Toph's Snow Chap 7
Chapter 7: Flashbacks
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender
Week 8 (of Toph's pregnancy. June 30-July 6)
Third person Katara
For the past week, Katara and Aang have been carefully teaching Satomi to use her bending. She made slow, but steady progress. Aang was ecstatic when he came home to find his daughter bending.
Flashback
Third Person Aang
Aang walked into the house after coming back from a trip to the Fire Nation for a meeting of the Avatar and the leaders of the three nations.
Where is everyone?
Aang walked through the house, no one was in it. He heard voices coming from outside and he followed them to the backyard. Toph, who was standing directly across from the back door, 'looked' in his direction and put a finger to her lips, motioning to Katara and Satomi.
"…Now try again, but this time, concentrate on keeping it from collapsing."
Aang watched as Satomi opened her arms wide, as if to pick up something large, then slowly brought them together, moving them around each other, until her hands were about a foot apart. In between her hands was a swirling mass, it looked like a waterspout on the bottom half and a cyclone on the top half. It only lasted a few seconds before it collapsed. When it did, water droplets rained on the damp dirt in front of Satomi's feet, she wasn't wearing any shoes, probably for this reason, and a gust of wind lifted her hair as it rushed passed.
"Awww." said Satomi in disappointment.
"It's okay, honey, it'll take practice for you to be able to hold it for a long time."
Aang walked further into the backyard, so that Katara and Satomi noticed that he was there.
"Daddy! Did you see what I can do? Look! Look!" Satomi scrunched up her face in concentration and formed another waterspout-cyclone.
"Well done, Sato." Said Aang, using his pet name for her. (An: Sato=Sugar in Japanese) he picked Satomi up and tossed her in the air, catching her with his bending and moved her through the air. Satomi giggled and held her arms out like a bird, this was her favorite game. Aang put her down and she ran over to Toph to brag about 'flying'. Katara walked over to Aang and kissed him.
"So, she discovered her bending today?"
"Yep. She's so enthusiastic. It's like a mini you from when I was your teacher." Aang chuckled and rubbed the back of his head.
"Yeah, I was pretty enthusiastic back then, wasn't I?"
"Oh Yeah."
"So, which element is that exactly? Because I haven't seen a waterspout-cyclone, or whatever you call it, before."
"Well, Toph and I think that Satomi is a combination of the two elements. An air-waterbender if you will."
"Wait till I tell Zuko about this! He'll be impressed, even little Haruka and Haruki, though they're prodigies, aren't this good."
"I'm so proud."
"Oh, yeah. Talking about Zuko, the entire royal family is coming to visit in about a month."
"Oh, goodness! I have to clean, get new curtains, oh my gosh, the whole house needs to be scrubbed! Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"Sorry. They didn't tell me until I was about to leave." Aang held his hands up, palms facing forward in a 'don't kill me' gesture."
"I'll be in the house having a nervous breakdown." Katara sprinted into the house. Aang looked up and finally noticed that another person had entered the backyard. Sokka and Toph were talking quietly across the yard.
Third Person Sokka
"You look great." Said Sokka. Toph was wearing a light green, silk, hanfu with a gold belt, border and under skirt, and carried a white parasol with gold and pink flowers. Most of her hair had been braided and twisted in to an intricate bun that had metal flowers woven into it. Two tendrils of hair were loose on each side of her face.
"I would say the same, but you know…"
"Thanks Toph." Sokka was also wearing a hanfu, but his was blue with a white border. "Are you ready to go?"
"Wait, let me put on my shoes." Toph grabbed her shoes from where she had set them down earlier and put them on. "Okay. Now I'm ready to go. You'll have to lead me though, because I can't see through these shoes."
"Fine with me." Sokka lead Toph around to the front of the house where a carriage was waiting for them. He lifted Toph into the cabin and then got in himself.
She's heavier then I remember.
