AN: I wanted to let everyone know that i most definatley AM going to continue this story :) I wanted tot hank everyone who and read this and especially to those who reviewed it. Having 9 reviews had totally made me soooo happy! (lame i know lol) but seriously! SQUEE! Ignore that outburst lol. I am having computer problems currently so Im using library computers and my brothers right now so unfortunatley i cant really give any certain dates for updates. Anyhow, ENJOY! (sorry this is kind of a filler chapter, but next chapter we get to the Fire Palace) :)
I bit my bottom lip and reached out a tentative hand and placed it on his shoulder. "Sokka?" He only snored louder. "Sokka? Hey, wake up." He groaned and mumbled nonsense before falling back asleep. "Snoozles, wake up, we're freezing here," I said a little louder, shaking him again.
"What? Yeah?" He said opening his eyes and looking over his shoulder at me. My face burned hotter. I felt like an idiot.
"Um, well we're kind of cold. Is it ok if I sleep over here?"
" We? Oh...right. Yeah, of course, you don't have to ask, Toph," he said gently."Thanks," I answered laying my sleeping bag next to his and peeling back the side to crawl in.
"Here, wait," he said. I heard him shuffling around. I sucked in a sharp breath when his arm laid across my back and coaxed me down beside him. I tucked my legs into his sleeping bag and settled down in front of him on my side. It was a tight fit but at least it was warm. My heart was beating like crazy for some reason and I hoped he couldn't hear it. His strong, muscled chest pressed against my back and the heat seeped through to my skin rather quickly, dispelling my goosebumps. I let out a contented sigh and closed my eyes. I could feel his heart beat thud against my shoulder blades. It was faster than it shoulder be.
"Is this weird?" I blurted. I bit my tongue, punishing it for being so stupid.
"What do you mean?" His voice rumbled through my spine.
"Are we crossing some kind of friend zone line or something?"
"I don't think so," he whispered as he fell asleep. I quickly followed after him being warm and happy now. His arm that had once been propped along the line of the side of my body slipped down across my arms and fell around the bottom of my ribs. When he tightened his grasp around me subconsciously in his sleep, I thought my heart might just explode out of my chest. This just had to be weird right? I felt my face flush and I suddenly felt very shy and small. Why was I acting like this? What was going on? I wasn't sure if it was one of those strange pregnant woman things but I blamed my racing heart on it anyways.
I awoke to something tickling annoyingly against my ear. It took me a second to get my bearings but I realized it was a little strand of my hair touching the bottom of my earlobe. I reached up to scratch it but yanked my hand back when my finger grazed against someone's skin. What in the world? Then I remembered just exactly where I was and that someones skin was in fact Sokka's lip. His nose was tucked behind my ear and the steady puffs coming from his mouth was making my hair brush against my skin. I blushed and electric flooded my veins. What in monkeyfeathers is going on!? I growled internally at my stupid racing heart. But this felt...nice? I laid awake trying to figure out if I should squirm out from his deathhold on me or not.
I liked the feeling of being sheltered and safely tucked away under his arm. I liked the way my back seemed to fit perfectly along his chest. I felt him stir and his head turned a little, his nose burying itself deeper behind my ear. Goosebumps crawled over my skin where his nose touched. And then my entire body froze when I felt warm, soft lips press a feathery kiss below my ear. If I thought my heart had been beating fast a second ago...This time legit adrenaline flooded my blood. What did he think he was doing!? Oh...wait...he was asleep. And that "kiss" was probably just a result of him shifting his head in his sleep. That calmed me down and then I was kind of mad and totally embarrassed at myself that I had even thought up such a preposterous thing. I laid there peacefully for a few minutes, totally off guard and relaxed. I thought I might even go back to sleep...
"Toph?" I nearly jumped out of my skin when he voice ghosted across the side of my face.
"Yeah?"
"Oh you're awake."
"Yeah. How long have you been up?
"Not long." If I had been paying more attention to the earth under me and not to the way his breath was warm on my face I might have noticed he was lying a little bit. My stomach decided to interrupt my peaceful morning with a sickening roll, flip and all other kinds of acrobatic shenanigans.
