Toph stood in the centre of the swamp a few hours after she had slipped out of the air temple. She was standing on a small patch of earth. There was something so different about this place, she felt calmer here than she had done in a long time. She felt in control for the first time in a long time. Since the incident with Ozai she had felt like she had, had to remain in constant control of her emotions. The fear that she could lose control, again and hurt anyone was always on her mind.

Her right arm was straightened out in front of her, and then she slowly pulled it in to her. She was trying to feel the tide coming and going, and take control of it. Since the chakra gated had been opened she had wanted to try and see if she could bend any other element. There had been a few times since all of this happened that she felt that if she concentrated hard enough see could bend another element. Fear had kept her from trying, pushing this thought forward. After she had been doing this for a while, the tide was moving in sync with the movements of her hand.

An over welling sense of power started to build up inside of her. She had felt like this when she had first been able to bend the earth. She had felt invincible. Even when she invented metalbending, or mastered bonebending and plants she had never felt this strong. It was the strength that came from seeing right in front of you what you were capable off. The stronger you got the harder it was to feel that way, because you knew that you were getting close to the point where you couldn't get any better. There was no were else to go from there, except down.

"You may be the strongest earthbender in the world, but you will never match the avatars power. Unless you let me help you."

She hadn't seen him coming, but she didn't flinch or say anything.

"That power is too much for you to control, your body is too weak. I can help you, let me help you."

Before Koh could move any closer to her, Toph stuck her hands out in front of her. She then spun round to the left. As she did this a large stream of the water she had bend trying to take control off followed her movements. It hit the spirit but did not knock it over. Not that it was meant to. He had tried to pick on her biggest insecurity, that her body wasn't strong enough for her heart and drive that it would let her down again. He had also underestimated her, for that she had been able to lay a hit on him.

She was still standing her head lowered to the ground. "Never underestimate me." She knew now all that there was to know about Koh the face stealer. How she knew all that she did about him, the swamp and the spirit world now was unknown to her.

"I see you are stronger than the last. You still have the same face, such delicate features." As much as she now knew about him, he knew as much about her. That was why he chose delicate to describe her. She hated being seen that way. "You carry yourself with the same noble grace, like a lady." That was a very low blow. She was a lady, a disowned one, but still a lady of noble blood.

Slowly Toph lifted her head to face Koh. Her jade eyes were now deep green. She was clearly using her power. "Ah, I see you have the same bright eyes, as one of your other past lives." As he spoke his voice changed to a female voice. She couldn't see it, but she was now facing the face of her past life Ummi. Bright green and bright blue eyes now looked right into each other.

"From what I have heard of you, you have the same bravery and loyalty as..."

"Shut up." She never raised her voice, or moved an inch, but her voice was clear and silenced the familiar, let new voice.

Koh now returned to his original face "I am sorry, is there something you wanted to say." A cruel laugh finished his words.

"Yes. I know what you are doing, what your plan is. You want my face, my power so you can leave the spirit world. You were going to use Ozai, to take over the world. Then you would betray him, taking the entire world for yourself. You failed to take Aang's face, so you're after mine. You led him to me, so we would find each other" She paused taking a deep breath before she continued, while a cold grin crossed her face. "You know that I have part of the avatar spirit as well. So as well as having the knowledge I do, I have the power too. I am more powerful than Aang."

An evil grin crossed the face stealer face. "Then use that power. With Ozai gone we can take the word for our self's. Release me into the world. Together we..."

Toph's laughing silenced him. It was a deep evil laugh, and her face now had an evil grin to match his on it. Her eyes were set on him. "You idiot. I am more powerful than the avatar, do you really thing I could be beaten by you. Your little ability doesn't work on me."

Koh had never imagined that Toph would have gained this much control over her power this soon, she really was a very special person. "You seem to know everything. So I am sure you are aware that you cannot kill me."

"Of course I know that. That is not why I am here." As she talked she lifter her right arm to shoulder level, her hand was out stretched. A ball of fire appeared in her hand. She began to move her finger, causing the fire to move in different directions. "You were right, when you said that I was too weak to control this power. In part, out there where I have to control it all the time in case I hurt people, it is too much for me." She now clenched her hand into a fist, extinguishing the fire. "But here, I don't have to control it. I can let it out. This place is connected to the spirit world, it contains the power."

Once she finished taking she let out a deep sigh, as she bent two small pebbles from the ground into her hand. Turing her had palm facing upwards, she bent the air around them to make them spin in a small circle. "I see why Aang finds this so interesting now." For the briefest second a smile crossed her face, but it was quick gone. She couldn't let herself think about Aang. She had been speaking to herself, but koh heard every word.

"You're trapping yourself here. I know you better than even your precious avatar. That is the last thing you would want to do. Be trapped in a cage again, all because of this power." He was trying to get to her again, but she could see right through it.

While he had been talking, Toph had stretched her arm out and spun the upper part of her body round to face the water behind her. The pebbles skimmed over the water six times before they sank. That was Toph's personal best.

