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Toph's POV

I gasped. He couldn't really be serious…could he? I mean, he said he'd been trying all week long but to no avail. What happened?

Behind me I heard Ana stir and I shut my mouth. I motioned Twinkle Toes out the window and followed behind. Quietly, I closed the window and prayed that no one would hear us as we walked into the night.

"Okay," I said as we slowed down to a walk about thirty minutes after we had actually left Birdie's place, "explain."

"There are still people around. I need to talk to you in private. No one can hear what we're talking about, remember?"

I stomped my foot down and focused my entire mind and body on finding a private place for us. Faintly, I could sense the outline of a canyon but I couldn't be sure that's what it was.

"Follow me." I grabbed his hand and began running towards the desert.

"Woah…" Twinkle Toes trailed off as he looked at the canyon I dragged him to.

"What's the big deal? It's just a canyon." Even though I acted nonchalantly about the canyon, the truth was that I thought it looked amazing. Of course I wasn't really looking at it the way Twinkles was, but I could feel how huge and wonderful it really was. I could feel that there were actually a couple of villages near the bottom, all abandoned. There was also a waterfall from what I could tell and I could hear the way it flowed and it sounded beautiful. "Let's go down. I've been itching to earthbend for a long time."

I got in my horsestance and was about to lower myself into the canyon when Twinkles' voice stopped me.

"Do you really think you should be doing that? I mean, you're arm–"

"Screw my arm–do you know how long I've been wanting to earthbend. I can do it and there's nothing you can do to stop me. So, deal with it," I spat in his face.

Before he could protest or say anything I earthbended myself down into the canyon. I kept my mouth shut and closed my eyes so tightly that it hurt, but not as bad as my arm. My arm hurt so badly but I couldn't let Twinkles know that. I made it about a quarter of the way down before the pain was too intense for me to handle. I could hear Twinkle Toes beside me.

"Told you so," he said haughtily as he sat down on the shelf that I created to pull myself down.

I took a minute to answer as I tried to control my voice from shaking.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

He laughed and it made me jump. I hadn't heard him laugh like that in a long time and it was weird how much I'd missed it. I shook the thought off.

"Oh please," he laughed at me and I wanted to hit him but my arm was hurting too much. It was like a pulsing pain that wouldn't go away. "I told you that it'd hurt and there you go doing it anyway."

"I don't know what you're talking about," I repeated in my non-caring voice.

He laughed again and I felt a tug on my heart but I ignored it. "Look, I know it hurts. Stop lying. All the energy that you've put into earthbending yourself down here was partly in your arms and one of your arms is broken; it makes sense why you stopped a quarter of the way down."

I sighed dramatically. "You're so full of it. I was just resting, I mean, I haven't earthbended in a long time. Take me down."

Twinkle Toes, never being one to refuse a command especially from me, brought us both down and I silently thanked him. I sat down, meditation style, while holding my pulsing arm. I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that we were actually alone. And the fact that it was with Twinkle Toes…I think Aang likes you too…don't you ever feel the tension between you two? Heidi had asked me earlier. No, Aang wasn't like that. We were just friends. Maybe Heidi's been hitting the cactus juice a little too much. Yeah, that had to be it.

But wait, I said that I'd talk to him about Katara. I told Heidi that I would, but how was I going to do that? Maybe I could just work up to it. Absentmindedly I wondered why he hasn't said anything about my hair.

I shook my head to get rid of those thoughts that would only lead to nothing. "So, explain."

I could feel his heartbeat spike as he got excited over his new revelation.

"Get this–I was in Todd's room, just lying around thinking, how can I get Toph and me out of this world. And it suddenly hit me: I've been trying to get to the Spirit World on my own, but we came into this world together."

He was so redundant sometimes. He was just like Ana in that way. No wonder Ana likes him, I thought bitterly. Why my thought was so bitter I couldn't explain so I just shrugged it off like I usually do.

"Get to the point."

"We have to go into the Spirit World together, not just me. We came into this world together and we have to figure out a way out together."

"Whoopdedoo, now can we hurry this up?"

I heard him gasp.

Aang's POV

Was she asking me to take her into the Spirit World? I'm being a hypocrite: this was my plan in the first place. I didn't know if I could do that. What if something happened and I couldn't protect her?

"Umm, I don't know if I can take you there…"

"What do you mean?" She stood up to face me. "I thought you said that we'd need to figure a way back together?"

I gasped dramatically. "You actually listened to me?!" She turned around to hit me with the hand that wasn't hurt. "Ow!"

"Don't be a smart ass; it doesn't suit you."

