Toph flipped on her side angry for having another sleepless night. She only had the dream once, why was it in the front of her conscious all throughout the day and night. Couldn't she get any peace in her mind for once!? Five days of constant mind torture was irritating her. Toph growled in frustration and sat up, she took in the dry cool breezes with a deep breath.
'Now think.' Toph crossed her legs and placed her chin on her palm, 'That little girl couldn't have possibly been related to her. And who was the person that told her that she looked like me!?'
Toph glared at nothing in particular as her hands became tight fists, 'This daddy, who was he?' She turned her head in Aang's direction and blushed an uncharacteristic color of red and almost instantly turned her head away. 'Why did I have to notice him?'
She paused, giving time for her face to turn back to its natural shade, 'Anyway I seemed to get close to her pretty quick. But what if it isn't a dream and there is someone trying to kill the little girl?'
Toph scowled at the thought, 'Who wants to kill a freaking three year old girl!? And what with all the fire in my dream?!' She stood up dissatisfied with all the over-thinking and self-asked questions. She needed to release all of this irritation.
Now that she thought about it, Aang had mentioned an earthy mountainous area due northeast of their camp ground. She turned her sightless eyes to Aang's sleeping form; he even noticed a difference in behavior which definitely wasn't a good sign. She hastily put her sleeping bag away and walked away from her traveling companion. It was a very early beginning of a beautiful day, not that her eyes would tell her that.
Aang sighed as he looked hopelessly into the sky. The argument he had with Toph struck a cord. In fact he noticed it effected her; she seemed so distant and seemed angry and he couldn't help but feel the cause of it. He didn't think his feelings for Katara were that noticeable, he blushed at the thought of Katara. Then realized with a sigh of defeat that maybe it was noticeable, he never recognized how obvious he was.
He looked at the ground as he doodled with a stick he found laying on the ground. He smiled at himself as a thought entered his mind : 'The Avatar; master of all elements has stooped down to doodling on the ground with a piece of stick.'
He frowned when Toph entered his mind once again. How can he be a better friend to her? Was there even a way to improve their hopeless friendship, their personalities always seemed to clash. Their elements were complete opposites! Sure they mingled with each other, if not nicely, during their student and teacher period but that was over, he mastered earthbending now. In fact Toph was probably leveling with him when it came to who was the best. However he did realize that after she was done teaching him they weren't really close at all, in fact he could say he was closer to Zuko then he was with her.
'Toph.' He drew a circle in the dirt. 'Toph' It was then that he began to continuously draw circles in the ground. As her name kept repeating, pictures of the forewarning events that took place just five days ago flashed in his head. It continued to stab at his mind telling him that it would happen. That Toph would end up suffering. Up till now he kept his mind occupied with other things and now that he had nothing else to think of, it was showing itself. Laughing in his face, taunting him. How was it that he wouldn't be there for her? What? Did he just abandon her? Even now he just wanted to go up to her and apologize.
He just couldn't let that happen. He won't. His face grimaced noticeably even so that even Momo had backed away when he saw his face. 'How'd she get pregnant anyways? If one of those guys did that to her I swear-'
Momo came back again pouncing around grabbing at Aang's hands. Aang looked angrily at the fury creature, "I'm trying to think." Momo however continued to bounce around, Aang sighed with defeat and stood up, "Fine, take me where you want me to follow." It was then that Aang noticed a difference in the winds and coolness in temperature. He looked up at the sky then instantly turned his head towards the forest. "Toph." His heart now feared for her safety.
Toph cursed loudly as another branch hit her and sent her back into the ground again. These branches continuously continued to retaliate, meanly, as if it was her fault she was blind. She scowled in anger as the thought of how the trees were playing "Lets hit the blind girl game." If she hadn't been taking up her anger with earthbending she would've actually noticed the change in weather before the rain began.
