M warning ahead- hope it's not too cheesy. I wanted to keep the Sarcasm between them.
Enjoy!
Chapter 4 – The Cave of Two Lovers
Toph & Sokka:
It was the sign he had been waiting on for so long. He called up to the sky.
"Appa! Appa!" His voice rang through the small canyon. Please let him hear me, he prayed silently. "Appa!"
"Silence you!" one of the soldiers poked him in the back.
Sokka had all he could take. He turned grabbing the stick the soldier possessed and hit him knocking him to the ground. Before the other soldier could react Sokka hit him as well. He turned to the sky again only to see the bison gone.
Without warning, a large fury beast swept down just as the soldiers were regaining their footing and more were coming from the compound at the sign of the commotion. With the soldiers staff still in his hand Sokka backed up towards the large fury bison, just as Toph jumped from the saddle landing firmly on the ground beside him. He barely recognized her, other than her voice.
"Get on; I can take care of this Fire trash." Her foot hit the ground hard as her hands pushed forward, sending a series of rocks jutting from the earth knocking the soldiers back slamming them in all directions.
Sokka looked up, more soldiers were coming, and some began hurling fire at Appa, causing him to rare and stomp about. Toph was still smashing soldiers with slabs of rock.
"There are too many Toph, come on!" Sokka yelled getting to the front of Appa attempting to settle him with his reins.
"Get Appa outta here!" she cried as she crushed two soldiers between slabs of rock. "I'll catch up."
"Get the beast!" a solder cried out, hurling fire at Appa again.
"I'm not leaving you!" Sokka yelled.
Appa brought his tail down hard crushing a soldier who was sending flame darts at him. His thrashing about was causing as much damage to the area as Toph's Earthbending was.
"Take down the girl!"
Sokka looked up to see Toph in a praying mantis stance, her hands up ready for battle. Soldiers were advancing on her quickly, throwing flames at her from every direction. The dust and fire made it hard to for him to see.
"Appa, YIP! YIP!"
The giant beast rose into the air, and headed for Toph. Sokka guided him towards the barrage of Fire soldiers, making a quick turn and landing sending them for a loop with his large tail.
"Toph!" Sokka howled out. "Let's go there are too many!"
With a fancy movement, causing the earth to form steps as she ran towards Appa Toph jumped in the large saddle on his back. Sokka called for Appa to raise high in the air again. Smoke was rising from the ground where the soldiers had set the nearby forest and some buildings on fire.
They were in the air for a short time when Sokka spoke, "Appa, land down there."
The bison veered right and landed in a narrow gorge. Sokka jumped from the beast's neck to the hard rocky ground.
"Why did we land?" Toph asked.
"We can't stay in the air; Appa will be too easy to notice." Sokka moved toward the mountain. "It will take them a few days to get word to Azula, assuming she is in the Fire Nation."
"Where are we?" Toph asked him.
"We came through here a long time ago; there is a cave and labyrinth of tunnels behind that rock. If I remember correctly this is where we entered."
Toph climbed off of Appa. She walked forward to where Sokka was standing and placed her hand on a wall of boulders. They both could hear the yelling and commotion at the encampment. Smoke was visible as Sokka looked down seeing where they had just escaped from.
"Your not kidding there is a labyrinth in there."
"Can you get us in?" Sokka asked looking at her.
"Does Appa shed?" she asked then hit the ground with her foot sending the boulders out of the way.
Sokka turned to Appa, "I know you don't like underground buddy, but we really need to keep you safe."
As if Appa understood everything Sokka said, he moved slowly forward into the cave with Momo on his back. Once they were all in, Toph closed the tunnel.
"Wow, I can't see a thing in here; I forgot how dark underground is."
"How frightening," Toph's voice was sarcastic as she placed her hand on Sokka's shoulder. "Don't worry Sokka; I won't let anything happen to you."
"Thanks Toph, but you wouldn't happen to have anything to start a fire with would you?"
"I'm fresh out of Firebenders."
Both of them laughed out loud.
"Seriously just hold my hand, I will lead you." Toph took his hand in hers.
With Momo perched on top of his head, and one hand on Appa, Sokka followed Toph through the cavern in silence, until he saw a green glowing light.
"We must be near the center of the cavern. I can see the glowing crystals," Sokka squeezed Toph's hand. "I remember Aang and Katara talking about it."
