Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar and the Last Airbender.

Summary: Azula, using her alias as the Red Spirit, offers to help the Aang Gang. After days of journeying and constant training, Aang manages to remove Azula's mask through a battle. Toph/Azula pairing! Warning: They might be a bit OoC. (This summary is on what happened before the actual scene written below.)

"Are you here to question my motives as well?"

Toph stepped out of her hiding place and walked towards the figure whose back was turned. "No, I'm not."

The figure turned to look at Toph. "Perhaps to question my loyalty?" Azula asked, her voice as cold as the glare she gave Toph.

Sensing the other's anger, Toph laughed. "You do know that that doesn't work with me?" Toph said, waving a hand in front of her face. Azula sighed as she sat on a rock.

"Then what, pray tell, are you doing here?"

"I came here to tell you that I knew your identity all along." Toph said calmly. "I knew from the start."

It was Azula's turn to laugh, "As if." Standing up, she moved to grab the younger girl's chin and forced Toph to look up.

"No matter how scary your face is, it doesn't really work," Toph said bluntly.

Azula ignored the girl's words and said, "If you had known, then why didn't you tell your friends?"

Toph pulled her chin away and took a step back. "It's complicated."

"I have the time to listen to your…explanation," Azula said, looking up at the moon. For a brief moment, she felt angry at how powerless she was during the night. She wanted complete control over her power and hated the moon for taking most of it away. "Besides, I doubt I can sleep tonight."

Silence. Turning around, Azula crossed her arms impatiently, "Well?"

"I can…hear a lot more than others," Toph said slowly, choosing her words carefully. "I can hear when a person is approaching or whether or not a person is lying. I can also recognize a person through his or her unique sound made up of vibrations on the earth produced through his or her movements."

"That doesn't explain why you haven't tried to hurt me yet."

Toph smirked. "I'm not finished, Coldilocks." Taking a deep breath, she continued. "When I concentrate hard enough, I can also find out the person's intent through the earth's consciousness. The way it recognizes a person gives me an idea whether the person is good or not. You don't carry the slightest bit of malicious intent."

"So the blind do have their uses," Azula mused.

"Not all." Toph said, anger evident in her voice.

She turned to go but stopped when Azula rested a hand on her shoulder. "Have you ever wondered that perhaps the reason why you didn't sense any malicious intent is because, in a way, my intentions are good? But only because I'm doing what I believe is right? After all, belief is a powerful tool; powerful enough to mask one's true motives."

"By saying that, are you admitting the fact that you do have an ulterior motive for helping us?"

"Of course I do!" She snapped. "But it isn't so I can just kill the Avatar in his sleep."

"You are losing your cool, Azula," Toph remarked. "What do you want? Why try to justify yourself?"

Azula sighed and pulled her hand away. "I want the throne for myself." She said. "Because no matter who wins, I won't get it anyway. After all, the Fire Lord wants a male heir. Never mind the fact that he's got a powerful daughter. Never mind the fact that that same daughter brought down Ba Sing Se. Never mind the fact that I have succeeded in everything I do while my idiot brother has not."

"Oh."

"That's what I want, Toph. And of course," Azula smirked, "for the Fire Nation to remain an empire after this war is over."

"An empire? You mean you want—"

"I want all those little Earth villages to remain under the Fire Nation rule. Why? Because it was rightfully ours. We earned it through fighting, through war. We suffered as many casualties. Father's plan to conquer the rest of the world using Sozin's comet…well, that's his plan. And I can't justify that."

"I guess." Toph yawned. "Well, I better go, Coldilocks. We have a lot of ground to cover tomorrow."

Azula watched the young earthbender walk away and shook her head. She sat on her rock and began to watch the moon once more. Hidden behind a large prickly bush, Sokka said, "Coldilocks? Is it just me or is Toph getting worse with her name callings?

Katara jabbed Sokka's rib with her elbow. "Oh do shut up."

Sokka winced and glared at his sister. Sighing, he began to crawl back to camp. "Do you think—"

"Yes, I believe Azula." Katara cut in. "And I think she deserves a chance to fight by our side. Even if it means having to do negotiations with her once all of this is over."

Sokka smiled. "If you believe her, then I won't. Someone's got to, anyway."

Once the pair was gone. Toph stepped out of the clearing and grinned. "They're gone."

"Do you think they believed us?"

Toph snorted. "Twinkle Toes probably will. As for those two…well Sugar Queen's willing to give you a chance."

Azula tilted her head and smiled. "That's good to hear. I was afraid I had to do some idiotic stunt like saving the Avatar from imminent death just to earn back their favor."

"You will always have mine."

"I know."

A/N: Ok, I'm giving you a choice. I can either write the whole story which would be an alternate S3 for Avatar (with Azula as the teacher, obviously) or I can just go on writing these one-shot scenes that hint on what's happening in the foreground. Sort of like reading between the lines.

There's also a third option but I'm pretty sure you know that already. If you want to read more of these scenes, I've posted them in my LJ. Just go to my profile and then click on the homepage button.

Also, if anyone complains about Sokka being too soft on her, they'll just have to wait because I still haven't written their (Azula and Sokka's) confrontation.