OMG!!11!1!1! I actually updated this fic, its the end of the world as we know it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my words.

(Up for Grabs)

Chapter IV (Distractions)

As he walked towards the outskirts of Gaoling, Aang tried to steady his nerves. He had grown into his role as the Avatar in the four years since the end of the war, and had traveled the world several times over. He made his rounds first with the whole group as they made peace and stopped the worldwide fighting, then without Zuko and Katara when they left to help Iroh in the Fire Nation, and then sans Sokka and Suki as they left to establish political connections between Kyoshi Island and the rest of the world. Toph had never left his side, however.

Aang strode into the bustling town with an air of confidence. It was how he usually walked as of late, having grown into his role of the Avatar over the years. Now his stride matched his new identity as a prince of the Earth Kingdom.

His rich attire and confident stride was attracting the attention of the townspeople, almost as much as Toph's appearance had earlier that day. They all knew what was going on, and had seen several other handsome, eligible young men arriving throughout the afternoon. At least a dozen servants had accompanied all the others, however. This young man walked with an air of nobility and power none of the others had, yet had not a single manservant waiting upon him.

Do the people of this town turn and stare at every newcomer? Is my appearance that out of the ordinary? Can they tell that I'm the Avatar?

Aang felt nervous about their stares, but tried to ignore them. There was a group of young ladies, however, who were not going to let this obviously rich fish swim by without at least trying to catch him. Aang was trying his hardest to ignore everyone around him when a group of four girls about his age came up and fell into step with him.

"Hello there, handsome."

"Welcome to the wondrous town of Gaoling."

"Where do you hail from? What's your title?"

"Such a beautiful emerald on your crown… "

Aang was so surprised at the sudden onslaught of forward, smiling, pretty girls that he stopped walking.

What in the name of the Spirits- ?

As the Avatar, plenty of women before had approached him before. At parties, banquets, or in the palaces of different nations. All of them had been well bred, wearing splendid gowns, and given a black eye by Toph. These girls were nothing like those he'd been around before.

They took advantage of his shock to come closer, and the townspeople watched him from the corners of their eyes. The girls had tried, with varying degrees of success, to snare the suitors and their servants as they came into town throughout the afternoon. If they couldn't snare the heiress by the end of the week, some of them would probably look for some comfort from the town's girls. The aforementioned girls wanted the rich young men to know exactly who to come to.

"Soooo," the first one began with a drawling voice, "I suppose you're here, like the others, to try and wed the princess?"

They had their parts down from practice, and a second girl went on with her lines, "You probably won't get her, you know. She's said to be viscous and foul tempered."

"You'd be soooo much better off with a girl who could better understand you."

By now, Aang had collected his wits enough to start walking determinedly along, trying to ignore them.

Can't they just go away already? I don't want to listen to them, but I don't want to tell them to 'shut up' either.

"If you're ever feeling discouraged, at any time really, about chasing after that blind girl… "

"Feel free to look for us in town, just ask at the Red Lotus inn- "

"Enough!" Aang said harshly to the girls. He glared as he towered over them, hands on his hips. "What kind of man do you take me for, approaching me in the streets so shamefully? Leave me be."

With that, he turned and kept walking up the street at a slightly brisker pace. The girls were stunned. They'd had a couple of outright rejections that day, but nothing like this. Why, at least three of the suitors had all but promised that they'd drop in after three days or so.

If Aang had known that, he might have been even more worried than he already was as he approached the entrance to the Bei Fong estate.


A/N: Sorry about the several month hiatus, I kind of dropped this story for a while. Not because I don't like it, and (for once) not because I don't know what happens next. I just couldn't drag myself to a computer and force myself to just write it already. I'm sorry.

In other news: ... how many suitors are coming to try and 'snag' Toph? How many of them are pervs? Will Aang be able to get her back to Appa and Bumi by midnight?

Spoiler for next chap: Aang/Shen will meet a suitor named Kahn... they will not along... at all... lol

Reviewz Plz! And vote in the poll on my profile page to help me figure out what to write next!