The sun was had only just set when Toph woke up from her rest. Momo had hit her nose with his tail casing her to wake up. For a few minutes she tried to get back to sleep, but found that sleep was not forth coming. She reached out to pull Momo closer, worried her moving would knock him onto the floor.

"Finally awake I see." It was his strong voice that pulled her fully back into the world. He hadn't managed to sleep for very long. He got a hours rest when Aang and Zuko left, but that was all. He noticed Toph moving in the dark room, he thought she was still sleeping till he saw her hand catch Momo before he fell off the chair.

"What time is it." It was hard to make out what she was saying through her yawning, but Iroh could guess.

"The sun just set not long ago." Toph moved to sit up in the chair, finally realising the blanket Aang had wrapped around her. She kept in pulled around her legs, as she she pulled them into her chest. Momo now found himself perched onto of the small earthbenders knees. One of her white hands, started to pet him on the back of his head, sending him back to sleep.

Iroh now finally able to move without fear of waking Toph, pulled himself up to sit in the bed. "I have something for you. It's in the box under the bed." Toph had noticed the box the second she entered the room, with the pain medicine. Gently she lowered Momo onto the set of the chair next to her. Then she knelt down on the ground, letting the blanket fall around her, and Pulled out the box. It seemed light. Toph knew what was in it, but she didn't what to let Iroh know that. She opened the box to reveal two gauntlets. They where brown leather, with the earth kingdom symbol engraved on them. Toph gently traced her fingers over them, taking in all the detail.

"They're beautiful." it was the first time in her life she had ever said that, and she truly meant it.

"They belonged to your grandfather. He would be proud for you to wear them." Toph fixed them around her wrists. Her hand lingered over her right wrist, missing something that she used to wear there. Slowly she pulled herself back up onto the chair.

Iroh had not known Toph's grandfather very well, but Bumi had. The gauntlets had been in Bumi's possession since his death, when Toph had been three years old. King Bumi had forgotten all about them, till he started to look for a wedding present for Toph. When he thought more about it he realised that they should be given to her by Iroh, someone she knew better. He went to give them to her after Urse had spoken to her, but when he knocked on her door there was no answer. She had left, to go and talk to Zuko then had run from the palace like her life depended on it. That was till and old friend appeared to her. Since then they hadn't spoken, this was the first chance he had, had to give her this present.

Toph felt like she was falling back, as she moved to sit back in the chair. The words, her words once spoken seemed to have nothing to do with her. "I'm sorry." as she spoke she lifted Momo onto her lap.

"What do you have to be sorry for." Iroh was a little confused, he didn't know what she could be apologizing for. He did however have an idea what it could be, but failed to see why she should be apologizing to him for that.

"You took me into your family. After mine…and then I just."

"Stop right there. You have nothing to be sorry for. You did the right thing" his big, wrinkled hand reached out to cover hers. She slowly moved her head up, to face him. "Do you know what a soul mate is." by the silence he realised she didn't. A faint smile crossed his face as he removed his hand from hers, and leaned back in the bed again. "It is two people who are connected, no matter what happens to them. They will always be connected. That is you and Zuko."

"And Aang and katara." the words again seemed to leave her mouth before she could think.

"That's right." His head was now tilted up facing the ceiling. He had wanted to bring this up with her at some point, he was glad that it was giving her something else to think about, other then the guilt she felt. "Soul mates don't work well in romantic relationships."

"So... our marriage would have been..."

"Unpleasant."

"I would have gone with something much cruder, but we can go with that." for the fist time since she walked away from the wedding, she didn't feel as guilty about it, and a smile appeared on her face. Her face was only visible in the faint light coming from the moon, but Iroh was sure he saw the smile. "So do you have a soul mate" She leaned back in her chair, to get more comfortable. Momo too moved, curling more into the tunic Toph wore over her dress.

"I do." There was a far of look in his eyes, that if Toph could see she would have noticed. Even in the faint light.

For a blind girl, Toph was very good at sending out the right kind of stares, The death stare was a very frightening one to see. The keep talking stare, was the one she chose to send out into the dark room now. "Keep talking old man."

