By now all of you probably want to kill me D: I am soooooooooooooooo sorry I've been dragging ass in these updates! These past few months have taken a number on me, and so many thing have come up that have prevented me from writing/updating stories. I am happy to say that finals are here and then summer so I'll have sooo much time to write and keep everyone happy! So here's another chapter and your long and bothersome waits should be over for a while :D enjoy!
~th3rdhal3~

"Dad, Mom," Toph began with a shaky voice. Everyone was present in the manor after the incident at the arena. I stood beside my cousin as she confronted her parents. The Avatar and his friends waited patiently on the bench behind us. "I've been hiding this for a very long time and it's probably hard for you to see me this way, but I'm not the helpless little blind girl you think I am just isn't me." I shook my head ever so slightly in agreance. "I love fighting, I love being an earth-bender." Toph grinned happily, pouring her heart out to them. "It's part of me; something I can't change." Lao eye his daughter, listening carefully as well as trying to see where she was coming from. I knew breaking it to her parents would be difficult, but I couldn't see the reactions on their faces because they were unreadable. "I know I've kept this from you for a long time, but you kept me away from the rest of the world." My cousin argued a strong point. "I know you were only doing it to protect me but I'm twelve years old now and I've never had a real friend," She paused slightly and then glanced up at me with sad, blue eyes. "Except Karuna." The room stood silent for a few moments. No one dared to say a word; the silence was deafening. It drove me nuts knowing that Toph's parents sat perched upon elegant chairs in fine robes, yet could not find their voices nor their speech in that moment.

Toph shifted on her feet briefly and ended the silence. "And now that you know who I really am, it's time for you to know another thing." I could feel heat rising from my face and the pounding of my heart as I predicted her next statement. The smaller girl reached up and placed a hand on the back of my shoulder blade. "Karuna isn't just any Earthkingdom girl. She's my cousin and your niece." Poppy's eyes widened significantly and she glanced sideways at her husband in order to see his thoughts through expression. Both pairs of eyes were on me then, and I could tell they were examining me, searching me for a plausible answer.

Lao, after a long time of pondering, ordered, "Show us the back of your neck." He beckoned for me to come forward. I knelt down before the Bei Songs and bent my head down. Then, I pushed all of my hair to one side so that all of my neck was exposed. Seconds later, Poppy made a small gasp-like sound. Toph's parents both marveled at the birthmark just before my hairline; The skin there was lighter and almost in the shape of a heart-solid proof I was who I claimed to be. Poppy placed a hand on Lao's arm.

"She's your brother's daughter." The woman whispered to her husband. Toph's father then stood and came closer to me, his dark gold robes shifted as he did so. Lao studied the mark on my neck for some time before gazing back at his wife.

"Indeed." He lifted my head so that I was making eye contact with him. "My brother, Han Bei Fong's child is alive." The statement came out as barely a whisper. "My niece is alive." He repeated. "How could I not see it before?" The expression upon his middle aged face was one of rejoice as well as astonishment. Still sitting cross-legged upon her fancy seat, Poppy looked on with similar emotions. She held a hand to her heart, just underneath her necklace and it appeared as if she were moments away from tears; but these tears would be tears of joy.

Toph's father grew quite for a short while as the new information was still being processed in his mind. After what seemed like centuries, he looked at both my cousin and I, and spoke once more. "This has made me realize something." He began. Toph's ears perked up as she listened to her father. "I've let you have far too much freedom. You will be watched over and guarded twenty-four hours a day from now on." What? I couldn't believe the words that were coming out of his mouth. That's how he chooses to respond? Toph must have felt the same way for she protested.

"But Dad, I-"

"We're only doing this for your own good, Toph." Poppy chimed in as her daughter lowered her head.

"Please, Uncle..." I asked Lao, finding my own voice. They couldn't possibly force their child to remain hidden; they had seen her talent and potential after all. They're the ones who are blind!

"Karuna, this stands for you as well. It is my obligation to look after you, you as my brother's daughter. It's what he would have wanted." I stood down, feeling a long overdue sense of authority sedate me. Lao glanced at our new friends behind us who had witnessed the whole argument. "Please escort the Avatar and his friends out." He ordered a servant. "They are no longer welcome here." He added hostily. As the trio were led out of the parlor, I exchanged a look with Katara. The Water Tribe girl discreetly mouthed the words, 'can you help?' It was a miracle I could sort of read lips, and while Toph's parents weren't looking, I mouthed back, 'I'll do what I can.'

Aang glanced behind his shoulder, a disappointed and sad look on his young face. "I'm sorry, Toph." He apologized. My cousin kept her head down in shame as the three moved further down away.

"I'm sorry too. Goodbye, Aang." A thin river ran down the side of my cousin's cheek; it came from the left eye. Pain.