"Okay, okay. But, I just don't think that I could do that to you. Take you with me, I mean," I said, the air around us growing serious.

"So what?" She said as she stood up and walked off. I looked at her in the dark as she walked off for a while until I followed after her.

"What do you mean 'so what'?"

She didn't answer and just continued walking. I didn't say anything either and we just walked in silence, me behind her, for a while before she spoke up.

"So…what do you think about Bird – I mean, Ana?"

Why was she asking me that? Why does she want to know? Wait…what did I think about Ana?

"Um…she's a nice person, I guess," I scratched my head. This new head of hair was sort of growing on me, but it was like an extra weight on my head.

"No," she persisted. "Like, tell me what you really think about her. Do you like her; is she a good person; does she look pretty?" she asked the last quietly.

What? This was so weird, but she'd probably hurt me if I didn't answer her.

"She's a good friend and very loud. She is a pretty person–actually, everyone we've hung out with is very pretty."

"I didn't know you were like that, Twinkle Toes," she laughed. I took a moment to figure out why she was laughing and I finally got it.

I rushed to explain, "That's not it. I didn't mean it like that! I only meant the girls–not the guys! I don't think the guys are pretty! I mean, they're good looking but it's not like I like them like that!" All through my rash explanation her laugh got louder and I couldn't help but think that it sounded so carefree and wonderful. Every time I was around Toph there would be others around us and I could never talk to her like we used to when it was just the two of us. I was always careful about what I had to say to her, so then our secret wouldn't be spilled.

"I don't want to know anything about what you think about the guys we hang out with, Twinkle Toes." She laughed out loud. It was such a beautiful sound.

I sighed. "It's not like that, I told you!"

She laughed again and I figured out that no matter how much I told her it wasn't true she'd just laugh at me again. She was enjoying this.

I changed subjects. "Well, what do you think of Todd?" I asked accusingly.

I saw her freeze. "Todd? Why do you want to know what I think of Todd?" She couldn't quite keep her regular cool tone under control. It seemed like she was nervous for some reason. Did she like him?

For the past week I'd been noticing a change in Todd's behavior, but it only happened whenever he was around Toph. One day, I slyly asked him if he liked Toph, and he said yes. Then, that day in the park with Skeeter, he told us both that he thought Toph was hot. I don't know why but at the time, and now, it still made me a bit angry.

"Well," she started. "I guess he's…nice too," she sounded embarrassed and in the dark night I couldn't see the colors of her face. "But he's so stubborn!" she suddenly yelled. "And he's so sarcastic that it's so annoying!"

I started laughing hysterically at all the memories that assaulted me and I could tell Toph was getting annoyed but I couldn't stop. My ribs were hurting so badly but I just couldn't stop. I even fell to the ground as I laughed uncontrollably. And every punch that Toph threw at me only made me laugh harder and more violently.

"Why are you laughing?!" she yelled at me and threw another punch.

"This is just–like the–old days," I tried to get out while laughing hysterically. I could feel her mood lift up and she started to laugh too. After a good two minutes of laughing we finally calmed down.

"I've been missing this," I told her.

"Yeah. It's been a while since we've laughed like this. Just the two of us." I took a moment to ponder something. "I've missed being alone with you, no secrets, no nothing."

She laughed again and it sounded so carefree that all I did was stare at her, trying to get used to the dark. "Yeah, no secrets is a lot better don't you think? That way we don't have to worry whether or not someone is overhearing us."

"Maybe we should make this our secret meeting place."

"Yeah, if we ever want to talk, we can just come here. Deal?" She held out her fist and I punched it as sign to seal the deal.

"Deal," I agreed. A secret meeting place would be perfect, and the fact that only Toph and I are able to get down into the mountain without taking the stairs that I saw on the other side just makes it better. We can just earthbend ourselves down here without having anyone follow us. This was perfect.

"Okay," she said in a very business like tone of voice. "Now, let's get a move on to the Spirit World!"

I hesitated. "Are you sure that's what you want to do?" I had to get her approval before I dragged her into this. I mean, going to the Spirit World is easy for me because I'm the bridge between this world and the next, but to bring Toph…would it hurt her? Would she be able to find her way back?

Wait, of course she would. She'd make it back. Iroh once went into the Spirit World and he made it back. Toph could do the same, I just knew it. All she needed was something to tie her back to this world. That's all.

"Yes, I'm sure. Now let's go!" she said in a determined tone.

