A/N: I don't know how these ideas come to me. I sit down without any sort of plan of action, and words just come. My muse must really like me.

Notes: Canon Universe.

Disclaimer: NOOOOO~!

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Day 3

Jewel

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"It looks nice on you."

She sighed. She didn't blame him. There really wasn't much he could say at the moment. She was impressed that he had even managed that short sentence alone.

Still, she nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I guess so. If you like things like this…"

A pause. "Well, don't you?"

Toph frowned. She brushed her fingers over the incriminating pendant that hung from a silver chain around her neck. Anyone else would have been flattered. They would have gushed over the present, showed it off to everyone they knew, and would have smiled at their reflection in the mirror as they donned the gorgeous trinket. Admittedly, she tried to be happy about it. She even went so far as to thank the person that gave it to her and kiss them on the cheek for the sake of courtesy and appearances.

But something about it felt very wrong.

The girl chose not to answer her friend's question. She knew what she wanted to say.

I like things like this that come from you. Only you.

But the complications that would arise from her saying that to him would be irreversible. She knew that it would do more harm than anything else by saying something like that. So Toph stayed quiet, and only managed to stare blankly at the mirror she was sitting in front of.

Aang didn't push the question, so instead asked another one. An easier one. "What is it?"

The Earthbender let go of the stone and sighed. "I think he said it's a jadeite stone," she replied to him. "They're very rare and cost a fortune. He must have paid a lot of money for it."

Aang didn't move from his seat across the room, but he did shift uncomfortably for a moment before he spoke again. "Well, I guess that's a good thing. It shows he cares about you, right?"

Again, the girl remained silent.

The entire situation made her uncomfortable, and the only thing she was able to do was pick out the flaws that she found, no matter how miniscule. It was too heavy, the stone was too rough, she didn't like the chain, the clasp would break easily…

It was a fruitless attempt at bettering the situation and trying to cheer herself up. But it wasn't good enough to fix anything at the moment. The present was just too good, too expensive, and too impressive. When her parents feasted their eyes upon it, they immediately turned to the man behind the gift and beamed at him. He of course, like the gentleman he was brought up to be, remained humble and told them that nothing was too good for his fiancé.

The words made Toph want to scream.

"I hate it." It wasn't meant to be said out loud, but she had been chanting it over and over in her head so much that it escaped her lips and came out as a low statement filled with distaste.

Toph felt him lift his head and stare at her from across the room. All she did was keep staring sightlessly at the mirror in front of her—a ridiculous addition to her room that she always said was a waste for someone like her. She imagined, though, that she looked like a mix of misery, hatred, and confusion. Misery over the gift and what it meant, hatred towards the person who gave it to her, and confusion over what to do next.

She felt Aang's hand come over her shoulder and relished in the warmth that radiated from his hand. It was a gesture that he knew not to try in front of her parents lest they think that he was trying to steal their daughter away again. But in the privacy of her rooms, it was more than welcomed.

Aang struggled with his next words. "This isn't…you don't have to do this."

"I kind of do," Toph bit back. "I was given an ultimatum. Stay stuck here alone for the rest of my life and never see you or anyone again, or…"

Or this.

"What happened to the girl who ran away from home with a little boy whom she barely knew just to escape and help him?" Aang countered. "The one who did what she felt was right for her, and not for anyone else."

Toph sighed. "I can't just escape them and never come back," she said miserably, hints of tears choking up her voice. "Even when I left with you I had every intention of coming back no matter how much I didn't make it seem that way. I can't just…escape my family anymore," she finished lamely.

Aang frowned and tightened his hold on her shoulder. "So this is how you're going to live from now on? Glaring at your engagement presents and spurning away your fiancé as a lame attempt towards rebellion? Is that really what you're allowing your life to come to?"

More silence. He spoke loudly and firmly. "You can't do this to yourself."

He was right, and it hurt. If family wasn't important and status was a thing of the past, she would run with him. She would go wherever he wanted and they would be together and they would be happy. She could be herself around him and her soul would glow and hum with life. There would be no dull moments or painful decisions to make. There would be no discomfort or pain. It would be easy with him.

So…why couldn't she just go and do it?

Toph felt Aang get down on his knees next to her. He took one of her hands and started pressing small, chaste kisses over her knuckles. She smiled at him, wondering how he could even stand to stare at her after she had been forced to go through with this. She wouldn't have blamed him for never speaking to her again. But here he was: helping her, kissing her hands, and speaking to her like she was his world. It made her want to cry even more.

In between kisses, he muttered a small question. "Do you love me?"

It was answered without a moment's hesitation. "More than you'll ever know."

At that moment, she knew that he was asking her to choose.

With her other hand, she brushed her fingers over the jewel that hung from her neck. It felt foreign, it felt cold against her skin, and it didn't make her feel special. The affection wasn't getting through to her like her fiancé hoped it might. If anything it made her feel worse. The stone should have made her heart swell, but it did nothing. Yet Aang's lips across her skin made her body warm and filled her with a love that she craved—a love that she needed. His touch, his presence, his voice, his smell…everything overwhelmed her and made her feel whole. She couldn't imagine a world without him.

A duty to her parents, or a duty to herself. A life of chains, or a life of liberty. This jewel, or his kisses.

She decided.

She wrapped her fingers around the green pendant, and yanked the chain off of her neck.

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