They came upon a large hollowed out room, the crystals in the ceiling gave it a jade glow, it wasn't much but at least it wasn't pitch black. He could see Toph better now, six years does a lot to a person, she wasn't the little kid he remembered her to be, she had changed.
"What?" she asked him.
"What, what?" he retorted, realizing he was starring at her.
"You're looking at me, is there something wrong?"
"No, nothing," he smiled. "You don't know how much I have missed you is all. All I have thought about was finding you guys."
"Yeah, I think I can relate."
"Say you wouldn't have anything to eat would ya?" He patted his stomach.
"That I think I can help you with."
Toph climbed up on Appa and began to rummage through her rucksack. Sokka joined her, taking the fruit she handed him. Momo was now perched on Toph's head.
They were silent for a while, until Toph broke the air.
"Sokka," Toph cried, hugging him tightly. "I thought I would never see you again."
Sokka hugged her back; he could feel the tears forming in his eyes.
"I thought you didn't hear me," he said still hugging her clutching onto her hair. Momo hopped on top of his head, patting him furiously.
"Are you kidding a mouth like yours is hard to miss." She finally stopped hugging him long enough to pull back putting her hands on his face, 'looking' at him. "You're thin," she stated pressing her fingers into his cheek bones her thumbs gliding across his lips.
He placed his hands on top of hers. She looked worn and tired herself. Her hair had grown down to the middle of her back; her clothes were plain and ragged. She hugged him again. Sokka felt like he was at a hug fest, he didn't want to let go of her.
"Katara?" she asked grimly.
"I don't know," Sokka said feeling the tears release from his eyes. "The last time I saw her was in Ba Sing Se, right before I was captured by Mai and TyLee."
Her hands back on his face now, as if she would never move them she asked, "Still no sign of Aang?"
"Nothing." Sokka heard his own grief.
"Do you have any idea where Katara or Aang might be?"
He could see the tears in her eyes.
"No, I wished I did."
"What about Zuko, do we know what happened to him after the battle in Ba Sing Se?"
"According to the Fire Nation soldiers who guarded the compound he is still in Ba Sing Se," Sokka's voice was disgusted. "He is under Azula now, in charge of the out post there."
"What a bitch! I would love to make her head the center of a rock sandwich." Toph huffed. "Surely Zuko sees through her, I mean he did help us in the Fire Nation and led Aang to Ozai."
"Yeah I know, I just don't understand though, it had to be him that ratted us out in Ba Sing Se." Sokka tossed the fruit pit over the side. "How else would the Fire Nation have known where we were?"
"I don't see how he could have, we all watched him like a hawk." Toph smiled. "Well you know what I mean."
"I could care less if I ever see the bastard again, all I want to do, is find Katara and Aang and the rest of my family," his voice angered.
Toph moved over and sat beside him, laying her head on his shoulder. He put his arm around her.
"Can I sleep by you Sokka?" she asked as if she were a little girl.
"I would be hurt if you didn't." He laid his head on hers.
He got the sleeping bag from her rucksack and they both climbed in. Sokka put his arm around Toph pulling her close to him. It felt good to have his family next to him again. At least now he knew one of his nightmares wasn't true.
Her long hair was tickling his mouth; he reached up and tried to smooth it down, getting his fingers caught in a tangle.
"Ouch!" she whined.
"Sorry, it's just that it keeps getting into my nose."
"Here I'll turn the other way." She rolled over in the bag, it was a tight squeeze with the both of them in there, but he didn't mind.
"There, is that better?" she asked him.
He didn't say anything he was only looking at her.
"You're looking at me again aren't you?"
"What, no!"
"I can tell you're lying."
Sokka didn't expect what happened next, he kissed her.
"I'm sorry Toph," he apologized quickly.
"Me too," she said.
"What are you sorry for?" Sokka was a bit confused.
She kissed him back.
He took her hand and brought it to his lips. They were a bit rough, though small and dainty. Moving them from his lips she again touched his face, moving them from his eyes to his lips to his nose. She had never done that before.
"What are you doing?" he asked her in a near whisper.
"Looking at you, I don't think I ever have taken a proper look at you Sokka." She pressed the tips of her fingers on his forehead, then to his hair. He closed his eyes as she pressed the stands between her fingers.
"I didn't know your hair was that long." She smiled, moving to his shoulders, down his arms stopping at his biceps. "Been working out?"