I sighed. "Fine. But we have to find a spot where no one can find us. Who knows how long we'll be in there, or if we'll even get in," I said bitterly. This whole "the Spirit World not letting me in" thing was really getting me mad but it was also scaring me. I mean, I'm the bridge between the two worlds, so the fact that one world wasn't letting me in, was sort of…unnerving.

"Follow me," Toph said once again and I followed her as best I could in the dark night.

Even though we were in the desert, it was so cold during the night. Thank the Spirits for making me a firebender; I could regulate the temperature inside my body, making me warmer. But what about Toph?

"Toph?"

"Yeah, Twinkle Toes?" She stomped her foot down and a pillar of earth sent her over a small mountain of rock.

I followed suit. "Are you cold?"

"A little bit, but then again, I am in short shorts and a thin long-sleeved shirt, compliments of Ana. I probably should have changed before I came but whatever. Can't you just firebend or something?"

I shook my head. "Not now in the dark. If a sudden burst of flame just showed up in the dark don't you think it'd look suspicious? Plus, any sort of light could be spotted out here for probably miles away and we can't have anyone knowing where we are."

"Then make a cave. No one can see anything if it's in a cave."

"Okay, but you're not going to do anything. Let me make the cave, okay?" I insisted. I didn't want her hurting again.

Getting into my horse stance I hurried to make an underground cave so Toph could be warm.

"So, how do we do this thing?" Toph asked as she lowered herself down into the shallow cave.

"First, get in a meditative position." She groaned at that.

"That sissy position? What's wrong with lying back against the wall?"

"Just do it, Toph. It won't kill you."

"Says you. When I wind up dead, I'll totally come back to haunt you."

"It's just a sitting position. Don't be so dramatic."

She laughed. "Says the King–or should I say Queen–of Drama."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing." She paused thinking something over. How was I the Queen–I mean, King–of Drama? "So…what do you think of Heidi? She seems like a nice person. Don't you think?"

I looked at Toph in the dim glow of the light in my hand. "Yeah, she's a really nice person. So strong willed. And really pretty. Her hair looks almost like…" I felt that similar pain in my chest and I tried to ignore it. "She's…a fierce individual, I know that much."

"Yeah, she is. She sort of reminds me of Sparky. She really likes to fight but at the same time she can be just like Katara…except for the fact that Heidi actually knows how to tell a joke." She laughed and I remembered that time when Sokka was learning the ways of the sword and Toph, Katara and I were trying to find a way to pass the time.

"Yeah, she wasn't one for comedy."

"Yep…okay, so I'm in the sissy position, now what?"

I extinguished the flame. "Hold my hands and think of something that will bring you back to this world, because I doubt that we'll be going back to ours," I said ruefully.

"Like what?" she asked.

"Well, what ties you to this world more than anything?"

"The earth, duh. Act like you know, Twinkles," she scoffed.

Should have known. "Okay then, think about how much you love the earth. Think of nothing but how much the earth has done for you."

"I can do that."

"Oh." I had just remembered something. "Toph, I have to tell you. When you're in the Spirit World, you can't bend. There's no bend-"

"What!?" she shrieked. "Why didn't you tell me this before!? How am I supposed to see there then? Huh?" she was huffing with this sudden realization.

"Toph, I'll be right there with you. I won't leave you. I promise."

She didn't say anything but I could tell that she was trying to come to terms with my words. I gave her a minute to meditate on her thoughts.

"Okay," she nodded solemnly. "I'm ready."

"I can't do this," Toph said exasperated.

I groaned in frustration. After ten minutes we still couldn't get into the Spirit World because Toph couldn't focus. She was too tired.

"Toph, please. We have to do this now. I can't wait; I have to know." I searched around my head for ideas and I got one. I separated my hands from Toph's and picked up a heavy rock that was near my foot and handed it to her. "Hold this on your knees and focus on the weight of the rock. Nothing but the weight. Focus on all the metals and particles that exist within the rock. Think of all the atoms that are within the rocks, focus on every single bit of that rock. Inch, centimeter. Everything."

With the little light coming from the fire I had created I could see Toph focusing every single inch of her body, mind and soul, on that rock.

It's time.

This trip to the Spirit World was different than all the others I've taken. It was almost like my first trip. Something was pulling us both in and of course, I didn't object. My only fear was wondering what would happen to Toph when we were in.

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated sooner. I've been so freaking busy, you have no idea. But I finally finished. Don't worry I'll try to hurry up and come up with the second part of this, but no guarantees that it'll be soon. I'm going to try and work on updating my other story, so look out for that chapter.

R&R please. After being deprived of Fanfiction for like, 2 weeks, I miss the reviewings.

Love: Lola of the Peaches

=]