Chap 11- If It's Not One Thing

That Sokka was a master strategist, no one could deny. Toph, however, felt it was her duty to keep him from getting a swelled head. So when he asked if everyone knew what to do, Toph replied in her most sarcastic tone, "Yes, Snoozles. We were all there. We helped come up with the plan."

Others chimed in, teasing Sokka as well. But his focus would not be shaken.

"Come on, people," he said, more serious than normal. "Let's keep it together. Because if we don't get these guys, they get Zuko." The words sobered them up. "Toph counts forty-two people in the camp. There might be more, but with those wooden structures near the center, she can't be sure who or what are in those. So, that's seven of them per one of us-"

"That we know of," Mai interrupted.

"That we know of," Sokka agreed, with a frown.

"I like those odds," Toph grinned, cracking her knuckles.

"I don't." Normally, Sokka liked to have more intel before going after the enemy, but if what Hide told Toph was true, the Ozaists were planning something big and soon. They couldn't afford to wait any longer. "Unfortunately, we don't have much of a choice. Katara and Mai, you got the western side. Toph and Aang, the north. Suki and I will be heading in from the south, taking out the tower and the two guards on watch duty. As long as they don't have any earthbenders - which seeing as they hate anyone who isn't Fire Nation, they probably don't - we won't have to worry about the mountain range on the eastern side. Everyone ready?" he asked. "Good. Toph, you know what to do. Everyone else, wait for Aang. Let's go."

Quickly and quietly, they split up to take their positions.

Toph and Aang had the farthest to travel, but they moved swiftly underground. They popped up just outside the southern end of the campsite where Toph waited for Sokka's signal. Once she felt Sokka stomp on the ground three consecutive times, it would mean the guards had been taken out. She would tell Aang it was time he fly up so Katara and Mai knew to move in.

"Alright, Twinkletoes," she grinned at him. "You're up."

...

The whole thing was over in about five minutes. Most of the people surrendered without a fight. The leaders, Hide and the Headmaster of the school Aang had once enrolled in, tried to put up a fight, but it was embarrassing how easily Toph stopped them with one single earthbending move.

Aang scratched the side of her head. "Wow, that was pretty easy."

"No kidding," Mai sighed.

Sokka and Katara wasted no time questioning those captured. They discovered that most in the campsite had once been in the Fire Nation military, but once Zuko came into power, they feared they'd face trouble for following Ozai's orders and end up in jail, so they became deserters. Then, Hide and the former headmaster found them and tried to convince them to join their efforts to restore Ozai to the throne. Since there was free food and lodging, they joined. But they swore (under the threat of being drowned and pummeled with rocks) that they didn't know anything about the attempt on the new Fire Lord's life.

"Well, that was a waste of time," Katara said, as they walked back to the Palace.

Sokka shook his head. "At least we ruled them out as a potential threat."

"I guess," Aang shrugged. "But that was so, so..."

"Anticlimactic?" Toph helped him out. "No fun? Just plain sad?"

"A waste of...our time?" Suki added.

Toph shook her head, too disappointed to even make fun of the Kyoshi Warrior's lack of creativity when it came to insults.

...

Zuko who had been eager to go with the others, but forbidden to do so (he was the Fire Lord and couldn't be risked), simply poured everyone a cup of tea when they sat around his study.

"You should have gone, just to see how pathetic it all was," Toph grumbled.

He thanked them for going anyway.

"Like Sokka said, at least they're ruled out, right?" Katara smiled, trying to lift everyone's spirits.

"Yeah," Suki joined her, "How about a celebratory glass of that Fire Whiskey Toph's always going on about?"

"Toph! You're too young to be drinknig!" Katara chided, but soon forgot all about it once the cups of tea were replaced with glasses of Fire Whiskey. When they were all too drunk to notice, Toph left Zuko's study. Aang followed her out.

"Hey, Toph?"

"Not now, Twinkles."

"Toph, we need to talk," he said as casually as possible. Now that he knew Zuko was safe - from the Ozaists at least - he could focus on the other thing plaguing him.

It just seemed so surreal. He kissed Toph. And, what's more, he's pretty sure she kissed him back. And it wasn't just a quick thing either. Neither had actually pulled away until Sokka strolled out of the Palace too close to where they were and Toph sent Aang flying high with a vicious earthspike. Then, they had all gathered in Zuko's study to come up with an attack plan. He and Toph hadn't even had a chance to talk about what happened.

"Talk? About what?" she asked, her expression the definition of innocence. Aang was reminded of the time she spent conning people in the Fire Nation as the Runaway...

He scratched the back of his neck. "Well... About what happened. Earlier," he added to explain further. They kissed. That was a big. Wasn't it?