"Oh. Sokka, I think I'm gonna-" He was already pushing me out of the sleeping bag. I scurried out of the tent and dropped to my hands and knees as I was sick behind a nearby bush. He wasn't long in getting to me. He gathered my hair and kept his free hand on my side to keep me from falling over. I felt especially sick this morning and I just couldn't stop heaving. I groaned and another heave wracked my body. It was just acid and lots of water now.
"Did you drink a whole lake, Toph? Geez." I barely heard him over the pressure in my ears when my body lurched forward again. It seemed like it would never stop. I found tears slipping down my cheeks from the aching in my abs. And now, nothing was coming up just these violent, horrible, painful heaves.
"Sokka," I pleaded. I wanted it to stop, I needed it to stop. I tought I might rip in half if I didn't stop lurching.
"I know Toph, I know," he said rubbing a hand on my back.
I shook with exertion and it still wouldn't stop. My arms shook violently and my legs felt like noodles. Sokka left my side and I went into a panic. "Sokka," I croaked through a burned throat. He was back in just a matter of seconds with a damp piece of fabric wiping my mouth with it. I wretched fruitlessly again. Then his arm wrapped across my hips and the other one went under my right arm and crossed over towards my left shoulder in the front but his hand settled across the hollow of my collarbone and his finger lay gently against my throat. He pulled me in his back and cradled me there. I tensed, supporting my own weight on my knees.
"Sokka, what're you doing?"
"Just relax," he said as though he didn't even hear me. I did as I was told and he held my weight partly suspended in the air with ease. "Relax ok," he said pressing his hand a little more firmly on my neck. And after a few pathetic little half-heaves, I leaned back against him shaking and not puking. I dragged in breath after breath, each painfully expanding my sore muscles.
"How did you do that?"
"It's something Katara showed me once when I was really sick."
He held me tightly against his chest and I felt my muscles unclench even further and I felt my eyelids grow heavy. I was so tired. "Thankyou," I breathed. I forced my eyes open and pulled from Sokka's grasp. There were a few moments of silence as I collected myself. "That was the worst bout of morning sickness I've had yet," I commented.
"Do you think somethings wrong?"
"I don't think we should worry about it unless it happens again," I shrugged. After I had regained a little bit of strength we were off again. And despite my aching abs, we covered a lot of ground. We settled into a comfortable routine. Eat dinner, read our book, sleep in the tent that was now void of boundary lines, wake up, puke, and eat breakfast as we walked. I thought I would jump for joy when I felt the first vibrations of ranch life not too far off.
I felt heads turn in our direction as we walked down the center of the main part of the ranch. Barns and little stores lined the dusty street. We walked into what felt like the most popular building. I could tell simply by the scuffling and dragging feet that alcohol must be sold in here. I side-stepped a little and let Sokka's wide shoulders his me a little more. Usually I would have barged in a place like this and picked a fight just for fun but I couldn't, not with a baby on board. I soon found that only a corner of the building was a bar and the rest was lined with counters selling various trinkets and what not. The middle of the large space was mostly filled with people playing various card games or Pai Sho.
We approached a counter and I slung my arms up on it lazily. I heard a cheerful woman with some kind of drawl that sounded a little like she was from the Foggy Swamp. She sounded nice. "How can I help you?"
"Hi there," Sokka greeted kindly, "can you tell us where the ostrich horse rentals are?"
"Sure! They're right dow the end of the road here, and you'll find the livery and a man named Slim, just tell him Ming sent you, it'll make him treat you a little nicer." I heard something a little too-sweet creep into her voice. I picked my foot off the ground and let it fall again softly to get a better look at her. Hmm. She was really pretty just from what I could tell of her facial structure and her body shape.
"And do you have a hotel here?"
"Yeah, it's right above you," she giggled good naturedly. "It's hard to get a room, but for a handsome stranger like you, I bet I could get something together," she flirted. It made me a little sick to my stomach, but I really couldn't blame her; Sokka was a good looking guy. Not to mention he was friendly, generally good-natured and built.
"It would be much appreciated," he flirted back. I rolled my eyes and took a step towards the door. He steered me out by the elbow and we found the livery stable right where Ming had said. I went in to the stable and Sokka went to go check out the stock.
"Hello?" I called out, even though I could feel a hunched over old man over in a far corner. I had found that alerting someone to your presence usually went over better than just appearing behind them.
"Whaddya want?" He growled.
"Two ostrich-horses," I snapped back in the same tone.
