(this chapter is for Fox-girl01)

Chapter 8

Accidents Happen

"Toph is causing Aang lots of pain."

"I know, Lin. It's suicide. Are you going to pass the snacks or what?"

The twin earthbenders look over the edge of a canyon that was eight miles away from the village where Toph was training Aang for the past two hours. They woke up early, ate breakfast quickly and left without waiting for the others. Lin and Jin asked them if they wanted to come but Katara was too busy with Aunt Wu prediction, Sokka trying to prove them false and the they didn't want Meng around so they 'forgot her' and followed Toph.

"KEEP YOUR KNEES PARALLEL TO THE GROUND, TWINKLE TOES!"

Aang had been on his horse stand for the past 2 hours with a one tone weight on each of his arms. Toph started his training with some 'warms ups', and by warm ups, I mean throwing boulders at his for the first five minutes, 100 push ups with a two ton boulder and herself on his back, and running four laps around the forest. Toph stood in front of him in the sun. She was sweating, not from the training but from the heat and kept taking sips of water from her bottle.

"Stop shaking, Aang!"

"I'm not."

"You legs are shaking, Twinkle Toes. I can feel them."

"That probably because these weights of yours are trying to drag me to the ground!"

"Quit whinning!"

The twins watched as the teacher and the students begain to argue like they did a few years ago. Toph had drop her 'perfect lady' mask and back into her angry, strong, tomboy character. Jin giggled in amusement and Lin rolled her eyes.

"Would you two benders stop arguing!" yelled Lin, "You both sound like an old married couple!"

Aang and Toph both blushed in embarrassment. "What did you just say!?" screamed Toph.

Toph slammed her foot into the ground and shot a slab of earth from right under the twin's spot and shot them up into the air and into the nearby lake.

"NOT FUNNY, TOPH!" screamed Lin.

Toph ignored the twins and destroyed the weights on Aang. Then grabed Aang by his collar and dragged him towards the woods for more trainning. Lucky for Aang, the path the blind earthbender choose was smooth and not covered with jagged rocks. Ten minutes later, they reached a clearing.

"Wow, this place is beautiful, Toph!"

"Thanks, I love it here too. Mostly because the twins can never find me when I'm underground."

"Underground? What do you...ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh."

Aang nevered finished his question because Toph opened a hole under him and sent him 10 feet underground. Toph did the same thing to herself the only difference was that she didn't scream and she landed on her feet, not on her face.

Aang, painfully, got up from the dirt ground and scanned his surrounding. The entire underground exterior was built and carved like a giant tunnel with multiple exits; the tree roots looked like brown serpents coming throught the roof of the tunnels, entering into the walls and disappearing into the floor. Toph came from behind Aang and blindfolded him.

"Alright, Aang, lets see if you can remember anything about earthbending that I tought you two years ago."

"Uhh, why am I blindfolded."

"It's for your training, Twinkle Toes," replied Toph, "We're going to play a little game called 'Hide and Seek'."

"Ok, but you still haven't answered my question."

"It's simple, Airhead. Instead of using your eyes to find me, use your senses. Use the vibrations of the Earth to find me. Ready...Set..." Toph took five steps back, "And Go!"

Toph took off towards the upper tunnel while Aang stood where Toph left him trying to feel any vibrations. He did feel a few ones, but they were very faint; alomst like fog or shadows, nothing very solid.

This reminded him of the swamp, how he chased a vision of Toph through the murky waters and trees other to disapper and reapper behind him. It was confusing yet it was fun all at the same time. He like it.

Finally, after sapping out o his daydream, Aang felt more clearer vibrations coming from his right side, about 50 feet away, traveling down the tree roots. He started jogging towards it.

"Come on, Twinkle Toes," Toph's voice echoed through the tunnels, "You've got to be better than that!"

Aang heard Toph laughing through out the tunnels, it was soft but clear and he could find Toph easily. Toph sounded just like Aang's vision at the swamp. Aang started running, sliding down roots and keeping his mind focus on the blind earthbender's vibration and voice.

--

"Crap, Twinkle Toes is getting closer then I thought," cursed Toph under her breath.

Toph, her clothing already covered in dust and dirt, broke out in a run after sensing Aang about 100 feet away. She thought that after years of slacking off earthbending training, he would be as worthless as a feather. But, somehow, he seems to be at the same level as her.

I hate it when I wrong! screamed Toph in her head.

Picking up speed, Toph started running down the tunnel, about ten feet to the next root slide. It was the largest root slide in her tunnnel; as she slide down, she felt the air rush to her face and the thought of Aang finding her left her mind. The slide kept her body go faster and faster and faster and faster. She felt sick. Her head began to spin, then she remembered that she had never taken this slide since she built the tunnel and now she remembers why. She was going to throw up only her stomach won't let her and as the air felt punching her face, she might lose conscious any second.

"Toph!"

Great now I'm hearing things, whispered Toph in her head, getting more and more dizzy.

"Toph, slow down! Your heading for an underground lake!"

An underground lake?! How could I forget the lake, the accident! I almost died that day if it wasn't for Lin and Jin. I kept going faster and faster and faster...

SPLASH!

My body was dragged down by cold, bitter water. I tried to swim to the surface...but...I couldn't swim. My lungs started to burn and my eyes started to sting from the frigid liquid. I hoped Aang would come soon. I was now completely blind and falling down to the eternal darkness: death.

My lungs were now on fire. By accident, I opened by mouth and I started to choke and I lost all control of my arms. Now my legs. My body it completely numb and I just want to go to sleep.

--

I could breathe again, I was alive! Or...maybe I was dead. I could never tell the difference between life and death. Somethin warm and dry touched my wet hair and I would feel the ground under my body.

"You ok, Toph."

'Twinkle...uh...Aang!'

Toph, not thinking things through, shot upright. Unfortunately, Aang was right in front of her face causing her to accidentally kiss him. She quickly pushed him off her, a goofy grin was placed on his face while Toph covered her lips with he hand.

'What. The. Hell!'