Toph had been isolated in her room for roughly a half an hour when I entered. She was a tough kid and hated showing weakness. That was why she hid her tears in her pillows. I admired her strength and courage in those moments. From the second I met her, she just seemed like this unbreakable wall; something I knew deep down inside that I could never be. And as she wept for she could not truly take her part in this world, it made her all the more human.

I stepped partway through the threshold and knocked on the wall of my cousin's door. Toph sat on her bed, puffy eyes and a snuffly nose. She stared down at her pea-green blankets and twiddled her thumbs. "Hey, I had something to tell you, but that can wait. How are you feeling?" Toph rubbed her newly red nose with the back of her hand; the grotesque, pre-teen way she did most things.

"Awful." She responded. "My head hurts." I nodded. All the crying must have made her dehydrated. "It sucks!" She groaned. I sat down beside her on the bed and the springboard creaked under our weight. I put my arm around her shoulder farthest from me and pulled her closer. I sighed.

"Life does suck, kid." I agreed, remembering my own tough upbringing. My father was not nearly as controlling as Toph's, but I felt just as wronged when he kept my past a secret from me.

"I never expected to do anything great until now. I mean, teaching the Avatar is a huge honor, I'm guessing." My cousin went on. "Aang believes in me just as much as you do. I just wish my parents could too." The younger girl frowned. She rubbed her nose again, inhaling through it loudly. "And right now, it's crazy, but I was even thinking of running away." Toph added in a hushed tone. "It would probably crush my parents and I know they love me, but I just need to get out of here." She glanced up at me. "I know you think that it's a stupid idea and you're probably going to tell me not to go because it would upset them and they're just doing it because they care." Quite the contrary, dear. I thought.

"I actually came in to convince you to join Aang with me. Glad we're on the same page, kiddo." I answered honestly. A large grin overtook my cousin's face. I was afraid that she would shriek with excitement so I shushed her before she could make a sound. "Can you get dressed, packed and get your ass out in the garden in under five minutes?" Toph saluted me, clearly overjoyed.

"You know me!" The younger girl responded. She instantly began rummaging through her walk-in closet. In a flash, I was back in my own room across the hall. I threw on my beige and green tunic, leaving my pajamas behind, then I searched for my satchel.

"And you're positive they're out this way?" I ran alongside my cousin in the dark. We had successfully escaped the manor without anyone noticing, and were tracking down Aang and the others. I couldn't see much, and the fact that I was nearly blind in my right eye didn't help my situation much.

"Trust me, Sifu. I got this." She reassured me, taking the lead. At that point, that was my only option. I had horrible sense of direction so I had to trust Toph's 'foot-sight'. The two of us ran up and around high ground and plateaus outside of the city, when she concluded that the trio was close. Behind a little forest, I spotted a large, white thing a little ways off in the distance. As we drew closer, there was no way we could have missed it; Appa. It appeared as though the gang were about to take off. Toph sensed it as well and picked up her speed; I followed suit. Our thumping feet alerted the three. Aang turned his head as he gripped his bison's reigns.

"Toph! Karuna!" He exclaimed with surprise. "What are you guys doing here?" I was too winded to answer. I hadn't run like that in months. My cousin spoke for us.

"Dad had a change of mind. He said I was free to travel the world." It was a a big fib, and I wanted to call her out on it. But, I decided it wasn't worth scolding her over it. Both Sokka and Katara shared looks of astonishment from up high on Appa's saddle.

Sokka smiled as he welcome us to the group. "Glad you guys could join us. Now we better get out of here before your dad changes his mind again." He teased Toph. She laughed quietly and even I smirked alongside of her. I can't believe it. Only two years ago, I had shared Zuko's enthusiasm to capture the Avatar; now I was joining forces with him. The irony made me chuckle, but I would let fate continue to shape my path.

"You're going to be a great teacher, Toph." Aang encouraged, as I helped boost my cousin up onto the Sky Bison. Moments later, I , too, climbed up Appa's furry, white side. Once the five of us were all comfortably aboard, Aang shouted, "Yip-yip!" And Appa took off into the air. Toph, who was still getting acclimated to flying, gripped the sides of the saddle in a similar fashion as me when I first flew. Sokka laughed in a friendly way across from her and Aang tried to make his new earth-bending teacher feel more comfortable with a pep-talk.

Katara edged over to where I sat, and even in the darkness I could make out hopeful, blue eyes. Her smile was warm and sincere. "Aang has the greatest earth-bender as a teacher, and without your help, we'd still be looking." I felt very flattered by Katara's praise but the whole thing wasn't just my idea. I wanted to tell the long haired girl that my cousin and I had the same plan, but before I could get a word in, she hugged me. "Thank you." I was a bit surprised in the first few seconds, but then warmed up to the Water Tribe girl's affectionate gesture. The embrace filled a void in me that had been empty for so long. There was no exact way to describe it, and at the moment it was just fine with me. The girl without a mother held the girl without a father.