Chapter 1: The Promise

Age 6

It was a beautiful day outside. The sun was shining, the clouds were rolling across the sky, and a gentle breeze cooled the air. Children everywhere should've been running around, playing kick ball, and having fun. It was time to appreciate spring while it was here, and be happy.

Yet if one thing was certain, it was that Sokka Kuruk was not happy at all.

He sat with his back against a tree, hugging his legs to his chest. Sokka was normally a strong, sturdy boy. A tear hardly ever fell from his eyes, even when he was scraped or cut, but now, his lower lip trembled. He couldn't believe it.

Sokka was contaminated. He had cooties...and now, he was either going to die, or turn into a girl. Sokka couldn't decide which was worse.

With a shudder, he remembered Ty Lee's high pitched giggle as Azula and Mai had forced him down. Her lips against his cheek...her voice in his ear, saying, "I love you, Sokka!"

It was just awful. Sokka shut his eyes tightly, trying to forget the horror of it all. But he wasn't allowed to hide for long. Footsteps were approaching, and through his eyelids, he saw a dim shadow fall over him.

"What are you doing?" a loud voice demanded.

He peeked one eye open, fearful of another cootie-coated girl, and found Toph Bei Fong, the tiniest girl in his class, staring at him with her hands on her hips. Although Sokka didn't play with her outside of school, she was okay for a girl.

Sokka sagged with relief. At least he knew that Toph was clean of cooties. Toph was a tomboy, and loved to make mud-pies and play kickball. In the back of his mind, he remembered his mother talking with Zuko's, mentioning that Toph had trouble seeing...

But he didn't have time to think about it. Toph was angry at him.

"Azula's team just beated ours in kickball! You coulda helped us win!" Toph said furiously. Kick ball was everything to her. Fortunately, the big red ball was easy for her to see. "Why were you such a baby when Ty Lee kissed you?" Her face was scrunched up with anger, but Sokka couldn't bring himself to care. He was too busy mourning.

"She has cooties," Sokka explained miserably. "I'm gonna die."

With a small huff, Toph plopped down across from him. "Don't you know anything?"

Sokka was sad, but not so that he didn't find time to glare at her. "Of course I do!"

"You sure don't know much. The cooties Ty Lee gave you aren't gonna hurt you," Toph said wisely. "The only was you can get real cooties is if you marry somebody."

"Marry somebody?" Sokka squawked. He wasn't sure he ever wanted to get married. The whole idea was crazy! But what if Sokka changed his mind one day? Grown-ups had done stranger things. "How do you know if someone has cooties?" Sokka asked, worried. Even if he did go crazy, he didn't want to get cooties, too.

"You can't," Toph told him, appearing a little shaken herself. They fell silent for a moment, wondering if they'd ever marry someone with cooties.

"Well, I know I don't have cooties!" Toph declared with renewed vigor.

Sokka nodded furiously in agreement. "Me, neither!"

"Then the only way we can stay safe from cooties is to marry each other!" Toph said determinedly.

Surprise hit Sokka like a dodgeboll right in the face. Marry Toph? He looked back at her again, her hands balled up in and her eyes glowing with decisiveness.

Marry Toph. Huh. She did make a good mud pie, and when it came to kick ball, her pitching was astounding. Together, they could dominate the playground! Maybe marrying Toph wouldn't be such a bad thing.

"Yeah. Let's get married one day. Whenever we feel like it," Sokka agreed. There was no telling when those puzzling, grown-up urges would start to kick in. "But...we have to get bunk beds," he proposed.

"I call top!" Toph, the daredevil among them, said immediately. Secretly, Sokka was relieved. He was perfectly happy with the bottom.

"Fine, but you have to make me mud pies," Sokka requested in return.

Toph shrugged. "Okay." She spit onto her hand, and Sokka did the same. Then, they shook, with an odd squilshing sounds as their hands met. It was a deal.

A/N: Chapter two comes the day after tomorrow. :) Hm, the end is reminiscent of "Conditionally Yours," but I couldn't figure out a better way to finish so, meh. :3 Btw, this is NOT a sequel to I'd Lie. That will be up after this one is finished, in a month or so.