Sorry for the slow update, I would've updated sooner but I had this cyclone come & deal with that for a few days. Then I had to organise stuff for the new semester at uni ugh. Anyway, here I am with chapter 5, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing; Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto & Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to Michael Dante DiMartino & Bryan Konietzko.
Chapter 5 – Toph
Yawning, Toph didn't pay much attention as Temari was introducing them to Gaara, her older brother and the Kazekage of their village. All Toph wanted was to get straight to work on her Sandbending.
"I hope you two had a pleasant journey over here." Gaara said to Toph and Aang.
"Oh yeah it was great, thanks! Temari was very helpful!" Aang said, "She took us to the nice places to stay and the great places to eat!"
"I'm glad you're satisfied." Gaara said.
Passing a letter to Gaara, Temari said, "Here's a reply from Lady Tsunade."
Taking the letter without a word, Gaara put it in one of his drawers then looked back at Aang and Toph, "So tell me what exactly you two want to learn throughout your stay. You're welcome to stay as long as you need of course."
"Well I want to become more proficient in my Sandbending; I've mastered everything else except for Sandbending. I can't be the best Earthbender in the world if I can't Sandbend." Toph noted.
"Don't worry Toph, I'll teach you the best I can."
"You'd better! I've heard a lot of things about you Gaara so you'd better be as tough as everyone says you are!" Toph shot back.
That comment earned a giggle from Temari and a 'Watch what you say' from Aang, and even though she couldn't see (or care for that matter), it earned a small smile from Gaara.
"What about you Aang?" he asked.
"Well I'm happy with whatever Temari will teach me!"
"Also, I'd like to learn some things from you if that's alright?" Temari asked, "From what I've seen back at Konoha you're very strong, I think you may be more of the teacher." She laughed.
"So will we start on anything today?" Toph asked, impatient to get things going.
"You're quite the eager one aren't you? Well I'd rather you and Aang rest from your three day journey first." Gaara answered.
Doing her trademark, Toph blew her bangs off her face in annoyance, was it so hard to start training right this very instant?
"Don't worry Toph you'll soon be working on some new techniques!" Aang said, "Gaara said we're welcome to stay as long as we need, so relax!"
Toph repeated her trademark which she did a few seconds ago and didn't say anything.
"So tell me about where you come from and your bending power." Gaara said, curious to know more.
Aang explained to him all about bending, their home and what the Avatar was and that he was the Avatar.
"Interesting" Gaara said when Aang finished, "I'd like to have the chance to visit your home one day."
Getting excited, Aang jumped up and down and said, "Of course! I'll take you everywhere on Appa! The Fire Nation, the Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom-
"NOT Ba Sing Se!" Toph cut in, "That city is so boring and dull, take him anywhere but there!"
"What about your home town?" Aang asked.
Shrugging, she answered, "Fine by me, hey! You can come to this local tournament I usually enter and watch me defend my champion title!" she added in some kicks and punches in the air for effect.
Laughing at her, Aang continued, "Yeah I think I'll take you to the Southern Air Temple, since that's where I'm from and all. It was a great place before the war, but that's all behind us now." He finished, a little sombrely.
"I'd like that very much." Gaara said, "And don't forget to bring Naruto, you know what he'd be like if he wasn't invited."
"Oh I won't forget Naruto; after all, he planned this all for us!"
"Correction! Sakura planned it all." Toph cut in, making everyone laugh.
Standing up, Gaara said, "I hope you two don't mind. But I must be excusing myself, there's a meeting I must attend starting in five minutes."
Saying goodbye & leaving Gaara to go to the meeting, Temari took them back to the place they were staying at, "I'll come by later with Kankuro and Gaara if he's got time, we'll take you to this really great place we love to eat at!" She said before leaving.
"Sunagakure is so different to Konoha!" Aang said once the two of them were inside, "I wonder what the other countries around here are like."
"I wouldn't mind going to that rock place that Sakura mentioned the other day." Toph said, to her that place seemed like an Earthbender's heaven!
"Are Konoha or Suna allies with the other ninja countries? I can't remember what Sakura said." Aang asked.
"Neither can I!" Toph admitted and the two of them broke into laughter, "I wonder how the others are going?" she asked once they quietened down.
"Well no news is good news I guess." Aang said, "Though I'm sure they're fine, probably learning heaps from Kakashi and the others though!"
"Yeah you're probably right." she agreed as she slumped onto the couch.
Aang sat down near her and they talked about what they were hoping to learn from spending time here. That evening Temari arrived with Kankuro and they went to Temari's favourite eatery. Just as they sat down at a table Gaara joined them.
"I hope I'm not too late." He said as he sat down next to Kankuro and opposite Toph, "Meeting ran late."
"No need to worry bro, we've just sat down!" Kankuro said.
As the waitress passed them each a menu, Toph left hers untouched in front of her. She was just going to order whatever Aang was going to order-they both liked similar foods so it didn't really bother her. When the waitress came back, Toph waited till Aang ordered what he wanted and she stated that she'll have the same.
Gaara
He watched the Earthbender with great interest; it was her eyes that stood out the most to him. She had the Hyuga eyes, but she couldn't possibly be a Hyuga! Though it wasn't impossible either, maybe she was a distant relation as Toph didn't have any ninjutsu skills at all; it was all bending for her. He was curious as to why when she was looking at people she wasn't really seeing, very intriguing. Even just now, when she didn't even touch her menu, maybe she just liked whatever Aang liked to eat, or she was a very careful person. Toph also reminded him of his sister, she and Temari were like two peas in a pod. Though Gaara liked that about Toph, she wasn't afraid to speak her mind. It was a nice break from all the compliments he received on a daily basis and people being overbearingly nice to him all of the time.
