Didn't have to wait weeks for next update LIKE A BOSS! Ok, this chapter takes place during The Firebending Masters, it's a little short, but then again this wasn't a long episode to begin with. Mostly Toph and Nyikani talking, uncovering more about Nyikani's unusual behavior. DISCLAIMER!

*silence*

Ammypaint: ...Hello?

Aang: Disclaimer took a personal day, it's his dad's birthday.

Ammypaint: Fine, I DO NOT own A:TLAB, just the oc's I created, and happy birthday to Disclaimer's dad, Copyright. Now ON WITH THE STORY!

Chapter 14

"Listen everybody." Zuko said, "I've got some pretty bad news, I've lost my stuff."

"Don't look at me, I didn't touch your stuff!" Toph said hastily.

"Cado." Nyikani said in a questioning tone, Cado's head popped up and he quickly pleaded innocent with a bark.

"I'm talking about my firebending… It's gone."

The silence was broken by a rude laugh from Katara, "I'm sorry." She said, "I'm just laughing at the irony. You know how it would've been nice for us if you'd lost your bending a long time ago?"

"Well it's not lost; it's just…weaker for some reason."

"Labda wewe si tu mazuri kama unafikiri ni."(maybe you are just not as good as you think you are) Nyikani said with a coldly casual tone as she ate her dinner.

"…Ouch." Was all Toph said.

Zuko looked at the girls with an irritated face, but thought for a moment, "I bet it's because I changed sides." He thought out loud.

"That's ridiculous." Katara said.

"I don't know, maybe it isn't." Aang said, "Maybe your firebending comes from rage." He said to Zuko, "And you just don't have enough anger to fuel it the way you used to."

"Soooo…All we need to do is make Zuko angry!" Sokka concluded, "Easy enough!" He took his sword and began poking Zuko with the handle, he was really enjoying himself when-

"OK! CUT IT OUT!" Zuko yelled at Sokka, then he turned to everyone else, "Look, even if you're right, I don't want to rely on hate and anger anymore, there has to be another way."

"If a pup wants to learn how to hunt, he goes to the first hunter of the pack…er, pride…" Nyikani said without looking up.

"What does that mean?" Zuko asked.

"You're gonna need to learn to draw your firebending from a different source." Toph explained,
I recommend, the original source."

"So how's he supposed to do that?" Sokka joked, "By jumping into a volcano?!"

"No. Like Nyikani said, Zuko needs to go back to whatever the original source of firebending is, in other words, the first benders."

Sokka paused, "So, is it jumping into a volcano?"

The next day…

Zuko and Aang were ready to take off for the Sun Warrior Ruins; they got Aappa ready as everyone said their goodbyes.

"Have fun soaking up ancient Sun Warrior energy." Sokka told them.

Katara came up and hugged Aang, "Hurry back."

"Good luck, Twinkle Toes." Toph noticed that most of the farewells were directed towards Aang, so she decided to break the pattern, "You too, Zuko!" She told him with a friendly punch to the arm.

"Uh, thanks." Zuko said as he rubbed his arm, he and Aang were just about to climb on when Nyikani appeared. "Hey," She said to both boys, "Good luck… And don't go and get eaten by dragons or something!"

"Why don't you come with us?" Aang offered.

Nyikani's face grew slightly more serious, "My inability comes from a different problem."

Aang was a little disheartened by her answer, but he knew what she meant. And with that they set off for the ruins.

Later that day…

With nothing to do but wait for Aang and Zuko to come back, Nyikani decided she might as well try some more bending practice; she was taking her stance when a voice sounded out behind her.

"You know you just got that scar re-healed." It was Toph, Nyikani turned around and saw her wry smile.

"I almost thought you were Sokka." Nyikani said.

"What does that mean?"

"I almost threw a rock at you." There was a moment of silence, then Nyikani spoke again. "Soo… Why are you here?"

"You've been acting weird ever since we got to the Air Temple, I wanna know why." Toph said.

"I have not." Nyikani disagreed.

"Ok, I didn't want to point it out, but more specifically you've been acting weird ever since Zuko showed up."

Nyikani fell silent, figures the blind girl would notice first. "Well having my ex-boyfriend around is not something I enjoy."

"Yeah but you've been acting really weird."

Nyikani looked away and said nothing.

"I've seen you blow up battlements, take out Dai Li agents, and even surprise Azula, but when this one guy shows up you don't know what to do, what is it with you? Is it because he attacked you?"

"No, that happens all the time."

"Because he betrayed you?"

"No! I've been attacked, betrayed, stepped on, hunted, injured, cut, stabbed, burned, lied to, manipulated, a thousand times over!"

