Hey I know it's been a long time but I've been the universe's punching bag the last few weeks. After straining both my leg muscles, I fell at work taking out the trash and slid my FACE across the pavement. Then a few days ago I got in a car accident. I'm fine but my car is totaled. My old 1993 may had been a piece of junk, but it was MY piece of junk. And to top it all off I have to get a second job to buy a new car. So **** you universe… **** you very much. But since I owe so much to this site and my writing…I. Will. Not. STOP!
So here it is, extra long like I said (even without this long Author's Note), and I'd like to say thank you to demon-hell-fire for his review. That's kinda what I was shooting for :)

I've notice I haven't been getting as many reviews so please do so. I could use the support right about now.

Enjoy.

Betrayed and Loved

About 3 hours later.

It was still mid afternoon when they landed. The place Aang chose was a small canyon like area in the middle of a large plane. The canyon was big enough for cover for Appa and a good place to practice earthbending. It was like the place Toph first taught him airbending. Speaking of who, since they landed he decided to wake up.

He reaches over and tugs her shoulder. "Toph wake up."

Toph brushes his hand away and turns over, determined to stay asleep.

"Okay then." Aang inhaled deeply. "TOOOOOOOOPH!" He yelled at the top of his lungs.

The sleeping earth bender moaned and rolled over again.

"Man she even sleeps like a rock." Aang said out loud. "Without any foreign vibrations she's not going to wake up that easy."

Then he got an idea. He bent out a small amount of water from a water skin.

"AAAAAH, TOPH WE'RE FALLING INTO THE OCEAN!"

He splashed the water in her face and she jumped up.

"AH WATER! I'M DROWNING!"

She stopped, feeling she was still on Appa's saddle. She fumed and turned to a laughing Aang.

"THAT WAS NOT FUNNY!"

"Sure it was." He said trying to stop laughing. "One time I made Sokka think there was a snake in his sleeping bag to wake him up."

Toph grunted and jumped off Appa. The impact from the landing gave her a good look of the area. "Wow, nice spot." She paused a moment. "I'm still mad at you Twinkle Toes." The blind earthbender crossed her arms.

"Oh come on Toph, you of all people should be able to take a joke."

"Well that was mean. You know I can't swim."

"Oh…right. Why is that?"

"Because I can't see while I'm floating. I need to be touching earth to sense anything."

"Can't you feel the vibrations in the water like you do with earth?"

"No. I can't feel vibrations like that. My skin isn't that delicate, unlike some people." She glared at Aang. "Besides, I'm constantly earthbending to see like that, water isn't anywhere in that equation."

Aang felt like a jerk for forgetting how Toph almost drowned at the Serpent's Pass.

"Well I need to teach you to swim so you won't be rocklike and sink like a rock."

"Ah ha ha…" She laughed sarcastically. "No." She finished flatly. "I'm not going anywhere near water."

"Come on, it might save your life."

"That's what I got you for."

"What?"

"Er, um…" Toph blushed silently. "I can take care of myself!"

Aang frowned, convincing Toph isn't going to be easy with her big ego. But that gave Aang an idea.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were scared of water." Aang smiled.

The statement hung on Toph's ear. She turned her head, her eyes narrowed on Aang.

"What's that suppose to mean?"

Aang's smile grew into a grin. "I'm just saying…" Aang leaned over a rock and crossed his arms. "That maybe THE WORLD'S GREATEST EARTHBENDER wouldn't be able to handle getting a little wet. I mean when it comes to earth, you're tops. But water, your literally 'out of your element'.

"I am not scared of water." Toph huffed. "I just don't care for swimming."

"You mean you can't swim."

"Whatever."

"You are so scared."

"I AM NOT!"

"Then prove it."

"I WILL!"

"Great, there's a small lake outside the canyon. Get changed and meet me there in ten minutes."

Aang hopped up and left. Leaving a dumbfounded Toph trying to process what just happened. "Did he just trick me? When did he get so sneaky?"

Toph had let her ego get the best of her, and she paid for it. She grunted and went to change.

Aang was twirling some water in the air when he heard Toph.

"Okay I'm here." She said in a less an enthusiastic tone.

Aang spun around and saw her in her gold top and brown pants swim outfit. Toph had a silently scornful look on her face from being tricked by her friend.

"Okay, now what?"

"Well the first thing to do is actually get in the water."

Toph groaned. The water was only ankle deep when she reached Aang. She could feel the water soaking into her ankle wrapping. It was fairly cold which actually felt soothing on her burn. She didn't mind the feel of the mud between her toes either. Just that, she felt forced into this is what bothered her.

"Well" Aang started. "I guess the first thing you need to learn is how to float."

"Float?"

"Yeah. As apposed to sink."

"You calling me fat?"

"Well if you were, you'd float a lot easier."

"So you are calling me fat."

"No."

Toph was trying to get a reaction of Aang, but since he was acting like he was being serious, it annoyed her even more. She couldn't even tell if he was lying because of the soft mud. When did she care if people thought she looked fat anyway? Especially Aang?

"Well I don't feel like drowning today so, no." Toph was trying to get out of this.

