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Chapter 36

The Jasmine Dragon

The Jasmine Dragon was smaller than Toph had expected it to be. There were only fifteen tables in the little tea shop, each large enough to hold four people. She could feel the heat of several small flames burning around her, telling her that Iroh had chosen to use actual lanterns for light rather than bulbs and electricity. The atmosphere was heavy with the scent of the lanterns. Not heavy in that uncomfortable way, but heavy in the way that helps a person to relax and allow their mind to wander. This was perfect, because had it not been for that Toph would be going out of her mind at the moment.

The warmth of the flames felt nice on her bare arms and shoulders. Although she was not used to wearing tops that only wrapped around her neck, Toph felt comfortable in her mother's latest gift. The skirt she was not so happy about. It halted just above her ankles, exposing her bare feet so that she would not have to worry about tripping on it. This was both convenient and more comfortable, but she still would have preferred a nice pair of shorts. Ty Lee was humming from one of the seats next to her and was stroking Toph's hair. It was not often that she wore it down, and Ty Lee simply was not going to miss this chance to play with it. Toph was too distracted to really be bothered by it though. She knew that along with all of her other friends, Aang would be coming as well. Was she going to be able to keep it together long enough to talk to him? Was she even actually ready to try?

"You should relax more, Tophy," Ty Lee said. "You're all kinds of tense, and that's bad for you. And try to smile! You practically never come out from behind your hair, so it'd be nice to see a smile!"

Just then, Katara and Zuko entered the shop with Hakoda following along behind them. Toph was glad for the hardwood floors, otherwise she might not have been able to tell who it was. She certainly did not want to be caught unaware when Aang arrived. It was not long before the others arrived as well. Sokka, Suki, and Azula arrived together, much to the surprise of everyone.

"What are you doing with them?" Zuko asked his normally antisocial sister.

"Is it so wrong to come as a group with the people you live with?" Azula replied.

"You're living with them?" he screamed.

Listening to the others try to calm Zuko down long enough to explain was the most fun Toph had been able to have all week. Iroh was much more accepting of the situation as he brought out a tray of tea for everyone. Unlike Zuko, Iroh seemed rather pleased with the idea of Azula living with others rather than alone at the dorm. Toph half listened to Zuko's ranting as she took a sip of her tea. Less than a second later she was spitting it out.

"Iroh, what did you give me?" she asked. "Bleach water?"

"Actually, I made that," her father's voice replied. "I asked Iroh to teach me."

"Stick to paper work, Dad."

"Nice to hear you back to your old self."

Toph dropped her cup on the table. There was no mistaking that voice.

How did he get in here without me noticing? How could I let my guard down like that? What do I do?

Without even thinking about it, Toph's feet began to carry her forward. She did not know where she was going, only that she needed to get away from Aang as quickly as she could.

"Toph!" he called. "Toph, wait! Where are you going?"

"Bathroom!" she responded automatically.

Following the feel of the vibrations around her, Toph pushed open a door that placed her on a tiled floor. The sudden cold on her feet shook her already wavering guard as she sat herself on one of the stalls and took her time just breathing. She was trapped. No matter what she did at this point, she would have to come out eventually. Besides, she had not gotten to have any of Iroh's tea yet.

As the minutes ticked by, Toph began to regain her composure. She was still unsure as to what she would do when she met Aang next, and she had no clue what she was going to say to him when she did finally speak with him, but she was out of time. Any minute now she was sure that Ty Lee was going to come looking for her and--

"Tophy? Tophy are you in there?"

Toph did not answer her. Ty Lee put on her most intimidating voice. One that never worked.

"Tophy!" The nickname did not help her sound more threatening either. "Tophy, I know what you're doing in there, and if you don't come out right this second then I'm coming in there and dragging you out!"

"You and what army?" Toph asked, trying not to laugh.

"Well, okay, maybe I won't drag you out," Ty Lee admitted. "But if you don't come out, I'll send Aang in! And you know if I tell him you asked him to that he'll do it!"

Checkmate. Ty Lee had her over a barrel now. The only thing Toph could do was give in to her friend's demand and come out without a fuss. When she pushed the bathroom door open, Toph made sure to give Ty Lee a look that screamed "traitor." It went completely unnoticed.

