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Chapter 49

Coping

The days since the prom had been passing in a happy daze for Toph. She and Aang were practically inseparable after their dance, with the exception of classes. Mornings were proving to be the most fun though. Each morning, rather than deal with Gyatso and her father, Toph would sneak out of her window into the garden and wait for Aang to come and find her. They both knew that Aang would not be able to continue going to school with her anymore after this semester ended, and that he really did need to sit down and talk with Gyatso, but that could wait. They both wanted to make the most of the time that they had now.

Aang was more animated than usual during first period that morning. He bounced around the room with his textbook in hand like a neurotic rabbit hocked up on caffeine. Toph loved it. The class had become so loud with laughter at one point that a teacher came from down the hall to ask them to keep it down. Toph was still snickering about it by the time she sat down to eat lunch.

"You've been in an awful good mood lately," Qiang said. "I figured you'd be more upset with Aang leavin' and all."

"Brother, do not be rude," Rou said. "I apologize, Toph. As you can tell, twelve years of school have not taught Qiang the meaning of tact."

"It's okay," Toph grinned. "I thought I'd be a bit more bummed about it too. I guess with everything already decided I just don't feel as anxious or worried anymore."

"So you guys know what's gonna happen?"

"Not really," Toph answered. "We just know what's not gonna happen. That's all we really needed to know."

She could tell by the way the twins squirmed in their seats that they wanted to say something. Rou most likely wanted to try to comfort her, and who ever knew what Qiang was thinking. Toph smacked her own forehead and laughed out loud before dropping her fork. She had forgotten that Qiang was still waiting for an answer to the offer he had made her.

"Find anyone to take over your club yet?" Toph asked.

"I was still kinda hoping that you would do it," Qiang replied.

"Well then, you're getting' what you want," she said. Qiang leaned over to her as though he were going to hug her, but he apparently thought better of it. He stopped abruptly and then patted her on the back.

"I can't tell you how much I appreciate it," Qiang said. "And not just me. All the club members are gonna be so psyched!"

The idea of leading the Martial Arts club was appealing, and Toph could not deny that. It would give her something to do for one. She knew very well that she could not ask Zuko and Katara to put their lives on hold and wait for her to finish school before they moved on, so she would need something to occupy her time. Especially with Aang leaving soon. The thought of being in charge of something was enticing too. Toph had never been responsible for anything or anyone other than herself before. Who knew? Maybe it could end up being a really fun experience.

"Maybe not if I get a student like me," she laughed quietly.

"Pardon me?" Rou asked.

"Nothing. Oh, and I'm not coming to anymore sessions."

"I kinda figured," Qiang replied. "You haven't been coming since before prom."

"Yeah, I just thought it would be polite to let you know."

"A little late, but appreciated," Rou smiled.

Thankfully, Aang no longer held onto the responsibility of attending after season practices and meetings with the track team. When the final bell of the school day rang, wherever Toph could be found was the place that Aang wanted to rush to. She usually waited for him by the pickup/drop off area so that they could let Kuzon know where they were going, but today she decided to have a little fun instead. She made her way to the school fence and waited for Aang to come looking for her.

It did not take long before she could feel his light footsteps approaching. When Toph was sure that he had spotted her, she left school grounds and began to walk along the side of the road. Aang followed immediately after her. As he came closer, her pace quickened. He then picked up his speed and she would do the same. Soon Toph had him chasing her down the sidewalk with a smile on her face. She knew that if he had wanted to he would have caught her by now, but that would not have been as fun! Her pace began to slow as she came upon their destination. She quickly pulled her back pack in front of her, which was completely devoid of any books at all. Instead she had packed her torn up old ball.

Aang grinned as he watched Toph dart off of the sidewalk and onto the grassy field where they used to play. She threw the ball out onto the deep green turf and kicked it down the field. Both of them chased after it eagerly, laughing the whole time. Aang reached the ball first and flipped it into the air with his foot before bouncing it on his head a few times. As the ball came down from his bald head, he returned it to the other side of the field. He made to run after it, but Toph grabbed his shirt and pulled him back as she propelled herself forward. Aang ran to protect his goal as she and the ball closed in on it. The first shot was made by a kick which Aang pushed away with little effort. Toph tried again with another kick, but Aang knocked it away with a kick of his own. Next came a punch that was swatted down and then returned. Toph grinned confidently when she realized that he had no intention of coming out of his goal anytime soon. She hoisted the ball into the air with her foot and waited for it to come back down. When it did, she stood ready in her horse stance. She took a strong step forward and attacked the ball as though it were any other opponent that got onto the mat with her. The punch sent the ball rocketing towards Aang's chest. In a fit of deja vu, Aang lowered one arm and raised the other in an arching form, launching the ball over his goal and off of the field.

"Hey!" Toph yelled. "Go get it!"

"You're the one who hit it!" Aang laughed.

"Are we going to have to go through this again, Twinkle Toes?" she asked with a grin.

