r e a ll y - the - g r e a t e s t

She had thought her mom had forgiven her, she really had.

Katara read her the letter, and she had traveled to the address, and then there was metal all around her.

Metal. She didn't know where she was, or what was going on, and she was scared and confused, but Toph Bei Fong was mostly heartbroken.

So, that was it. It had been a trap. Her mother hadn't accepted her, and now she was being taken away by something; someone.

It wasn't until the panging in her chest died down did the de ja vou begin.

She had been here before. At first Toph thought her memory was triggered by that horrid feeling of betrayal and weakness, but no… it was the box.

This metal prison, she had been here before. Yes, back when she first met Aang, they had been captured in metal cages just like these!

And suddenly it all hit her. She knew who was doing this- she knew her mother was a part of it- and she knew they were taking her back home.

Toph could hear the men talking (they sounded suspiciously familiar) and she heaved a mental sigh. Suppose this is really it? This is what she gets for trusting her mom once, for trusting her family. Stuck in a metal cage. How absolutely wonderful.

She just about gave up right there, she really did.

But then she remembered Sokka. She remembered Sokka and Aang and Katara and Ba Sing Se and The Day of Black Sun and the entire war. She remembered how she is a teacher, a friend, how she is needed.

Toph remembers how she is supposed to be the Greatest Earthbender in the world, and that stops her for giving up entirely.

But that still didn't mean she had hope.

So as Toph thinks of a plan (and she really doesn't feel like thinking too hard, or else the sadness of her situation will finally sink in) she feels around her confinements.

She is blind. She has been all her life, but standing in this metal cage makes her realize (for perhaps one of the first times) how handicapped that makes her. She can't see anything. So she runs her hand along the walls, searching for an escape.

Perhaps there is a crack. Perhaps there is a hole in the metal that manufacturers overlooked, a crease that wasn't properly fastened, a loose hinge that with the right amount of twisting and tinkering will come loose.

Toph sweeps her hands across the cage until it's simply habit, an absent-minded task. Arms bend this way, fingers trace that, Toph stomps her foot to loosen any bolts.

And while her hand runs across the wall behind her, she is thinking of Sokka. She is wondering if he's with his father right now, telling him about Aang and the training with the Guru, and about their plans to save the world.

Toph wonders if he speaks of her.

Because Sokka- wait, what was that? It wasn't much of anything, but it was something, and it was there.

Toph's hands rocket back to the back wall, rubbing around until it happens again. There- that fleck, she can see it. It illuminates like a star against the night, but Toph doesn't know what the stars look like. To Toph, this illuminated fleck means one thing and one thing only- earth!

She can feel it vibrating inside the metal. It hums softly, and she keeps her hand there on that spot, thanking the spirits above. The humming continues to grow louder, until Toph knows that the noise is coming from every direction, above her, below her, all around her.

Her arms continue their sweeping, desperately this time. She knows the Earth is there, now it's just the matter of finding it. But running her hands along the metal isn't helping, and Toph knows.

And she feels the anger welling up inside her, and the frustration, and the longing for sight, for more of those flecks.

So she slams the cage.

And there, right in front of her, the lights explode. They dance like fireflies, and Toph runs her hands along them greedily, taking in there vibrations. Pebbles, every one of them, but oh so much better than the empty metal. Soon Toph's arms are acting on their own, and they are tracing the vibrations to places, and stomping and hitting and slamming until she can see all around her.

The metal contains many more pebbles than she thought. They are close together, and covering the entire cage to the point where she can feel the vibrations coming from all directions, and she feels it in her bones. It's almost like being underground. In fact, it is like being underground.

And that was the first time the thought landed in her head. I bend earth, Toph thinks to herself, and there is earth in metal. So, I bend metal.

And she got some hope.

So she starts slamming away at the walls, feeling the vibrations and hearing the humming and seeing those lights until up goes to down and she doesn't even know where she is anymore.

And her hope slowly slides through her fingers when the cage doesn't move.

One last, valiant attempt courses through her, and she pushes with all her might. Her voice is strained, and she's not even sure if she's speaking aloud. "C'mon metal, budge!"

And with one last slam (much like the very first one that showed her the pebble) the wall collided with her fist, and she left a nasty dent.

"Toph- you rule."

And she did.

So she escapes, and locks her two kidnappers inside the cage (she hopes it's so dark that they feel blind) using her new found skill, and then takes of back toward Ba Sing Se on some giant mounds of dirt.

If someone didn't know who she was, they'd think she's crazy. But if they know her, then they know she's just Toph.

Yeah, just Toph. A tomboy. A teacher. A friend. The world's greatest Earthbender.

And even though all those things sound so nice, she can't help but doubt herself. Sometimes being the 'world's greatest' doesn't mean anything if your mom isn't even proud of you. Perhaps 'just Toph' shouldn't be who she is right now. What if she should be a good little girl instead, like mommy always asked for, and 'just Toph' should be a girl with proper manners and an obedient daughter.

What if she had gotten it all wrong? What if she was never supposed to escape and her destiny was supposed to be fulfilled at home, where there was no bending (metal or earth) allowed past beginner levels? What if she should run away, but this time not from home, but from her friends?

Normally her hearing is exceptional. Normally, Toph could hear Aang or Sokka sneaking up on her from a mile away, much less Appa flying straight for her.

But this was not normally, and the circumstances didn't allow time for hearing.

Normally Toph wouldn't have fallen over in surprise when she heard Sokka's voice, but this time she had decided to run away, and she never thought she'd hear that voice again.

Toph doesn't know what to do as she rides back to Ba Sing Se, this time with Aang, Sokka, and Appa. She doesn't know if she should stay with her friends, or run away back home, or maybe go find a mountain someplace where she could hide forever, away from war and destruction and big decisions.

Toph is just plain confused, she really is.

And even though her head is still messed up, her ego is not, and Toph decides that until she can come to a decision about her life, no one else is to figure out about these doubts. She is to remain the tough, rock-like person she always is, until she is sure of what to do, and sure of herself.

But she allows herself to hang onto Sokka's arm with the excuse she's afraid of flying.

After Aang is hit with lighting, and after the Earth Kingdom has fallen, and after the whole world seems to be ending, Toph decides that she can't leave now. She needs to stay, and forget her doubts, and her fears, and her needs, and ignore the way she feels to focus on the way her friends feel.

At first, she though it would be hard to pretend she was a rock, but she found that she got used to it.

Because Toph really is the Greatest Earthbender in the world, she really is.

Note: Sorry, no time to proof-read, I have to go to bed.

I know some things will be off because I haven't seen the finale in a while, but bear with me people.

And remember, your reviews are the only things that get me up in the morning.

This was written for StroodleDoodledFuhn, because she came up with this great idea and asked me to write it. She also helped a whole lot; this story is just as much mine as it is hers. Thanks so much, StroodleDoodledFuhn! I hope you like it!

Sweet dreams, my friends. May the Lord be with you.