"Come on!" Ty Lee smiled. "We pushed some tables together and saved you a seat!"

Upon feeling the set up of the tables, Toph glared at her so called friend. There were only two empty seats, both of them just happened to be on either side of Aang. Heads were going to roll. This had to be one of Ty Lee's bright ideas to "help her out." Toph sat herself with a huff between her father and Aang, being sure not to give Aang any idea that she might want to talk to him just yet.

"Okay, explain it to me one more time," Aang said.

"Do I have to?" Sokka asked with Azula and Suki staring daggers at him.

"I'm just not sure I follow."

"Fine," Sokka moaned. "I made the chocolate for Suki--"

"Likely story," the woman interrupted.

"It's the truth! I made it for Suki and gave it to Azula by mistake."

"How can you give a gift to someone else by mistake?" Toph asked.

"I did it with my eyes closed, alright?"

"Something only a genius like yourself would do," Azula said. "And you should be grateful that he gave them to me, Suki. They were terrible."

"How would you know?" Sokka asked. "You only ate one and then gave them back!"

"I believe her," Suki said.

"You wouldn't know either! You wouldn't even accept them afterwards!"

"Would you accept a gift that was given to someone else?"

"But they were for you!"

"Then why'd you give them to Azula?"

"I didn't! I thought she was you!"

"How could you confuse the two of us?"

"Because my eyes were closed!"

"So what did you do with the chocolates then, Sokka?" Aang asked, trying to stop the fight.

"I gave them to my professor since someone decided to be a pain in the butt."

"Excuse me?" Suki asked, cocking an eyebrow at him.

"He didn't eat them either though," Sokka said. "Told me he gave them to his son. Goes to your school I think. Plays on the soccer team?"

"Oh yeah!" Aang exclaimed. "That's Teo! He told me about this. So, Azula's the girlfriend then?"

"Girlfriend?" Zuko screamed. "What do you mean 'girlfriend'? Stay away from my little sister!"

"No, wait!" Sokka begged. "It's a misunderstanding!"

Sokka ran from the table as Zuko began to give chase. The others all just sat there and laughed as Sokka sprinted out the door with Zuko hot on his heels. Toph listened to Aang's laughter and it pained her a little. It was not as light as it usually was, and the sound of his smile was not as genuine.

"Shouldn't we do something?" Aang asked when he caught his breath.

"Zuko won't hurt him," Katara said. "Besides, it's kind of cute how protective he's being."

"Come back here so I can pound a lesson into that thick skull of yours!" Zuko could be heard yelling.

"Yeah," Toph said. "Cute."

"How long are the two of you going to be mad at him?" Katara asked Azula and Suki.

"Mad?" Azula smirked. "We're not mad."

"We've already forgiven him. He just doesn't know it yet."

"Why not?" Ty Lee asked.

"Do you have any idea how easy it is to get him to do our share of the chores when he thinks he's in trouble?" Azula asked.

"I haven't had to clean the living room since Valentine's Day," Suki added.

"Ooh, you girls are sneaky," Ty Lee grinned. "I'll have to remember that one!"

As the laughter resumed, Toph allowed herself a bit of a laugh as well. She still needed to talk to Aang, but she did not feel as uncomfortable as before. Surprisingly, it was rather relaxing to be beside him. She had gone to such great lengths to ignore him during first period that she felt better hearing his laughter again, even if it was a bit forced.

It was at that very moment that Toph felt Ty Lee make her move. While still laughing, Ty Lee reached across the table and spilled Aang's tea. It washed over his place and trickled over the table's edge all over both him and Toph.

"I am so sorry!" Ty Lee gasped.

Sorry my butt, Toph thought. You did that on purpose!

"There are some towels in the kitchen," Iroh said. "I'll go and get them."

"Don't worry about it," Toph replied. "I've got it."

Rising from her chair, Toph realized the opportunity that Ty Lee was trying to present her with. She still was not sure what she would say to him, but this was the first chance that she and Aang would have alone. Maybe she should at least try. At the very least she could let him know that she was not mad at him, right?

As she walked past his chair, Toph placed her hand on Aang's shoulder. It was not much, but she knew that he would understand. He always did. Hopefully that would make this easier. He got up from his chair and followed her around the tables and through the swinging door that blocked the kitchen from view of the dining area. Aang looked around for the aforementioned towels while Toph tried to find the right words.

