper red. He had a sneaking suspicion that Toph was laughing at him inside. His suspicions were confirmed as he took off his shirt and heard a slight snort from Toph's general direction. He grumbled and threw it at her.

"Hey!"

Aang looked at Toph and had to laugh. She hadn't been able to see his shirt coming and it had hit her full in the face.

"Ugh, this is filthy, Twinkletoes! You really need to bathe. Toss me the rest of your clothes and I'll wash them. I don't want to keep you from the water any longer than possible."

Aang handed her the rest of his clothing and leapt into the pool of water. It was almost freezing in the midst of the summer and felt wonderful to his hot, sweaty skin. Toph made her way over to a piece of rock that jetted out into the pool near the waterfall. She was using sand to wash his clothes.

That's a good idea since we don't have any soap. Plus Toph is able to get all of the sand off with no problem.

"Thank you, Toph!"

She grimaced at him in good humor and went back to washing his clothes.

Aang left her to it and started using sand to scrub his own body. It was rough, and irritated his skin a bit, but it felt wonderful and got him clean. He washed his underwear He was just rubbing some into his hair, scrubbing his scalp, when he heard a big splash. I could just be the waterfall, or some log that went over the edge. It could be a rock that fell. Or not.

Toph…

Aang looked around with a panic that might have been comical under normal circumstances. He was in his underwear, soaking wet, with sand rubbed into his hair, but the intuitive panic in his eyes was anything but comical.

Toph wasn't on the ledge, and neither were his clothes.

Movement at the corner of his eye made him spin frantically. The waterfall. There was a green and tan blob thrashing underneath the surface, trapped beneath the pounding force of the falling water.


A/N: (insert dramatic music here) Thus concludes part II of Chapter XI. Thus concludes Chapter XI. Thank you for your patience (and your reviews!). I'm not sure when the next chapter will come up. All I can suggest is that reviews might just hasten its arrival. Maybe. Probably. Who knows. I don't.

I am at the unkind mercy of the evil plotbunnies. Only they know what will happen next!

Review or Pirate!Appa and Pirate!Momo will pursue your non-reviewing soul to the ends of the Spirit World!1!111! (I know that made no sense.)