"Urse."

Toph was shocked. "Your brothers wife. I mean I always thought there was more to you, but this wow." A silence feel on the room. Toph again ran her right hand over the gauntlet on her left wrist. There was something that she had wanted to say, but was having trouble finding the words. "I know...what you are trying to do, and I'm sorry but I can't. I just can't."

"What are you talking about child." Iroh didn't like calling any one child, but this time it seemed to be the best thing to call her, because that is what she looked like to him now, a child.

Toph finally lifted her head to face him. Her eyes shone like stars in the dark, but there was nothing behind them. "When you joined our hands together like that, you were demonstrating something. You want to leave the balance of the world, that before he came back you have been trying to keep, to him alone. The fire nation you are trusting to Zuko. And me...the white lotus society. You are trying to make sure that the work you have done is continued, on by the next generation." this was in fact the true meaning if Iroh's gesture he just didn't think they would see that now. Aang and Zuko, would assume he was referring again to the promise he asked of them, to protect Toph by having her hand be placed between theirs.

"You are a very smart young lady. To have got all of that from..."

"It wasn't just that. After what happened with Azula, I told Urse that I wanted to join the order. She said, it wasn't the right time. It wasn't the right time because when I join you both want me to do it as the grand master, and I was too young then...but I'm still to young for that now..."

"It had nothing to do with age. I want you to take over from me, yes that's true. When you take over it will be the start of a new era for the order. I have..."

"NO! I can't do it. I'm sorry, but I cant. To do that job you have to be calm and controlled, caring and a great leader. I am none of those things. I'm bossy, selfish and I never think before I act or speak. I would be a terrible leader."

Iroh wanted to reach out to comfort Toph, but she had leaned back further into the back of the chair, out of his reach. "You are very skilled at a number of things. One of which is truly seeing people, however you cant see yourself at all. You don't see how special you are. I know that you can do it. You will make a great leader, you just have to trust yourself. That it your really problem, you think its trusting other people, but in truth you don't trust yourself."

Toph had no idea how to respond to all of that. She was used to Iroh's advice being given in such an odd way that it took a while to figure out what he was saying, this was so different. He said what he wanted too to help her, in a way that got right to the point. It was so unlike him, that his words kept repeating themselves in her head.

"It doesn't matter what you say, it doesn't change anything. I'm not ready, not let." again the room feel into silence. Toph felt a footsteps making their way down the corridor, and towards the room they were in. Clenching her hands, and shutting her eyes she spoke before the person entered the room. "One day, when I'm ready. I promise, but not now."

Toph was just able to finish before the door burst opened. "What's going on." Zuko had been trying to sleep in his room a few doors down, when he heard Toph yelling. He had started to panic, a million thoughts raced through his head.

"Nothing sparky." her even tone was forced, but he didn't see through it. Iroh however saw her rubbing at her eyes. He guessed she had shed a tear or two.

Iroh was getting tired, Toph could tell. He finally started to drift off to sleep. Zuko quietly moved to sit in the chair he sat in earlier. He looked over at Toph for conformation, of what he already knew deep down. Her eyes met his, they offered all the sympathy she had. Iroh was just able to catch this, it made him happy. He had worried that their friendship had been broken by the events of half a year ago, and was glad to see he had worried over nothing. He had also seen Aang place the blanket over Toph, and like Zuko was pleased. He was sure that his idea about Toph was correct, only now he saw that it was all going to get much more interesting if it came out. He wished he could see it himself, but made peace with the fact that he wouldn't. Iroh then fell asleep, with two of the most important people in his life by his side.

Hey, thanks for reading. I feel that I should bring up something. What Iroh thinks about Toph, what makes her special will be revealed much later on in the story, in another part. If you have read the story before, then you will already know all about that.

I would also like to say that, that the reviews this part of the story has are from the first time I posted it. So far no one has reviewed this part since it had been rewritten. So please review and let me know what you think. Thank you

also the next chapter will be the 50th chapter of the whole story.