Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Three:

Toph sat beside Zuko. His head was in his hands and he groaned.

"Do not worry, we will take care of it." Kanon was saying.

There was a short silence, then Toph spoke up. "It's probably nothing, anyway."

Kanon's expression darkened. "Any threat to The Fire Lord is certainly not 'nothing'."

Toph folded her arms. "I'm just saying, maybe it isn't a threat at all."

Zuko sat unmoving, responding to neither of them.

"Nevertheless, we shall certainly treat it as one."

Toph was starting to get the impression that Zuko's advisor was not fond of her, and she couldn't say she cared for the man either. She nudged Zuko's arm, and he glanced up for the first time.

"This would be a good time for you to visit me. What if we left tomorrow? Your guards can investigate 'The Jade Dragon' and you can finally relax a little."

Zuko lifted his head slightly, he hesitated, then said, "It would be terrible to leave my people in times of trial."

"The only one in trial right now is you. Your people are fine."

"I believe the earthbender has a point, sir," Kanon jumped in.

Toph was surprised, "Wait. You're agreeing with me about something?"

"The Fire Lord needs to reduce his stress, and I believe leaving the threat for a time would accomplish that."

"Well…" Zuko sounded concerned, but a little hopeful.

"I would be happy to look after things while you were away. I highly recommend it for your health."

Zuko hadn't had the opportunity to be fairly normal for a while. Somehow, the old habit of traveling around still felt like normalcy to him.

"I would be pleased to accept your invitation, Toph."

"Awesome!" She jumped up, then cleared her throat and folded her arms again. "I mean, sure, if you want." She shrugged.

00000

The cart rumbled along the dirt road, Toph and Zuko sitting in the passenger seat behind the driver. A large moosedonkey pulled them along. Zuko wore a hooded cloak to disguise himself, (a nation's leader couldn't just travel along without precautions) but thankfully it was raining so hard that the sight was not strange.

"How long does this ride usually take?" Zuko asked, tugging at his cloak impatiently.

Toph had told Zuko many times just to sit back and relax. She told him that the trip would take a while. Now, his impatience had been shown time and time again and she was sick of it.

"You know what, it would probably go a lot faster if you stopped complaining." Toph let the irritation show in her voice. She was hurt by his clear frustration with the trip. She had foolishly thought it would be fun.

Zuko was silent for a time, and the silence was heavy. She could feel his stiffness beside her.

"It's raining." He said, finally. "And we have been traveling for hours."

She purposely scooted away from him, so she was squished against the side of the cart. "It will only be 30 minutes or so before I leave you at your inn. Then you can be dry, Sissypants."

"Don't call me that!"

Toph liked Zuko a lot. She knew he just had his bad moments, and normally, she could over look them. She certainly had bad moments as well. But she had really believed they would enjoy spending time together, and she was more than disappointed in the outcome.

Still, fighting wasn't going to make things better.

"Sorry." She mumbled.

"Me too."

The sound of the cart moving along the road was the only sound for a time.

"I guess I am just… nervous. Leaving the Fire Nation. Anything could happen while I'm gone and it's making me… Anyway, I'm sorry."

Zuko shifted slightly, causing the wooden seat to creak.

"The whole point of coming is so that you can get away from all that! Don't you know how to have fun?"

Zuko was silent, and Toph felt pity for the young man. She smiled.

"It's alright. I overreacted."

There was another short silence.

"Are… we still friends?" He asked,

Toph punched him in the arm.

"I'll take that as a yes."

0000

The inn was owned by an old couple, who hosted guests in the small building beside their home. It was a nice place, and Zuko couldn't complain. The large windows could be shielded by curtains, but when they were open, the room was full of light that he often missed in the enclosed palace in the Fire Nation.

There was a table set up by the window, with a tea set on it that made Zuko cringe.

"Is everything according to your likings, sir?" asked the old woman, she wore a white apron over her light green dress. Her face was crinkled with age, but her eyes were warm.

"Actually…" He hesitated. "I don't think I'll be wanting any tea. Would you mind… I would like the extra room to use the table?"

The old woman smiled, "Of course," She put the tea things on a tray to carry away, but she paused before she left.

"Will you join us for dinner? Or are you eating with Miss Bei Fong?"

Toph had dropped him off at the inn and gone home while he settled in.

"I told her we would meet in the market for dinner." He said, scratching the back of his head nervously. "But thank you."

"You are a lucky young fellow… Miss Bei Fong is very well off, you know."

"What? What do you mean?"

"Well, to have a woman of such wealth care for you is certainly an advantage."

"Toph doesn't…. Care for me… I mean, we're friends. And I'm not very worried about her… wealth."

The old woman's eyes laughed, (her name was Lana) "I see."

"What?"

"Do you not think she is a beauty?"

Zuko's cheeks were already hot and he knew his blush was obvious. It felt undignified. Though he knew this woman had no idea who he was. He was embarrassed.

"I mean… I guess. She's grown up to be fairly good looking…" Zuko had to admit, if only to himself, that Toph was stunning. Every day, she seemed to be even prettier.

Yet, she was still so unconcerned with her appearance as a whole. She didn't care if her clothes were caked in dirt or her face was smudged, (of course, she didn't even know if her face was smudged) and yet, for all that, she wasn't any less beautiful.

"I'm sorry, I've pried… I do that a lot."

"That's alright."

"Will you and Miss Bei Fong consider joining us for dinner tomorrow?"

"…That'd be great."

Author's Note: Thank you for reading! I'd appreciate feedback if you'd like to give it! Even if it is negative feedback!