"Hang on a minute," he grumbled. I heard some things clang around and tip over. He came and sat down at the small table I was standing in front of. "What's a girl like you need with an ostrich horse? Oh wait, dumb question, too prissy to walk."
I narrowed my eyes in the direction of where I thought his were. "Watch it pal," I warned corssing my arms. He let out a short cackling laugh. "Or what?"
I let out an annoyed sigh and kneaded my forhead with my fingers. "Look, a lady name Ming told us to tell you she sent us."
"That blamed woman! Thinks she can sweet talk her way into gettin' on my good side! Puh!" He spat. "Who else is with you?"
"A friend."
"What's your name?"
"Toph BeiFong."
I felt him freeze for a second recognizing my name, but then, he did something I appreciated. He didnt do anything. He was still the rude, snippy old man and sent me off with two bridles and a receipt. I found Sokka already starting to open the gate to the corral. "I can get them," I said already knowing where this was headed.
"No, no. I'm perfectly capable, don't you know I have a way with animals?" I smacked my forehead and sighed. He was going to get kicked to death. Well while he was busy trying to kill himself, I went and gathered two saddles from a little shed right next to the corral. I heard a yelp and felt the feet of the ostrich horses stampeding around the corral. I dumped the saddles on the ground and earthbent Sokka out of the corral. I felt out for the two calmest heartbeats.
I kicked my heel into the dirt and made two squares of earth spring up under the two ostrich horses I was thinking about picking. The first one flinched and balked. Sokka could have that one. And the second didn't even flick an ear. That one was mine.
I approached the closest one and wound my fingers in the fuzzy feathers of its neck and led it towards the second one where I did the same. I led them to the gate and Sokka handed me the bridles mumbling that he could have done that. We saddled them up and led them down to the hitching post in front of the building where we would be staying for the evening. I wiggled my toes in the dirt as Sokka went inside to get us checked in. I scuffed my heels in the dirt as I played with the meteor bracelet in my hands.
"Hey, girl," a voice came from my left. I tilted my head to cup the sound of his voice better in my ear.
"What's a nice lady like you doing way out here?" Another voice said. I turned to face the two young men walking my way.
"I'm trying not to die of boredom," I snapped. I didn't like them, something about them just didn't sit right with me. I crossed my arms and settled my feet evenly over my feet in case I needed to earthbend their butts.
"Oh, I see, I see," the first one answered. "What's that you got there?"
"None of your business." I put the bracelet back on my arm, under my sleeve.
"Feisty," the second one remarked.
"I'm willing to bet you've got pretty eyes under all that hair." I saw him reach out to push my bangs out of my face. I slammed my wrist down on his hand.
"Step off," I warned, shooting him an icy glare.
"Is she blind?" The second one asked.
"Looks like it," the first one purred. I twisted my feet a little farther in the ground. It wasn't until then that I noticed I was quivering a little. No wonder really. What good had come out of the last guy that made a move on me? I felt them move in a little closer. "Well, I have to ask what a...beautiful...blind woman is doing out on the streets all by her lonesome. I heard the low, tone in his voice, trying to lure me in.
"Do you know who you're talking to?" I scoffed. How ignorant of these men to think just because I was blind I was helpless.
"No, actually, how rude of us not ask her name, don't you think Ling?" The second one asked.
"I do Lee," the first one, Ling, said. "What is your name, Darling?" He paused and let out a whistle as he got within a few feet of me. "What a fine creature," he growled shaking his head. I pushed my sleeves up onto my shoulders to show off the lines and curves of my toned arms, just daring them to push it."I bet that bracelet of yours is worth a lot of money," Ling said. He inched forward. I let my arms raised a little from my sides.
"Come a step closer and you'll regret you ever laid eyes on me," I warned.
"I don't think I'll ever regret laying eyes on you, Darling."
"Still didn't catch her name Ling," Lee piped in. I felt Ling take that step closer to me that was going to land him in a whole bunch of hurt. A smirk graced my face.
"All you need to know is that I'm the world's Greatest Earth Bender." Before a laugh could finish leaving their mouths both of them got an earthen pillar in between the shoulder blades, sending them sprawling on their faces. I took a step back to keep Ling's head from landing on my feet.