"I got us tickets to a play, if you want to go." Sokka offered as the carriage started out for the upper ring of Ba Sing Se.
"That sounds great."
They arrived at the restaurant ten minutes later.
"Welcome to the Jade Blossom! Do you have a reservation?" Greeted the Maitre'd.
"Yes. Sokka of the Southern Watertribe."
"Right this way, Sir, Miss." A waiter materialized and led the couple to their table. Sokka started to direct Toph into her chair, when Toph asked if he could take her to the bathroom. Sokka dutifully led Toph to the bathroom and asked the bathroom attendant to help her.
The bathrooms in the Jade Blossom are some of the only bathrooms with indoor plumbing, making them rather popular among the Middle and Upper rings.
Sokka waited by the door for Toph and helped her back to the table when she was finished. The waiter came by and took their drink orders; Toph ordered jasmine tea, while Sokka had green tea. When their tea arrived, Toph took one whiff of hers and turned green. She pushed the cup to the edge of the table and folded her hands in her lap.
"Is there something wrong with the tea?"
"No. it's just the smell doesn't seem to agree with me at the moment."
"Why don't you order something else? I'll read you the menu while we wait for the waiter."
Toph ordered orange picken (AN: Pig Chicken hybrid) with fried rice and ginger tea and Sokka ordered roast duck with fried rice and crab puffs to share.
When their meal arrived, once again Sokka watched Toph's face turn green, but this time, she clamped her hand over her mouth and ran to the bathroom. She came back a few minutes later.
"Sorry about that."
"Are you okay? We can go back to Katara's house if you want?"
"No, no, I'm fine. It's just that certain smells are upsetting my stomach."
"Oh. Which food is it?"
"The crab puffs, but I'll be-"
"Waiter!"
"Yes?"
"We don't want these anymore."
" Alright." The waiter whisked away the crab puffs and Toph started to breathe again.
"Thank you."
"No problem." They ate for a while in companionable silence.
"How are your classes going?"
"Great! All my beginner students are getting really good a fighting with wooden swords; I think I'll start training them with foils by fall. My advanced students are about ready to move to real swords. Most of them have stopped growing so the sword they get will be good for some years to come. Hmmm… my hand-to-hand combat class is doing pretty well too, we moved to kick-boxing last week. How have your classes been going?"
"Oh, um, I closed my school two weeks ago, but I'll resume teaching in the spring."
"Really, why?"
"Ummm, can I tell you later?"
"Sure." They finished eating and were on their way out of the restaurant, when Toph gagged and covered her mouth again. Sokka quickly led Toph outside and over to a bush, where she threw up her dinner.
"Alright, I'm taking you home now." Sokka helped Toph into the carriage as soon as it pulled up in front of the restaurant from around the corner. Toph lay down with her head in Sokka's lap as they rode to Katara's house; He rubbed her back absentmindedly. Sokka walked Toph to the door when they reached the house.
"Thanks, for everything Sokka."
"It's no problem."
"Yes it was. I ruined our night."
"No you didn't. It would take more than that to ruin any night with you. Your just sick is all. You should've told me you weren't feeling well, we could've stayed in instead."
"Thanks, Sokka. And I'm not sick."
"Then why do you keep throwing up?" Sokka was really confused.
What could it be?
"I keep throwing up because I'm…because I'm pregnant…and it's your baby."
Sokka nearly fell over in shock, if he hadn't been holding on to Toph's arms he would have.
I can't believe it! She's having my baby! I'm not sure if I should be happy or scared.
"Sokka? Please say something. You're not mad are you?" That last question snapped Sokka out of his thoughts.
"No, I'm not mad. Why would I be mad?"
"I don't know. I thought maybe you wouldn't want it."
"Of course I want our baby!"
"I guess I was worried for nothing." Toph smiled. "I should go. Goodnight"
"Night. I love you. Never forget that."
"I won't. I love you too." Sokka left, walking home after he paid the carriage driver.
End Flashback
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