"So what makes this time so different?" Toph pressed.

"Nobody ever came back and apologized for it!" Nyikani finally shouted.

So that was it, Toph realized what she was trying to say. Nyikani could easily handle being betrayed or attacked, because it was something she was accustomed to, it happened all the time, people would turn on her and then disappear from her life, but she had no idea how to react to someone that came back and said they were sorry.

"And of all the people to pull that on me, it had to be him." Nyikani said.

"The guy you actually had feelings for?"

"W- I don't have feelings for him!" Nyikani snapped, her face was beginning to turn red.

Toph was starting to enjoy herself, "You mean there's nothing you like about him?"

"No way! He's stubborn, impatient, temperamental, and he looks at me with those stupid eyes, I can't stand it! …you could be standing in the busiest square in Ba Sing Se during rush hour, but the way he looks at you… he makes you feel like you're the only two people in the Earth Kingdom…" Nyikani's voice was quieting down, like she was picturing it in her mind.

Toph stared at her, "Yep, definitely don't have feelings for him."

Nyikani stopped and was silent, then she hung her head, "*sigh* Ok, maybe I still have some feelings left for him." She confessed, "But that's what makes it so weird."

"What? That you still like him?" Toph asked.

"Yes!" Nyikani pointed her finger at Toph for emphasis, "Whenever this kind of thing happens, I have no problem just hating people!"

"But…"

"But this time, as hard as I try to tell myself I don't care anymore, I know it's a lie." Nyikani's eyes darkened, she was glad Toph couldn't see. Of all the things to bring her down, it was going to be something as silly as feelings?

"So you still hate him?" Toph asked, more in the form of a statement rather than a question.

"Yeah but, it's weird. I'm mad at him, but I still have feelings for him… for whatever reason!" Nyikani said, her voice was irritated; she was just about done talking about this. "You know, if it's all the same to you, Toph, I think I'm done talking about this, I'll work it out later."(redundance!)

Toph felt Nyikani's feet begin to move away, "Maybe you feel so weird because you know it wasn't on purpose."

Nyikani froze, she had been suspecting that, but how did Toph know? "I'd try and deny it, but I forgot you can tell when people lie, I give up, how'd you find out?"

Toph shrugged, "Same as you, I figured even Zuko couldn't do something that bad."

Nyikani sat there for a moment, "… Figures the blind kid's the only one to get into my head…" She said finally.

Toph grinned smugly, "No one ever thinks to hide what they're thinking from someone's feet!"

"So," Nyikani began, "Any more deep personal feelings or conflicts you'd like to interrogate me about?"

"I'm good." Toph said, she felt like getting something eat, and got up to leave.

"Toph." Nyikani called.

Toph turned around, "Yeah?"

"Uh…thanks, thanks for…interrogating me."

Toph smiled, maybe her curiosity had helped Nyikani too, "No problem." And with that she went off to find some dinner.

Nyikani watched her leave, Who would've thought that Toph's questioning made me say things even I didn't know… She might not have known she knew those things, but she knew they were true, which made things more awkward. Nyikani sighed, she had done a lot of thinking today, but there was still a lot left and it was driving her nuts. My inner conflict can wait… She decided to follow Toph's lead and head to dinner.

The Next Day…

Aang and Zuko were demonstrating their new firebending form to everyone.

"With this technique the dragons showed us, Zuko and I will be unstoppable!" Aang said.

Everyone clapped as they finished. "Yeah, that's a great dance you two learned there." Sokka teased.

"It's not a dance," Zuko said with an irritated tone, "It's a firebending form!"

Sokka was still having fun, "We'll just tap dance our way to victory over the Firelord."

Zuko frowned, "It's a sacred form that happens to be thousands of years old!"

"What's this form called?" Nyikani asked with interest.

Zuko sat there for a moment, "…The Dancing Dragon…" He said awkwardly.

Everyone laughed at Zuko's miffed expression, but he felt kind of good about it, it meant that he was closer to becoming a real member of the group. Zuko looked at everyone's face, all but Nyikani's was full of laughter, he was a little brought down until he noticed that she cracked a smile. Well, that's something. Even she was amused, it was a good start, but there was a long way to go.

There certainly is... Gotta love Toph and her mind-reading feet! So yeah, like I said it's a little short but it reveals more about Nyikani's internal struggle, don't you think Toph would make a better therapist than Sokka?

Sokka: Hey!

SO, how will things unravel? Will Nyikani ever come around? Will something come up and possibly screw things up? WILL YOU SAY IF THIS TINY CHAPTER WAS SUBSTANTIAL?! Read and Review please! And tune in for the next chapter, "The Boiling Rock" where it is very likely more crap will go down!