Note: A significant amount of time has been spent constructing the complex emotions, in the relationship, of Toph and Sokka. From this chapter on, the story will head in a new direction, of being both character driven as well as plot driven. Additional points of view, outside of tokka, will be integrated into the story, but there will be a continued attention to an ever evolving friendship. We may even see, in the next few chapters, a major shift of feelings! And due to these feelings some hasty decisions are made by both Toph and Sokka. Enjoy!

FRISSON

For Kori Morishita, the day started out rotten. Sunshine had yet to slip through the window before she was woken by a thunderous sound coming from the front door. The young woman didn't even have the pleasure to wake to the irritant of an alarm clock. Once gathered enough energy to answer the door, Kori climbed from her bed and stumbled through the studio apartment. Still bleary eyed, she cracked open the door with great caution. Regret shot through her body quick as an arrow. It was one of her officers.

This was to be her day off, but she had been wrangled into urgent detective work concerning the wharf raids, coupled with the murders, in Republic City.

With half opened eyes, Kori readied herself, not in the red and green street clothes that broadcasted her lineage, but in a muted gray. It was the same identical outfit all Yu Dao Guards wore when on duty. The color was reminiscent of a murky lake, but it was a guise that advertised a seriousness in all who wore it.

Donned in her dreary uniform, and a green ribbon dangling from her hair-bun, Kori boarded the train to Republic City. She took a seat on the hard wooden bench and stretched her legs out to rest her feet on the seat across from her. The journey, by foot, could take hours but by the newly built railway it was took no more than ten minutes. The tram ride was smooth and, thankfully, quiet. The passing scenery was nothing but a wall of rock. Being the only one in the passenger car there was enough time between Yu Dao and Republic City that Kori counted on fitting in a short snooze. Only the air was so brisk that she couldn't find an ounce of sleep.

The railway exited the jagged hills of the Yu Dao valley, and crawled down the mountain. There was enough light peeking through the early morning sky, to see the gloom lingering over the young city. The sea of fog so thick, it hid any evidence of urban life at the base of the mountain. Whether fog hung over Republic City thickly or not, Kori knew the city was well on its way to become a thriving, crime riddled, metropolis. With its rapid expansion, she alone couldn't handle managing the crime of two cities that were miles apart. She counted on Sokka to speak with Toph Beifong about that matter. Even with the Metal Bending Academy in Yu Dao, they both spent a majority of their time in the young city anyhow.

Pulling into the station, the tram halted with such a jerk Kori nearly flew out of her seat. Once situated upright, she looked through the car's window behind her to see a recognizable metal bender waiting for her on the desolate platform. Compared to Sneers, her long-time boyfriend, the metal bender was a spindle of a man, but not overtly so. Each time she met with him for these work matters, he seemed a tad taller, broader in slight and continually ill-natured. How strange that was, but even more bizarre was that he preferred to not be called by his birth name. Come to think of it, Kori had never learned his actual name, but she wasn't going push him for it, nor would she be calling him by his preferred title of the Dark One.

The Dark One wore a standard black uniform of the Beifong Metal Bending Academy. Nothing particularly lavish, just a simple gender neutral tunic and pant set with a dark green, nearly black, colored sash. These uniforms made a clear distinction of who they were, just as the gray uniforms did for the Yu Dao Guard.

Kori exited the tram, walked straight to him and inquired, "Are you sure the Academy can spare you today?"

"Yeah," he replied dully. There didn't need to be a friendly or phony greeting, they knew one another well enough.

As they walked through the outdoor depot, the Dark One added, "Panga's in charge of classes today."

Understandable. Ho-Tun was too timid to hold authority over an insect, and the little twelve year old metal-bender was nearly as fearsome as Toph. She was well adept to take charge and keep charge of the wards of the Academy. Must be her noble upbringing, she thought.

Another Yu Dao guard, clad in the formidable gray uniform, awaited them with ostrich-horses. Reluctantly, Kori climbed atop the creature's back, settling into the saddle, all while praying the animal didn't buck her off.