"I hate this," she said. Aang did not reply. He just continued to look for the towels. "I hate feeling like this. I wanna talk to you. I wanna stop hurting."

The silence continued. Aang stopped moving around the kitchen, but Toph was not paying enough attention to know if he had found the towels or not.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," Aang finally said.

"You didn't," Toph said. "Well, you did, but you didn't. It wasn't your fault, but it was."

"What do you mean?"

"Look at me, Aang. Do I look like I give a crap what June says or does? Do you really think it matters to me what she thinks?"

Out of habit, Aang only shook his head. Of course Toph did not care about June or what she thought. That kind of thing did not bother her. Realizing his mistake, Aang spoke.

"No. You don't."

"Exactly! So why does this bother me so much?"

"I don't know."

"It's because of you!" Toph shouted. Her voice was shaking now, and she could not stop it. She felt like she was going to cry, but she refused to let it out. "It's you! If it had been anyone else she kissed, then I wouldn't have cared! She kissed you and it hurt me! It hurts to be mad at you! It hurts to be away from you! And you aren't even the reason it hurts! You didn't do anything wrong, I didn't do anything wrong, and it still hurts!"

Aang remained silent. Toph could feel her entire body trembling. The swirling sensation in her stomach was back with a vengeance and it was becoming hard to think. The only thought that continue to echo in her head was to get away. Get away from what was causing the hurt. She wanted to run.

Wait a second, she thought. Run?

"I think I get it now," Toph said, lowering her voice. "I get what's happening. No one has ever been able to hurt me like you can. No one's ever really been able to hurt me at all. We can both do everything absolutely right, and I can still end up hurt because of someone like June, and that scares me. It scares me because, I can't just turn this off. I can't just not care about you. This was just supposed to be a fun ride, but I don't think that's all it is anymore. Aang, I think that I'm falling in love with you, and it sucks."

Aang stood staring at Toph with the forgotten towel in his hands. She said she was scared. Toph was not scared of anything. She said she thought she was in love with him. Love. Could he say the same? Looking back on it, how could he think it was anything else? He busted his hump for four years to get his track scholarship just so he could move back to the city she lived in. He would do anything just to be near her.

Toph waited for Aang to say something. Anything. But he just stood there. She could feel her own heart banging in her chest as though it was going to explode at any second. When she had just about given up on him saying anything at all, he started to move closer to her. She remembered the last time that they had spoken like this. It was out in that field after she had yelled at him at the Halloween party. Here she had been yelling again, and he was still here with her. The result of that memory played out in her head, and she remembered their first kiss. If he were to do that again, she was sure her heart would just stop.

Toph did not move when Aang stood mere inches in front of her. His arms very slowly rose up and rested on her shoulders. She could feel him staring down into her pale eyes for a moment before pulling her into a gentle embrace. As she felt her head rest against his chest, his heartbeat echoed in her ear. It was strong and gentle, just as he was, and it provided her with that secure feeling of knowing that he did indeed understand. The longer he held her, the calmer her heart became until finally their heartbeats synchronized. It did not hurt anymore. The fear and pain felt as though they were being pushed away by the feeling of his arms around her. Everything was right again.

"You think loving me sucks, you should try loving someone like you," he whispered.

"You do realize how thin the line between love and hate is, don't you?"

"It's cool. I've got good balance."

"And Ty Lee had better back off of that door and stop listening in on us before I kick it in her face!"

The swinging wooden door of the kitchen moved just the slightest bit. Aang laughed as he put his arm around Toph and they rejoined the others in the dining area. Applause was the first thing that greeted them when they returned. Toph could feel the blood rush into her face and she buried her face in Aang's arm with a smile.

"I really hate how girly you make me, you know that?"

"Don't worry about it," Aang said. "You'll feel better when we're kicking butt at the tournament tomorrow. Right Zuko?"

"Right!" Zuko replied from his position sitting on top of Sokka.

A/N: Love can have all kinds of different effects on people. Control is something Toph always has, so when faced with something about herself that she would not be able to control, it was natural for Kasamari to assume that it would scare or intimidate her. But what do you all think?