"Toph I'll be holding on to you the entire time, so you're not going to drown."

Toph paused. "Promise?"

"Promise."

"Whoa déjà vu" "Okay, fine then."

"Okay, take my hand."

Toph could barely sense were his arm was, but managed to grab his hand. He lead her out of the shallow end of the lake. When they were waist deep he stopped.

"Okay now just lean back in the water and float on your back."

Toph hesitated.

"If your scared-" Aang started.

"I am NOT scared!" Toph yelled.

"Not that kind of scared!" Aang half-yelled back. "I meant to say if you're 'worried' I could hold you up so you don't sink."

"Oh um, yeah that would be nice." Toph said apologetically.

Toph took a deep breath, and leaned back, letting Aang hold her up by her back and legs. She could feel herself floating.

"Okay Toph, you're doing it." Aang said pulling his hands away.

"I am?" Toph said lifting her head. When she did her legs began to sink and she started to panic.

"Whoa, whoa, WHOA!"

Toph started thrashing around and Aang reached out and grabbed her bridle style. "I got you!"

After Toph calmed down Aang said. "It's okay Toph, you can still touch here so calm down. Just keep your head tilted back and your feet won't sink."

Truth was Toph was a little scared of swimming. Ever since her close call on the Serpent's Pass she was worried about drowning. But she wasn't about to tell him that.

"Okay, sorry… Uh Aang, you can let go of me now."

"Uh, Toph you're holding on to me."

Toph didn't realize it, but once Aang grabbed her she had wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and he had already let go. So Toph was hanging from him holding her knees above the water.

"Oh." Toph let herself down blushing from embarrassment. "Sorry…again. Soooooooo what next?" She asked awkwardly.

Aang enjoyed that brief second he held her. Like he wanted to on Appa but, again, feared what Toph would do to him if he held on any longer.

"Well you could try holding your breath underwater."

"I think I know how to hold my breath Twinkle Toes."

"Well give it a shot anyway." Aang insisted.

Toph rolled her eyes. "Fiiiiiine."

She took a deep breath and stuck her head under the water. She could feel the water fill her ears. As she held her head there she listened. The water had a sort of humming to it, kind of like a constant echo. It was a similar sound when she put an empty cup to her ear. "So this is what they mean by 'it sounds like the ocean'." But not just the humming, she could hear Aang moving, the bubbles she breathed out, and every little drop or splash on the surface. This was all new a mesmerizing to her, so much so she forgot herself and accidently inhale through her nose. She coughed and spattered jerking her head up. Aang, who was already at her side, patted her back as she lurched over trying to expel the water out of her lungs.

"What happened Toph? You said you knew how to-"

"SHUT IT!" Toph yelled pointing her finger at his face.

She coughed a few more times before straitening her back. "Ah man."

The motions had caused her hair to come loose from her bun. While her long black bangs hung in her face the rest fell down her back. It was all clinging together because of the water. Aang never had any idea of how long her hair was since he had never seen it down. While Toph was wringing it out, he couldn't help but stare at her.

Toph stopped "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Aang practically jumped back. "Wait? How could you tell?"

"I couldn't. HA!"

"Oh sorry." He said quickly.

"Well hold on a sec. I got to fix my hair."

"Wait…!"

"What…?"

"Well." Aang started bashfully. "I think it looks…nicer that way."

"You…do?" Toph swallowed the lump that had forming in her throat. Then she talked like she didn't care. "If I'll make you happy then fine." She let go of her hair and flipped it back out of her face. "So now what?"

"What what?"

"THE SWIM LESSON AIRHEAD!"

"Oh. Right. Next I'll teach you a basic stroke, but we need to be in deeper water."

Aang gently grasped his student's wrist and led her deeper into the lake. The water was almost up to her neck by the time he stopped. She could feel the resistance of the water trying to move through it.

"Oh do we have to be in this deep?" Toph slightly whined.

Aang could sense she was getting nervous again. "Toph you still can touch here, so stop being so scared."

"You call me scared one more time and I'll make you scared of coming within 10 feet of me." The earthbender threatened.

Aang gave her a 'you're over reacting' look but she couldn't see it, so he stated… "When if you're not then you shouldn't have a problem with this."

Toph answerd him by not answering him, so he continued with his explanation. "Ok so all you have to do is move your arm in a arch like this." Aang made the motions with his arm, but Toph interrupted him.

"Twinkle Toes I can't see you. The ground, or mud, is too soft for me to get a decent outline of you." She traced a square in the air with her fingers. "Lets get out of the water so I can see you better."

"And have you bolt at your first step on dry land? No way, here, I'll show you."

Aang walked up behind her and put his arms under hers. She laid them loosely on his so they would mimic his motions. "Okay now, so the movements are pretty basic…"

As Aang was explaining, Toph noticed even though the water was fairly cool, his skin was still warm. The sensation of his skin warming hers made her blush. Toph grunted internally. "Stupid girly feelings." Toph tried to ignore it and focus on what he was saying.

I know it seems like a weird place to stop. But if I don't stop now the next chapter will be to short, but then again my chapters are always longer than I planned...always. Oh and thanks to zukofan2005 on some parts.

Please review.