The city streets were quiet. Nothing could be heard but the scrape of ostrich-horse talons against the graved streets. The haze of morning fog veiled each building and settled in each alleyway drenching the city in an eeriness. Kori gripped the reins in her fists; leather cutting into flesh. Riding an ostrich-horse petrified her, but the hush might have unsettled her nerves more.

As they rode, Kori was put-off by the Dark One's behavior. Because he, normally, was a dramatic man. Each word he spoke was a morbid poem, but at the moment he was rather somber and skittish. His eyes darted around, observing the rooftops hindered by the haziness of fog glancing over his shoulder. She herself stared at the darkened windows coated with condensation and peered down long alleyways. All three officers were overanxious, but Kori decided it was best not to say anything to the Dark One. She feared he'd spout off a macrabe ballad about death, or the horrid ways in which they might meet their death that morning.

The entirety of the ride was silent until they arrived at the shores. Kori expected clues to the murders. Perhaps, there would be pieces of a dismantles boat washed up on shore, lost articles of clothing or a misplaced object. What she didn't expect was to see more bodies wash up on the shores, half buried in sand and being struck by the ebbing waves. There had already been bodies found on the beach the previous day. Now she was gazing at three more lifeless bodies, charred and beginning to bloat from absorbing the salt water.

One of her guards came to her side, stating the obvious. "Three dead bodies, from the wharf raid."

Turning eyes away from the gruesome sight and to the waters, Kori urged, "Pull them from the water. Cover their bodies."

"With what?" countered the officer.

"I don't care. Find something!"

Unnerved, the officer scurried off to do as she ordered.

In the recent past, she had been dead set on killing. To save Yu Dao from being ripped apart, she would have slit the Fire Lord's throat for a cause she thought was right. What a grievous thing, having to end a person's life but, within Kori's heart, it had been the only thing she could think to do to prevent her family, as well as the rest of Yu Dao's population, from being separated from their loved ones. As she looked at the semblance a body being covered in a makeshift shroud, she could hardly understand the motive to kill for a measly fisherman's boat.

Once she was able to rid her thoughts of past mistakes, she turned her attentions back to the grim scene. Were the deceased placed there or did the bodies literally wash up on shore? Were the corpses burnt to death or was there fatal lacerations? Blunt force trama? Kori's head reeled. Who discovered the bodies? Kori looked up to see the Dark One questioning an elderly man. He was gray-haired, balding and his back crooked. His wrinkled expression was drenched in vexation. His eagerness to continue on his morning walk was apparent. After Kori, herself, held a brief questioning with the impatient man, she took a moment to herself. This wasn't a menial altercation between men, behaving as like silly scuffling children. Nor some person being suspected of thievery. This was vile and gruesome. Murder was reprehensible and tragic. It was also something more serious than she hoped to be dealing with.

Her cousin, Hiru, came to her side. Since joining the Beifong Metal Bending Academy, he never wore the Yu Dao Guard's grey uniform, but he was an apt student. Not like she. Now, he was a grajuate of the academy, a certified metal bender.

"All men that were set to be onboard that missing boat are now accounted for," stated he.

"Where's the captain's son?"

"At the infirmary," said the Dark One, "The healers are still tending to his injury."

Kori turned to Hiru. "Bring him in for questioning as soon as possible."

[-][-][-]

A pang of pressure at the center of Sokka's spine roused him from sleep. As soon as his eyes fluttered open, his sight was met with stone where the small opening of the earth tent had been. With such sensitive hearing, the flapping of the tarpaulin must have drove Toph insane and sometime in the night she sealed up the hole. Sokka blinked the tiredness away until his vision cleared, though a groggy cognizance overtook his senses. An orange glow colored the stonewalls; its light, soft and ebbing, showed the kudlik flames at his back her still lit. The oil still burning left the tent toasty.

