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Part 1

#75- Dark

Katara sighed impatiently as Toph tied the blindfold tightly around her head. The living room that she shared with her two friends and her brother, decorated in the traditional colors of Ba Sing Se, faded away. She could see nothing but darkness.

"Is this really necessary Toph?" said Katara reaching up to feel the fabric. "I could just close my eyes or something."

"It is absolutely." Replied the girl stubbornly. "You're the one who wanted to see what being blind was like."

"Yes, but … oh forget it. Let's just go before the boys show up. I just know Sokka will have a field day with this."

"Whatever you say Sugar Queen." Taking the older girl's arm, Toph led Katara out of the house and into the middle of a busy street at noon. People sprinted by accidentally brushing against Katara making her feel unbalanced. Several times she stumbled, frantically searching for her bearings. Toph, on the other hand, expertly maneuvered herself through the crowd.

The two came to a stop in front of a small building. "Where are we?" asked Katara. "Are we still in the upper ring?"

"Duh. We haven't been walking for that long," scoffed Toph. "We're here to visit a friend of mine. I've known him for a while. He owns this place. It's one of the best tea shops anywhere and he gives the best advice."

"Sounds lovely." Katara said eager to leave the streets, took a tentative step forward. Her foot hit stone. "Errrmm, Toph?" The other girl groaned, as she looked first at the tall staircase and then the wobbling Katara.

"Take a step. Good, another step. Good. Another. Stop!" Somehow Toph got Katara to the top of the stairs.

"Goodness. Toph! Is that you?" came a loud cheerful voice. Completely abandoning Katara, Toph rushed forward to give the old man a brief hug. The voice sounded strangely familiar, but Katara couldn't place where she had heard it before.

"And who is your friend?"

Toph shrugged. "Oh, that's Katara. She's learning an important lesson in tolerance."

"Ah… So she's going to be blindfolded all day?"

"Yep," said Toph, with poorly hidden satisfaction. "Going the wrong way Sugar Queen!" She yelled over her shoulder at Katara who had begun stumbling forward her hands outstretched, searching for the sounds of their voices. Katara twisted around colliding with a warm body that tumbled down with her onto the stone floor.

A/N: Guess who. : ) Please review. It'll make my day.