Again she turned to face the younger spirit. "I can see the earth so much clearer here and the water and air. I can feel it all and see through it. This power, this strength it is..." She bent fire in one hand, and bent a ground of small rocks around the other. The felling of power, strength pure energy was building up inside her again, she was just able to pull herself back. Her hands feel to her sides clenched as she concentrated in her breathing.

"To much for you."

"Not if I practise and stay here. I wouldn't hurt anyone." Her breathing was now controlled.

Koh let out a low sigh. "Such a kind heart, so selfless. Your heart is too big for..."

Be wasn't able to finish as the ground under him began to shake. A huge stream of lose earth, dust bent by Toph was sent at him. It didn't knock him over, but it clouded his vision. He never saw the huge spike coming towards him. The earth spike was set on fire just before it hit him.

Your body. That was what he was going to say, it had been what her grandfather had said to her.

Her heart started to race, as the extent of what she had done washed over her. That power, it was rushing through her. She knew that Koh wasn't really hurt, but the strength and power of the attack affected her. It wasn't the same power as she felt when she bent a powerful earthbending attack, this felt very different darker. Unnatural.

The dust clearer and Koh was once again able to see the fated spirit. She let out a deep breath before lifting her right hand and moving it to swipe at the air behind her. The tree directly behind her was marked with a line from the air strike she had just bent. "That part if you hit it will go right through m chest, my heart killing me instantly."

"Why would you tell me that."

"Because I understand you. I can't imagine what it is like to watch everyone around you die. To slowly watch at the world its self dies. The spirit inside me had been around for thousands of years, but it is always a different life. I think you want to be free, so you can truly live. That means finally dyeing."

A low chuckle left Koh's mouth. "You really are missing the point."

"I don't think I am, and I can prove it. Maybe I want this all to end to. If you hit that mark, then you don't really want a real life. If you miss, you do."

"And you."

"If I stay here, then I want to die. For it to be over. If I move out the way, then I want to live, to fight."

Not even a second past before one of Koh's tentacles was sent towards Toph. It was impossible to tell where it was aiming at the speed it was traveling even for someone that could see. When it was just inches for making contact with her, Toph bent the earth under her feet to spring her into the air. Coming back down she landed on the tentacle that might have killed her. With her knees bent and her hands slightly in-front of her holding onto the tentacle, she realised that Koh hand hit the mark on the tree. He had tried to kill her. He wanted to live. So did she, she had moved out of the way.

"Looks like this isn't going to be settled so easily."

Taking in a deep breath she bent a ball of fire into the palm of her hand. Letting out the deep breath she bent a stream of air that grew the fire larger than she ever would have been able to do on her own and bent to towards Koh. Jumping back on the ground Toph stood glued to the spot. Her hands were clenched so tightly, she was digging into her palms causing them to bleed. Koh pushed himself up, stretched one of his tentacles out to Toph. He placed it under her chin, forcing her to look him in the eyes.

"You may think you are being selfless. Shutting yourself away to save people. But that's not the truth, is it. You are drawn to the danger, the power and the darkness that is buried deep in your heart. That is why you are here, to feel alive."

Toph closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and all that had been said to her. A second later her eyes flashed open, they were now not just deep green but glowing "Your right" The evil grin was now back on the old spirits face, Toph had one that matched it. "It's always been there in the back of my mind this power, trying to get out. Why should I keep it locked away, I could make more of a diff..."

"No!" another of Koh's tentacles wrapped it's self around Toph. Lifting her in too the air, as Koh pulled himself to his full height "That power cannot be used for good, like the avatars. The avatars power comes from the yang, and the fated spirits from the yin. The darkness of human nature. You have always been the darkness to his light. That is why you have been caged, your whole life. Let it out, all of that power, stop caging yourself."

His words weakened her resolve to remain controlled. It felt like he could see her more clearly than anyone else ever had in her whole live, even Aang. He saw her darkness. She had always known that the others were better people than her. They never stooped to the level of their enemies. She did, she bent their arms permanently, crushed them in the dirt and pushed them over the edge of their sanity.

In a quite gentle voice Koh continued "let it out, let it go."

In the back of her mind she was screaming at herself, not to be so stupid. If she let go of the hold she had on the power he would take it. She didn't know how he could do that, she just knew he would. She also knew that, she was a spirit whose power came from her bending. To lose her bending would kill her, but he got past her defences. In a split second the gate opened and her raw power was unleashed.

Koh was just a second way from getting what he had waited thousands of years for, but before he could take the power from Toph pain ran through his body. He was being pulled back through the portal to the spirit oasis. In a fraction of a second he was gone, and Toph was realised from his grip, sending her falling to the ground.

I am quite proud of this chapter. I know it could be a lot better. I hope you like it. I tried to use this as an opportunity to explain a few things that may not have been made clear before. I didn't know if I should have Toph bending, all of the element, but if there was to be real danger about the power than it had to be shown. I would like to know what you think about this. If you like it or hate it. I wasn't sure how to end this chapter. I hope I left it on a kind of cliff-hanger so you will want to keep reading. I look forward to hopefully hearing what you think. Thank you.