Temari and Aang were talking about things they wanted to do in their lessons, Kankuro joining in here and there. Turning to Toph he asked, "Are you enjoying your time in Sunagakure so far?"
"It's very different, but yeah I've been fine." She answered, without looking up at him to talk.
He was about to say something else when their food arrived, just as Toph was about to eat she said, "There's a table of three girls behind me, their heartbeats have been moving incessantly fast since you've arrived Gaara. I think they like you."
Gaara didn't know how to react to that, sure he knew how a lot of the female population felt about him, but how on earth did Toph decipher that? Temari, Aang and Kankuro were snickering, Toph was back to eating her food as if she couldn't care less (which, by judging what Gaara knew of her already, she didn't).
"So dear brother, any of them take your fancy?" Temari was smirking.
Gaara didn't even look up or reply, instead, he copied Toph and concentrated on his food. Temari, Kankuro and Aang went back to their snickering. When they finished their meal and everyone was ready to leave, the Sand Siblings walked the two benders back to their place. Gaara and Toph, like at dinner were being the quiet ones, when all of a sudden, Toph turned around and yelled out, "I know you're following us, so show yourselves already!"
Gaara and Kankuro looked at Toph in surprise and turned to see the girls who she pointed out at dinner emerge from around a building, giggling.
"How did you know?" one of the girls asked.
"Your hearts are beating so fast and loud it's all I can practically hear!" Toph snapped.
Toph was really full of surprises; Gaara didn't know what to make of it!
"Well what do you want?" Temari asked, not quite politely either.
The same girl who talked earlier, looked back at her friends, ran up to Gaara, gave him a letter and ran back to her giggling friends before they all ran away. Everyone gave Gaara a sly look.
"So what's in there little bro?" Kankuro asked.
Sighing, Gaara opened the letter and read it out aloud, "Dear Gaara, we love you so much. You're the greatest Kazekage ever, love you long time" he sighed again and used his sand to throw the letter in the closest bin.
Everyone broke out laughing, "Alright guys enough!" he said, hoping to calm them all down, he wasn't going to live this down for quite some time that's for sure.
"That's just what Zuko has to go through back in the Fire Nation." Aang said, "Funny you two are quite similar, you're both leaders, you both have that seriousness about yourselves and you're both single. You are single right?" Aang asked, unsure.
"Yes I'm single." Gaara answered.
"He's too busy protecting the village and playing hero, making all the girls go ooooohhhhh!" Temari said in a very girlish voice being sarcastic.
"Alright, alright enough!" Gaara said, "You've had your fun!"
That didn't make any of them stop, in fact it made them laugh harder. Gaara just let them get it out of their system, no use arguing. Once they'd finally calmed down, Gaara asked, "So Toph, have you got Hyuga blood in you? Because you have their eyes and you noticed those girls behind the building."
All of a sudden, Toph cried out in rage and a bunch of mounds of earth started levitating around her, Gaara knew this was 'bending'.
"I AM NOT A HYUGA!" she cried out, "I AM BLIND! THE ONLY REASON I SAW THOSE GIRLS IS BECAUSE I SEE THROUGH THE EARTH! I AM SICK OF EVERYONE ASKING ME IF I'M A BLOODY HYUGA!" she dropped her arms and the mounds of earth dropped to her feet and she stomped off.
Aang, quickly apologising ran after Toph.
"Oh god I can't believe I forgot, Gaara I'm so sorry!" Temari said.
Turning to his sister, he eyed her curiously, "What do you mean?" he asked.
"Sakura warned me just before I met them. Apparently everyone kept asking Toph if she was a Hyuga, her blindness is a sore spot for her. So finding out that she has the same eyes as a clan, yet the clan can see through walls…well you can guess how she would feel. I was meant to warn you but I didn't think about it! I guess I've just grown used to it, ugh I'm so sorry!"
"It's fine Temari." Gaara said, "Now that I think of it it's pretty obvious she's blind, I feel idiotic for not noticing it sooner."
"But surely she'd understand why we'd think she's a Hyuga? Kankuro asked, "Kids…" he muttered.
Looking down to where Toph and Aang ran off, Gaara said, "I should go apologize at least, after all, it was my ignorance that caused all of this."
He bade farewell to his siblings and made his way after Toph and Aang. He went to their place to find the lights on, sighing in relief he knocked on the door.
"Oh hey Gaara!" Aang answered, "Were you worried about Toph?" he asked as he let him in, "Don't worry about it because she's over it now."
Giving Aang a look of surprise he said, "But she seemed so upset earlier, so I came to apologize."
"There's no need to worry, teacher." He heard Toph say.
Looking up Gaara saw Toph standing at the hallway, "Apology accepted, I look forward to our first lesson!" she said before turning back and walking down the hallway.
Gaara didn't like that tone, he especially didn't like it how she said she was waiting for their first lesson. He knew this wasn't over yet and that Toph was going to get her revenge.
"How hard do giant mounds of earth feel like?" he asked Aang.
Can you please tell me how I went with Gaara's character? I've never written him before so feedback will be greatly appreciated! Will update soon!