"Bring it on, pipsqueak!"

Toph tackled him to the ground and they rolled over the grass laughing. When they came to a stop, Toph found herself in the familiar position of lying on top of her boyfriend with his heartbeat beneath hers. She smiled as she felt his fingers on her hair.

"When are you gonna learn that you can't take me?" she asked.

"Do you hear me complaining?" Aang asked.

Toph swatted his chest and he gasped for air a little before laughing again. She could feel his arms wrap around her waist as she lay on him in the grass drinking in his scent and the feeling of his heart alongside hers. Just like the last time she had found herself in this position with him she could feel her heart pounding in her chest, only this time it was for a different reason. Ever since the dance she had been wondering what would have happened if she had let him kiss her that day. Not that it really mattered now, considering where they were and all. But she still wondered.

As if he were reading her mind, Toph felt Aang lift his head towards her. Without even thinking about it she welcomed his lips as her hands rested on his chest. His heart was pounding just as fast as hers. She wondered if he could feel her as intimately as she was feeling him at that moment. As the kiss deepened, Aang sat the two of them up and she wrapped her arms around his neck. His hand slowly moved down her back and began to caress her leg and she shivered. Not a bad kind of shiver, but like that tingling sensation she would get when she walked through the garden before the morning dew had dried. It was a good kind of shiver. His other hand lay at the small of her back just beneath the hem of her shirt and traced patterns delicately across her skin. Wherever he touched it was as though her skin was on fire.

Toph pressed herself deeper into the kiss as she held Aang tighter. Her heartbeat echoed in her head as she tasted him on her lips. A sudden rushing sensation struck her as he sucked gently on her bottom lip, leaving her lightheaded and wanting more. She did not want this to end. Aang's hand moved up her back and cupped her face. He gently pulled away from her and stroked her cheek.

"We should stop," he whispered breathlessly.

Toph leaned back from him and felt herself breathing heavily. That had been more exhausting than she would have thought possible.

"Why?"

"Well for one, we're in a very public place."

Toph's blind eyes shot open and she pushed away from Aang. Before she could remove herself from his lap however, his arms circled around her waist and held her in place.

"I didn't say you had to move," he said mischievously .

Toph knocked her head gently against his and rested it there. He was a lot more bold than she had given him credit for. As she sat there in his arms she found herself daydreaming about everything that had happened in the last year. All of the good times, bad times, and pointless times that they shared together and with their friends. Everything would be different next year though. Katara would be leaving for school, Zuko would be doing who knows what, Ty Lee would still be in her own school, and she would be alone. She would be alone because Aang would be gone. As much as she had accepted it, as much as she played it off like it did not matter how far apart they were, she knew that it was going to hurt. She still truly believed that they would be okay, but that did not change the fact that it would hurt when he was gone. She sniffled a little as she felt her eyes beginning to water.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Aang asked quietly.

"What do you think, stupid?" she replied, trying to smile. "I don't want you to leave. I want you with me."

"Maybe it doesn't have to be a bad thing," Aang said. "I mean, the last time I left things turned out pretty okay, didn't they? You started going to school, met Katara and Zuko. And you won't have to sneak letters or . . ."

His voice trailed off as Toph's blind gaze continued to bore a hole in him.

"That's probably the most idiotic thing that you've ever said. This is nothing like the last time you left. Things are different now."

"I know. I just don't like seeing you like this."

"Then close your eyes," she suggested. Aang's laughter was a welcome sound after having been trapped in such depressing thoughts. "Don't worry about me so much, okay? Some times are just gonna feel harder than others. Some times I'll be perfectly fine. It kind of goes with the territory of any kind of distant relationship."

"You're talking about your parents, aren't you?"

Toph nodded.

"Most of the time it was easy to pretend I didn't care that Dad wasn't around, but sometimes it hurt so bad I couldn't stand it."

"If you're still trying to make me not worry, it's not working," Aang said.

"Oh, you really don't need to worry. You're not actually all that important to me," she explained. She closed her eyes and began to nod her head. "My days will go a lot smoother without you following me around everywhere like a little lost puppy."

"Hey!" Aang whined. "I'm a cute puppy!"

"Not really. Annoying yes, but cute? Not so much?"

Aang leaned forward and kissed her lips gently. He was going to miss her playfulness and her stubborn I'm-okay-I-don't-need-help personality. He would come back. He did not know when, and he did not know how, but he would definitely come back. He had managed to do it before, and he would do it again. Things just did not seem right without Toph being near him.

"Easy, Twinkle Toes," Toph said as she pushed away from him. "Aren't you the one who said we should stop?"

"We could go somewhere else if you want," he suggested seductively as his fingers gently rolled down her spine. He felt her shiver with anticipation.

"You need a cold shower," she grinned before kissing him again.

A/N: Kasamari has never written something so lemon-like, so please give him an honest review! By the way, this is probably the most mature kind of thing that will be found in this fic.