Chapter 5

It was less than a minute after Katara excused herself that Aang saw her. The girl was petite with coal black hair. She didn't look to be older than himself. He stared at her for a moment, taking in her porcelain pale skin, her long bangs that shadowed her eyes and framed her face. His gaze took in the slight tilt of her head, the way her neck tucked into her collar.

The airbender stood then and crossed the room to her table. He didn't know what he intended to do, but he had to talk to her. Drawn to her like a moth to a flame, he stopped in front of her.

"Hey," he said.

The girl started and turned her head toward him.

He saw her eyes then. Clouded and sightless, they looked straight through him. And yet they seemed to be all the more beautiful for that imperfection.

"I didn't even hear you walk up. I didn't see you either," she answered.

See? But you're blind? As he stared at her though, he began to wonder if maybe the spirits had given her a different kind of sight. The ability to see people, past the mask, into their souls. Perhaps they had given her this ability to make up for the fact she couldn't physically see with her eyes.

"How did you sneak up on me?" she asked. "I didn't even hear you walk up."

His entire body thrilled at the sound of her voice. It was kinda deep for a girl, almost boyish. But not in a creepy way.

"I'm an airbender," he replied. "Can I join you?"

"Sure." She shrugged. "My date is nowhere in sight. Probably ditched me. Not that I really care. I should have ditched him as soon as he said I looked like a guy."

Aang couldn't believe anyone would think this girl to be anything except a female. Her face was too perfectly delicate for a guy's. Obviously her date was a dolt.

"Why are you with him then?"

"We were set up by his crazy uncle," she answered, kicking her feet up to rest on a nearby chair. She stretched out, hands behind her head, completely at ease. The young Avatar was suddenly finding it very hard not to stare at her. Not that she would know if he did. But it would still be rude. Even if it was a very inviting thought.

"You're lucky," he spoke up. Better to talk. That way he wouldn't think about how soft her lips looked in the candlelight. Or how pretty her cloudy green-grey eyes were. "My date and I were set up by everybody in the world."

She laughed brazenly, head thrown back. Aang gave up trying to keep his gaze off her then, and let his eyes sweep over the vulnerable snow-white expanse of her neck.

"I'm Toph," she said when she stopped laughing. "And you are?"

"Aang," he whispered.

"You're funny, Twinkletoes," she smiled.

He couldn't breathe for a moment. The pure happiness on her face transformed her into something almost ethereal. Too beautiful to be real, yet also so earthbound that she had to be something here on this world.

He kissed her then. Caught her lips with his, and Aang learned that she was so very real.