The heat had been intolerable enough during the night that Sokka discarded his shirt. The coverings now collected at his waist, and the heaviness at his back was more prominent. He lulled his head back, peering over his shoulder. It was Toph, settled into a fetal position between the warmth of the kudlick and himself. Her knee pressed sharp into his back and her forehead rested between his shoulder blades. Being a native to the Earth Kingdom, she was not acclimated to the bitter arctic air. The tiny girl only curled into a ball when she was cold.

Being as careful as he could, Sokka eased forward. The jerkiest of movements would wake Toph, and she had such a trying day that he wished to keep her content in slumber. The skin on his back objected to the disconnect, cooling at the spots where her forehead and knees touched him.

Sokka turned over to face Toph. He skimmed his knuckles along her slender arm. Her skin was no warmer than an ice cube. To keep her warm, he reached out, drawing her chilled body to his heated own. For a brief moment, Toph's body went rigid and he wondered if he woke her but she merely sighed before her rigidness softened. With her head now settled onto his chest, the front of her body nestled into his side Sokka pulled the blankets up over her shoulders.

Sleepily, he watched his friend, her breathing was even, steady, she fit so nicely against him. They've never slept this way before, with her in his arms. Sure, there were times her arm flayed over his face, the few times he clung to her as if she were a stuffed animal, were only met with her reprise. Usually she'd kick him. Here, at long last, she was vulnerable to him. Perhaps, not in the emotional sense but here, tucked beneath his arm, she wasn't frustrated by the snow, or by him. By anything. She was calm and peaceful.

When she hardly reacted, he splayed his palm and fingers on her back, rubbing up and down. Like a tired kitten, she purred and arched her back then curled in closer to him. Knowing nothing lied between them, besides her tank tops thin layer of fabric, sent an unexpected frisson through him. Despite the sensation, he continued warming Toph, grazing his hand across her smooth chilled skin. Toph's hair tousled in such a ratty way that any person would have assumed that last night's sleep over wasn't so innocent. As a matter of fact, she always wakes looking as if a man had properly fucked her the night before.

Damn it! He should not be thinking of his best friend in such a superficial way; as some exquisitely formed piece of flesh to sink into. Although, he could not control where his mind drifted. All those obscene dreams he had of Toph made it easier for him to imagine being with her in such a carnal way. Sokka was sure she would be a zealous lover, not the meek little thing from his dreams.

Thinking of sex made him ache for Suki. He missed her ever-maturing body and how her sweet face grimaced when he did or said something she thought was stupid. Sokka smirked at the though of the woman he would propose to. He hadn't seen her in over a month. In nearly a year, he hadn't slept by her side for more than one night at a time. Even as imagined how wonderful their reunions were, it was still Toph's velvet skin under his fingertips. His touch grazed the indentations of dimples on her lower back. He should removed his hands from Toph, but her skin was smooth as alabaster, warm as spring and more inviting than a twenty course meal.

Not wanting to give into his lingering drowsiness, Sokka forced a sleepy gaze at the stone ceiling dome for a time. Toph's scent invaded his senses. Which was ever changing; from woody to earthy to floral. Sometimes it was a wondrous combination of all. He inhaled her faint flowery scent that clung to her inky black hair. Any other day she might have reeked of dirt, but she only smelt this pretty because her mother forced her to bathe when they visited Gaoling.

Sokka peered at Toph, wondering when she had gone from dirty tomboy to this pristine young woman?

Their little gaang was growing up.

Tomorrow, his sister and his close friend were getting married. Sokka, himself would be tying the knot. If Suki accepts his second proposal. And Toph, well, she wasn't the twelve year old he met all those years ago. She was to be Chief of the Republic City Police; putting the bad guys in their place was her calling. There's never been a fight she couldn't win. Although, there was a campaign to begin. Yes, Toph Beifong was a shoo-in, but the citizens of Republic City had to be on board with such an instrumental civil arrangement.

Also, she was to be officially betrothed.

A/N: Sorry it's so short, but this is part one. Figured I should post something since it's been so damn long. Part two coming soon...

Musical Inspiration: Basically, every song by Bendik, more specifically Hjertebank og kulde. I had a lovely person suggest I give her a listen, and I am overwhelmingly delighted that I did.