"Well you know, pitching hay, and working on a farm, tends to keep you in shape." He flexed his arm.
She continued moving her hands down his arms stopping at his hands.
"Rough," she said massaging them. "But skilled with weaponry."
Moving to his chest, she slipped her palms beneath the fabric of his shirt. Sokka felt his muscles tighten, as she slowly ran her fingers over his chest, stopping at scars that he had received, during his encampment.
"What did those bastards do to you," she whispered, then moved close and kissed him.
Before Sokka could stop himself he had his body hovering over hers, kissing her, his leg between hers, and pushing them apart at the knees. Her hands, quickly removed his shirt, and her body was arching towards his. He felt his hand pressing into her hip, then moving to undo the sash that was holding her tunic together. Assisting him in removing the fabric, and the bindings, she then slipped her hand down, untying the draw string of his pants.
Before Sokka realized it, their bodies were pressed together, his lips caressing hers. Her fingers were pressing into the flesh on his back, feeling the scars and fresh cuts. He could feel her legs wrapping around his, strong and with intent. It was all that he could do to restrain from pressing his want into hers, but he hesitated. Sokka stopped kissing her, and closed his eyes, drawing his hips up as not to touch her flesh.
"Sokka, what's wrong?" Toph loosened her grip on his legs, her hand rested on his heart.
Her voice was so, mature, her body was a woman's. He knew Toph well enough to know that she wouldn't do anything against her will, but something still held him back. He didn't want her to feel that he was just a savage warrior taking advantage of her. If he answered nothing, he knew she would know he was lying.
"Sokka?" she asked again.
"Toph," he said trying to slow his breathing. He knew she would be able to detect the uncertainty in his voice. "I-, you-, we-, this-," he stammered, he knew he sounded absurd.
"Why?" she asked, a mar in her voice. Her hand moved from his chest to his lips.
"I can't do this," he said surreal, but still kept his towering position over her.
"I see," she said, shifting under him, turning her head. "It's because I'm not pretty enough isn't it."
"What?" Is that what she really thought, is that how he came across to her. "Your looks have nothing to do with it, Toph." He turned her face back to him. In fact her looks were fine, more than fine actually.
"Then what," she asked, dejected. "Is it because I'm blind?"
How she could think such a thing, Sokka thought. Her blindness had everything to do with what made her who she was, and how he had grown to respect her because of it, depend on her because of it.
"No, how could you think that?"
"Then what Sokka, you are really confusing me here."
"Aang," he finally said.
She wrinkled her nose in confusion and a bit of amusement.
"Oh you love Aang?" she said somberly.
Sokka sat upright on his knees, still above her.
"NO!" He blurted contorting his face. "I mean yes, but- What?"
"So you do love Aang." She let her hands rest on the bottom of his thighs.
"Yeah, he's like my brother." Sokka defended himself. "It's just I thought - I thought that you two, were- well- a- thing."
"You are blinder than I am." Toph smiled very amused.
"Okay now I am confused."
"Aang loves Katara, Sokka," Toph explained.
He started to comment, but refrained.
"Don't tell me you couldn't see it, even I could see that." Toph moved her hands up Sokka's thighs.
"So Katara loves Aang."
"I didn't say that, I said Aang loves Katara."
Sokka looked down at Toph who was still settled beneath him. She seemed quite comfortable there, naked and talking to him, as if they did this on a daily basis.
"Katara doesn't love Aang?" Sokka said a bit bewildered. "Why?"
Toph sighed heavy, and took Sokka's hands in hers.
"That is something better left answered by Katara," she said.
"So," Sokka said leaning back down pressing against the Earthbender, "There was one thing we didn't get to in that little conversation." He kissed her softly.
Pressing her mouth into his, she moved her hands over his backside.
"What was that?" she asked in between kisses.
"I think that you're beautiful," he said pressing his palm into her hip.
Toph wrapped her legs around him pulling to her; Sokka felt her tense as he entered her. Her hips pushed up to his and her back arched beneath him. His hands groping her flesh, trying to touch as much of her as he could, incase he woke up and it was a dream.
He felt the mounting tension of his release and held off as long as he could. When Toph began to moan and grind her hips into him, he pushed harder and faster. The last six years faded from Sokka's mind as he held her in his arms in The Cave of Two Lovers.