"You little rat-snake," Ling hissed picking scrambling to get back up. I side-stepped a swing he threw at me and lifted my hands in front of me, palms facing me, fingers pressed together. I felt Lee start to get up and I kicked up a flat of rock under him and sent him flying. Ling made another charge at me and I stomped up a little rock to trip him. And before he fell I lifted another piece of earth that knocked him under the jaw. He laid groaning in the dust. I bent down next to his face and grabbed his limp hand and shook it.
"Hey, nice to meet you, I'm Toph BeiFong! Now you can always remember this as the the day you fought the Greatest Earthbender in the world and lost. Don't forget to tell all your friends," I said cheekily, dropping his hand in the dirt.. I waltzed into the building, pushing Sokka aside, dusting my hands as I went.
"What did you do?" He asked, moaning when he spotted my satisfied smirk.
"Oh you know, just messing with the wildlife."
We walked up the stairs to our room and found there to only be one bed. Sokka insisted I take it and there was no arguing with the man once he had his mind made up. I was so grateful for a shower and I washed away the grime from traveling. I washed three times before I felt that particular security blanket warp over my shoulders. I sat on the bed as Sokka took his bath. I played with my meteor bracelet, bending it into different shapes.
Later, Sokka went to get us a hot meal from downstairs. I waited impatiently. The sooner we ate, the sooner he could read to me. We had been left with a cliffhanger the last time he read and now that we were in a ranch setting, I couldn't imagine how awesome the next few chapters would seem.
He seemed to be thinking the same thing as we wolfed down our food and scrambled up onto the bed to read. I sat next to him, our hips touching and leaned against him. We found ourselves holding our breath as the story suddenly took a turn that was totally unexpected. He read for an hour and a half before we found a place we thought suitable to stop for the night.
He crawled down to the floor onto his makeshift bed and we both quickly fell asleep. I woke up to my stomach turning. I hopped over Sokka's sleeping form and made a beeline for the bathroom. I thanked the badger moles I wasn't as sick as the last few days. I took a shower afterwards and tiptoed downstairs to get us something to eat. Sokka had done so much for me recently and I felt breakfast in bed was the very least I could for him. Apparently the kitchen wasn't open yet. I felt activity at what felt like a diner across the road so I headed over there. I was about halfway across the dusty road when I heard it.
"There's that little rat-snake from yesterday!" Ling shouted. I rolled my eyes and turned around with a smirk.
"What? Come back for more?" I taunted making 'come at me' motions with my fingers.
"Yeah, and we brought back up too!" Lee shouted trying (and failing pathetically) to sound intimidating. I brought my right knee up to my chest and stomped down hard on the ground and pushed my palms out sending two walls of earth towards them. But I felt two more pairs of feet shift my attack away. Earthbenders. I sidestepped a pillar that shot up at my feet and kicked through another one the popped up on my other side. I had to laugh at their attempt to sneak attack me.
The two earthbending friends of Ling and Lee came racing towards me bringing up small boulders and hurling them towards me. I ducked under one, punched another one out of my face, leapt out of the way of another one and deflected one with my own chunk of rock. I could feel the earth cracking and rumbling exactly where the rocks were coming from before they even broke the surface. I was actually impressed with the amount of stone they were throwing at me but I couldn't risk having a bumpy earthbending battle with these two chumps. I had to be thinking of the baby on board.
I curled my index finger on my thumb and sent a slanted slab of rock into one of them sending him skidding across the dirt. I flung a wall up in front of the other one knocking him out cold as he slammed into it at a full run. I felt the other one had recovered and I waited until just the right second, listening. I kicked my right leg up in an arc, guiding a rock right into the side of his face. I threw my hands up in the air. "When will you people ever learn!" I yelled in exasperation. I growled loudly and then continued towards the diner. The man I had rock-kicked was writhing around, groaning. I patted his head as I went by. "Nice try though," I teased.
I got two breakfasts to go and walked back to our room. "Sokka, hey Sokka wake up," I said nudging him in the ribs with my toes.
"Huh? What?"
"I got us breakfast," I said sitting down across from him on the floor. Once we finished eating we packed up and left on our new rides. It took a while to get used to the new, faster footsteps of the animals but I eventually found a comfortable seat in the hard saddle and we covered probably two or three times the ground.
It took us the alotted weeks-during which I lost some weight, but really that was to be expected- to reach the fire nation capital. After we had the Royal stablehands to take the horses, we headed towards the palace.