Now the rain was messing with her vibrations, in turn her 'sight'. She couldn't believe how much anger she held, it was as if it had to do more with just her dream, unconscious, maybe. It obviously kept her too preoccupied to notice the rain. Something she would've been able to notice forty minutes before it actually rained.
This however, was not the time to mull over. She knew Aang would not come thinking she could 'see' perfectly fine. Knowing that in fact nobody knew her weakness with the rain. She found it amazing that nobody had found this out, but she supposed it was all the coincidences of having shelter when it rained.
Though it made common sense, with all the rain coming down at the same time, it gets hard to concentrate on which is which. Which was exactly why she now succumbed to walking like a true blind person. Moving her arms as if she were groping around in the dark.
Toph realized that she wouldn't get very far if she continued to moved at such a slow pace. She closed her eyes to concentrated on the biggest vibrations and avoid them knowing that they'd be trees. She walked at a steady pace and began to feel relieved.
It was then that she stumbled upon a large root and scraping her shin in the process. She lifted her face from the mud and screamed, "How can I be this pathetic!?" She steadily rose from the ground and walked forward until she realized she made it outside the woods.
She smiled a smile with no energy, exhausted, her earthbending was beginning to take a toll on her and she felt herself becoming heavier and the rain becoming painfully stronger against her back. She couldn't decide if it was because she was not in the shelter of the trees or because she was tired; either way she didn't feel like thinking about it at the moment.
Right now, she just wanted to make it to the camp in one piece. She worked her mind against her fatigued body and moved forward one step at a time. That was until thunder sounded in the air and a scream could be heard. Toph was crouched down close to the ground; this was something she didn't want anybody to know, it would ruin her total image. Her fear.
The thunder resounded loudly in the air and Toph continued to scream with her ears covered as it always proved to be useless earplugs. Her labored breathing came to a steady pace as she released her hands and opened her tightly squeezed eyes.
She stood up officially mentally tired, she became dull and her body seemed to move without a mind. Her conscious seemed to waver in and out; and it seemed to waver back when she suddenly felt ground below her sink down dragging her down with itself. Her heart leaped in her chest when she realized that she had been walking near the edge of a cliff. She tightly closed her eyes ready to fall to her pathetic blind death, when two lean arms wrapped around her waist pulling her back from her death.
"Toph!" Toph eyes widened in shock she was sure she would've died, and was glad when she landed on solid ground again. She knew it was him who saved her but how was it possible, she barely believed in coincidences like this; unless he was watching her. She turned around when his arms loosened to yell at him but it thundered loudly leaving her screaming and wrapping her small arms tightly around his body.
Aang looked down at Toph startled, "Toph?" His face showed concerned for Toph's well being. It was then that thunder rang loudly in the sky and Toph's once loosened arms again tightened its grip as she screamed loudly in Aang's chest. Aang's eyes widen when he realized that she was afraid of thunder. His arms quickly wrapped around her small frame and he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "You're safe now."
Toph's tensed body relaxed and her cold, weak body hungrily absorbed his body heat. It was then that she fell to her body's desire and fell limply in his arms. Aang's heart leaped and he lifted her up into his arms; breathing a sigh of relief when he felt a small heartbeat.
Aang followed his instincts and found shelter in a tree's large hollow tree trunk, created a small fire and sat with Toph patiently waiting for the storm to pass. All the while wondering why Toph had stood away from the campground for so long. Internally scolding her for not coming to the campground when she knows she can't 'see' with the rain; for the situation she got herself in.
The rain continued to poor feverishly between the leaves and branches trying to soak every possible dry spot on the ground. Time passed by slowly and Aang silently thank his brilliant mind for having created shelter for Appa and Momo before he left on his search mission. He let uneasy eyes fall on Toph's form, she was still unconscious. He knew he wasn't smartest person in the world but her knew this couldn't be a good sign.
He briefly cursed the rain for the troubles it caused but sighed in defeat when he got an roaring thunder in response. All he could do was wait it out.
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