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Chapter 2

The next morning, Toph showed up bright and early to the training ring, determined to kick Zuko around enough to jolt him out of his somber mood. He was always the moody one in the crowd, but the Zuko she'd known had come out of a lot of that by the time the war ended. She'd even seen him laugh and genuinely enjoy himself at Sokka's wedding.

How long ago had that been? Nearly five years? She stretched and sighed. A lot had changed since then. She'd changed and she knew it.

But she hadn't changed so much she couldn't recognize his step as he entered the ring. She took a second just to look at him in her own special way. He was heavier, more muscular, and his steps seemed surer as he crossed into the circle to meet her. Then he suddenly stopped and in her heightened state of awareness, she could tell that he'd caught his breath.

"What?" she asked, checking to be sure someone wasn't sneaking up on her.

"Nothing," he answered. His voice still that roughness about it she remembered, but it was a little deeper. He'd changed too.

"Are you ready for this?" she asked, settling into a preparatory stance.

"Probably not," he laughed, "but I'll give it my best."

Toph grinned widely and launched a boulder straight at him.

Twenty minutes later found Zuko tangled up in what seemed to be dirt ropes, one hand wrapped around Toph's left wrist and the other holding a palm full of fire right before her face.

"Oooooh, I can feel the heat, Sparky," she laughed, a little out of breath. "But before you can cook me, I can squeeze the breath out of you." She earthbended the ropes just a bit tighter around him to emphasize her point.

"Shall we call it a tie?" he asked, giving his flame a little kick of his own. She shrank back against him, which gave him an unexpected sense of satisfaction, then agreed, laughing. The dirt ropes fell into dust around him, causing him to cough a little. He let go of her wrist and she stepped back, throwing her damp hair out of her face.

"I bet I am a complete mess," she said, wiping sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. Unfortunately, her hand was covered in dust and left a muddy streak across her face.

"You look just fine," he replied, looking again at what had caused him to hesitate when he first saw her in the ring. She was wearing a stretchy green two-piece outfit. It didn't show her midriff exactly, only when she stretched. He'd tried to make her stretch as often as possible. The bottom was a skirt/pants kind of thing. He wasn't sure about women's fashion, but he knew what he liked. Somehow the whole outfit was completely appropriate, but extremely attractive, all at the same time.

Her hair had been pulled back when she'd begun, but now it swung loose, freed from its hair clasp during a particularly dramatic move. With the dark strands hanging in her eyes, he caught a glimpse of Toph the girl still there inside Toph the woman.

"What?" she asked again, aware that he was looking at her. "Is it that bad?"

"No," he responded quickly. "You look great. But all the same I think we'll both feel better cleaned up with breakfast in front of us."

"You've got no argument from me, Sparky," she answered as she took his outstretched arm in escort back into the palace.

After a long, hot, relaxing bath, Toph did indeed feel better. The young lady that had been assigned to her as her maid took several minutes to fix her hair, all the time oohing and aahing over its wonderful body and soft texture. Normally, she'd have lost patience after a few minutes, but for some reason, she didn't mind looking wonderful and soft today.

The dress the girl had picked out for her was silk with a raised embroidery pattern on it that felt delicious beneath Toph's fingertips. She didn't mind feeling delicious either.

Zuko was waiting in the small informal dining parlor, this time with Uncle Iroh.

"Oh, my dear Toph," said Iroh, rising to embrace her in a heartfelt hug. "You are a picture of loveliness, like melting snow on spring blossoms."

She couldn't help but blush a little. "Fire Lord Iroh, you are entirely too full of it," she responded. Iroh laughed heartily and the three of them helped themselves to breakfast.

She listened as Iroh and Zuko discussed the schedule for the day, aware that Iroh was going to be very busy indeed. So much for needing help with day to day tasks, she thought. Zuko had been stretching the truth on that one. She wondered that she hadn't caught the lie at the moment. Maybe she'd been thinking of other things.

"Zuko, I want you to take Toph on a tour of the city and surrounding areas. She will be our guest for some time and I want her to see as much of the city as possible before we all have to settle down to work," Iroh commanded as he rose from the table.

"With pleasure, Uncle," Zuko replied, bowing respectfully.

As Iroh was leaving the room, a servant entered, bearing a rolled up scroll on a tray. "A letter has arrived for Miss Bei Fong," he announced.

Toph took the scroll and unrolled it. Zuko watched with fascination as her fingertips grazed the surface of the characters. She smiled, "It's from Haru."

A slight cold feeling rose in Zuko's chest as he watched her face light up with excitement.

"He's getting married!" she cried. Zuko almost sighed with relief, then wondered where these feelings came from.

"Really?" he responded politely.

"Yes, to a girl he met in Ba Sing Se on a trading journey," Toph's fingers moved across the page. She stopped to explain. "He and Teo have been collaborating on a number of new earthbending techniques and substances." She held up the letter. "Like this ink. It's earth based, so I can read with my hands. It took some work to get it where it wouldn't fade."

Haru and Teo seemed to be inventing a number of things for Toph, Zuko thought.

Toph continued to read aloud, "Her name is Jin and he proposed to her in a very romantic location—some water fountain with lamps all around it." Zuko jumped a little in shock. No, it couldn't be the same Jin. That would be too weird.

"Teo and his wife are going to host the ceremony at their ostrichhorse ranch in a few weeks," she concluded.

"So, Teo is married too?" Zuko asked, picking nonchalantly over a dish of rice with his chopsticks.

"Yes, she is so sweet. Her name is Song. She started her ostrichhorse ranch after somebody sent her a small herd—anonymously. I think she had an idea where it might have come from, but she's never said," Toph stated. "Are you all right?" she asked as Zuko began to choke on the bite of food he'd just put in his mouth.

He managed to squeak out an affirmative as Toph rolled up the scroll and placed it back into its pouch. "I'll answer him later. It's a shame we won't be able to get away. We should send a gift," she concluded.

Zuko agreed wholeheartedly.

"So, I guess the only ones left are you, me, and The Duke," she laughed. "How about it, Sparky? Is there a Mrs. Prince Zuko in the works?"

"No," he answered. "I've not had much time for dates lately."

"I bet when they look at you all these Fire Nation girls can see is your crown," Toph joked.

"Not surprising," he said wryly. "I'm not much to look at."

"Don't say that, Sparky. I think you're gorgeous," she teased.

"But you're blind, Toph," he answered with a bitter grin.

To his surprise, she dragged him from his chair at the table to kneel in front of her. Then she reached both her hands up to his face. He closed his eyes and could smell the floral scent of her perfume as her fingertips began to lightly trace his features.

He flinched a little as she touched the ugly scar that was the only part of his past he hadn't been able to rid himself of. "It's okay," she whispered. She then moved her fingertips lightly across his mouth and down his chin.

Then with her hands on his cheeks, she turned his face up to hers. "Like I told you. Gorgeous." Her voice was as soft as her touch.

He couldn't move, couldn't breathe. What was happening to him? With a little bright smile, Toph shook herself, then moved her hands down to his shoulders and arms, squeezing playfully. "And hunky too," she said, sliding her chair back to stand.

"So, where are you taking me first?" she asked.

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AN: Okay, so more fluff than a bunny rabbit. R and R, please. And there will be actual plot stuff coming up. I hope you all don't mind the Jin and Song bits—I just couldn't resist. After all, Mai is probably in jail, so she's not available. Poor old Zuko is just out of options!