Chp.37: This Means Nothing to You

They all walked out of the restaurant peacefully. It didn't bother them much that they had to be kicked out of the restaurant so they could leave. Nor were they embarrassed by the witnessing people all around. Now they just swayed in their steps and walked around the dark streets. Katara reached over for her purse and took out a pair of gloves. She slipped them on. Wong and Katara soon began holding hands and started chatting to themselves conservatively. Toph nudged at Zuko's side purposefully a lot of times. And the first couple of times Zuko responded. But she always brushed it off with a quick "What?" So he decided to just not ask anymore, even though she never failed to keep on doing it. "Your mother was sweet and ginger with everything she did," Toph thought out loud.

"What?" Zuko was caught by surprise. He never remembered talking to her about his mother. Toph shook her head.

"Nothing, I just remembered something, that's all. I swore someone told me that, though. Do you know…?" He thought back. The only time he had brought up his mother was at the hospital. But she was in a coma, which was only a one-sided conversation, how could she remember that?

"I'm not sure." They walked on without talking while Zuko tried to piece this all together. Those were the exact words he had told her. Unless of course she wasn't actually in a coma at that time would she be able to know… he glanced down at her pale face that seemed completely untouched… The untouchable Blind Bandit. But he had proven to himself that he had broken through her guarded walls well enough to make her seem completely and totally touchable. Yet, she wasn't. Through all this time he wasn't certain if she did see him differently now, or if he had gotten no where and she just saw him as another man walking a long the streets of their hometown. He had to bring his game up if he wanted to be certain that she saw him as he to her. The street lights flickered on as night successfully dawned upon them.

"So where to now?" Wong asked. Rich bastard, Zuko thought impulsively.

"How about we go to Silver Screen Park?" Katara suggested. The park was just around the corner so it wouldn't take long to reach. They all agreed to go and went on their way. Once there, Katara had to use the restroom and persuaded Toph not to go with her; she wanted Toph to have more time to speak with Zuko. So Toph waited around with Wong and Zuko as they walked up to a drug store right near the park. Katara entered and came out seconds later with keys in her hand. She walked over to the back of the store to the restrooms and left them all waiting. Once Zuko mustered up his courage he pulled Toph away by the arm to the side of the building. Heck, if she demanded him to let go he willingly would. She could be his empress for all he cared. But she didn't. She just remained quiet yet surprised. So, as a result, Zuko prepared himself by nailing a smirk upon his face with his white teeth flashing. Toph was dumbfounded.

"I'm starting to get the feeling this is a date." She was cornered. His left hand was lying on the wall right next to her, his body leaning towards her with interest.

"A date? No, I told you-."

"And you lied." Toph blinked rapidly.

"What?"

"It's okay. It doesn't mean anything to you, right?" And he ended the conversation there. Zuko walked back to Wong with Toph following him. Wong decided not to ask where they had been and just watched Katara come back. They retreated back to the park. "So tell me, Miss Bei Fong, why didn't you just ask me?" Zuko pressed on.

"Cut the Hiraku Liu crap and talk like Zuko."

"I didn't know you hated Hiraku so much."

"Yeah, well, I don't."

"Don't… what?"

"Nothing."

"Cut the Toph Bei Fong crap and talk like the Blind Bandit." Toph shot him a look.

"I didn't know you hated Toph so much…"

"I don't."

"You don't what?" Zuko stepped in front of her.

"I don't hate you."

"You should," and she walked past him.

"Come on, Toph-"

"Oh, so now you want Toph back?"

"-You know you can do better than me."

"What?" She stopped abruptly. He stopped in back of her and whispered in her ear.

"You can do better."

"And how are you so sure of that?"

"Because I know you."

"You don't."

"Admit it, you can."

"No, I can't." She began walking again.

"Why not?"

"Because I can't."

"I don't believe that for a second."

"Okay, so what, you wanted me to ask some other guy?"

"I'm not saying that."

"You practically are!"

"Then excuse me."

"Don't apologize," she muttered. Zuko grabbed her arm, catching her by surprise again. Toph's arm prickled as she stopped immediately.

"I'm not." She took a deep breath.

"Liar." He snickered and tugged at her arm.

"I don't give a-."

"Damn," she finished for him. "You can't say whether or not I could miss you."

"You're right, I can't." Katara and Wong were far apart from them that Katara had barely noticed that they had stopped and were now talking. She looked back her shoulder and found the scene a little startling. But she walked on with Wong.

Silver Screen Park was a large-sized park that had a little fountain in the middle of it. In some areas there were a grove of trees. And right now the park seemed vacant, other than them and the presence of a woman sitting on a bench texting. "But I can say whether or not your arm is cold."

"What?" She looked back at him. "What brought all this on anyway?"

"Blame the booze," he says simply. Booze…? Oh, she thought. The booze at the party.

"That was a long time ago."

"I guess you could say that," he let his fingers slip off her arm. He refused to ever forget it.

"It's the truth."

"Lies." She started walking once again while he walked after her so slowly and patiently that she had to slow down her pace every now and then so he would catch up because she knew he was right. She knew it even though she refused to accept it. He couldn't make her say… Toph sighed in defeat and waited for him. Once he had caught up to her she walked next to him. But he no longer spoke and she became fed up with it.

"Is this your white flag?"

"Hm?"

"Are you done?"

"Done what?" She laughed.

"You're done."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." She hits his side with her elbow and chuckled. "Ow."

"You always say that, you know?" He shrugged.

"I guess I do."

"You do," she smiled.

"I do?" Toph spoke slowly with the memories hanging on her words.

"You do."

"…Do you?" They arrived to a nice spot where the trees around allowed the twinkling stars to be viewed. Toph dropped down and sat on the grass, Zuko doing the same.

"…" He smiled up to the stars, trying to convince himself that her speechlessness meant nothing; that he shouldn't be hurt by it at all. But he knew that the words in his head trying to convince him of this were lies. All lies, because he was hurt by it. His face felt heavy and his hands grew weak. He breathed out, still waiting on her response. But no matter how much he waited, she still said nothing. Zuko let his body drop, lying on the grass, with a thump. Toph did the same, noticing how the absences of her words were probably all that were in his mind. "I remember…"

"Of course you do," he gazed at the stars, wondering how long it would take for them all to fall down on him.

"I never-."

"Like I said before," he regained his smirk "; it's okay."

"You keep on saying its okay, but what is okay!?" Zuko laughed and turned his head toward her. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her hands rested on her stomach.

"Nothing at all, Stubborn."

"Oh, sure, Sunshine, like I'm supposed to believe that."

"I'm betting on it."

"Well too bad, because I'll make you squeal it out."

"Really? Then why is it that I still don't believe you?" She turned her body so that she was on her side facing him.

"Because you're clueless."

"Okay, then, I'm squealing." Her face glowed with interest. He rolled to his side as well so he was facing her too. "So if I kissed you right now it wouldn't mean anything at all?"

"I never said it wouldn't mean anything," Toph breathes out carefully, almost even whispering. Zuko's eyes immediately fall to Toph's lips and his face inched closer to hers. Toph inhaled sharply, not quite sure if he was acting on what he said. But then just one touch to the lips proved he did. And that's how it happened…

From beneath the shadows of trees in Silver Screen Park a woman clicked buttons on her cell-phone. Ring-ring. She pressed the cell-phone to her ear and waited… Once she heard a voice from the other end she spoke. "You're going to love this, Mai," and a wicked smile perched on the woman's face.