"Oh, yeah," she waved her hand in the air as if comprehension just dawned on her. "Those losers? Boring, right?"

"Um, no, not that." How could she have forgotten so quickly? "Look, I'm glad it wasn't as bad as we imagined with Hide and the Headmaster, but I meant when we...when we, uh, kissed." He whispered the last word even though they were walking alone down a long, empty corridor.

Alright, maybe it wasn't an especially good kiss, but it's not something that happened everyday. At least not to him. Maybe he was a really bad kisser and that's the reason Toph didn't want to talk about it. But then why did she kiss him back? At least, he thought she did. Maybe he imagined it? He ignored the blush that rose up to color his cheeks.

"Oh, that. What about it?"

She was completely calm. As if it were...nothing. That made Aang frown.

"Oh, I just wanted to say I'm sorry," he laughed, but the laugh sounded empty even to his ears. He had never been so grateful Toph couldn't see because if he continued to blush any more, he'd likely burst. But, he had to explain what happened. He wouldn't feel right otherwise. "I meant to kiss your cheek, but you turned at the same time I leaned in."

"You're blaming me, you airhead?" Toph suddenly got defensive. "You're the one who can see." After a moment, she added much more calmly, "So you made a mistake, no biggy."

"It wasn't a mistake," he corrected her, "It was...an accident."

She shrugged, looking bored. "Okay, so what's there to talk about?"

That was a good question? What was there to talk about? It was an accident, something that he never meant to have happened, but it did and she sent an earthspike shooting him up into the sky just before Sokka could see them and now he had apologized, so...

"Well, I just wanted to say sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable or anything."

"Noted."

Aang started walking again. "So, I guess, we're leaving tomorrow."

"Guess so."

"Still not coming with us?"

"Nope. Whoever tried to get Sparky is still out there."

"I know," Aang said, "That's why I feel kinda bad that we're leaving."

"You shouldn't. These Ozaists weren't what I thought they were, but something like that won't happen again."

Aang realized something then. "This wasn't your fault, Toph," he assured her.

"Did I say it was?" she replied, but walked away before Aang could say anything more.

Aang watched her go and with a sigh, left the opposite way.

...

Appa was halfway out of the stable when Aang got there. He was snoring lightly as Momo slept on one of his large paws, chirping quietly in his sleep. Aang settled in comfortably against his bison. The even breaths his oldest friend took as he inhaled and exhaled made Aang rise and fall gently along with him.

The others were probably still celebrating their last night in the Fire Nation, but Aang wanted to think and he craved the solitude in which to do it. Grey eyes bore into the night sky above and though he felt tired, after such a long day, he wasn't sleepy. Inevitably, the day's events replayed in his mind and one thing stood out among the rest. It wasn't all his friends gathered together at last. It wasn't the "battle" where he'd barely broken a sweat. It was that kiss. With Toph.

He kissed Toph.

He kissed Toph.

Aang smiled at the thought and tried to keep the blush from running from the base of his neck to the tips of his ears. Truth be told, he'd never thought of her that way. She'd always been his friend, his sifu. Someone he could count on...to be honest, to back him up, to be there.

Only a few weeks ago had she changed a little. Or rather, his perception of her changed a little. She was no longer simply his friend, his sifu, she was also a girl. A pretty one. He felt giddy at the thought, like he shouldn't think so and he couldn't help laughing an uncomfortable laugh.

Why was it so strange? After a beat, he wondered, why didn't he find it stranger?

As the night progressed and more and more stars filled the sky, Aang began to count them. It had always been a favorite pastime of his. And, at the moment he wanted the comfort of something familiar. Far away, he could hear her earthbending, but he ignored the sound and focused on the bright stars above him. When he reached two thousand one hundred and twelve, his eyelids began to grow heavy.

He half-smiled as he thought of his earthbending teacher moments before he finally drifted off to sleep.

...

Toph was pretty pissed off. Stupid Ozaists. All that talk and for what? Nothing.

She sent another set of huge boulders crashing into each other. The loud, thundering sound made her smile even as it rattled her to her core. She felt restless with so much pent up energy, energy she thought she'd get to unleash on Hide and the others. Pfft. What a joke.

Of course, somewhere deep down, Toph was glad the fight hadn't been much of anything because it meant all her friends walked away without so much as a scratch on them, but still. After what happened with Aang, she just wanted to hit someone. Hard. Repeatedly.

That kiss, it left her feeling on edge. And that made her even more angry. It was a stupid kiss. An accidental one. At least Twinkles didn't think it wasn't a mistake. The tiny voice in the back of her head surprised her and she stopped earthbending. Where did that come from? Shaking the thought away, she settled into her horse stance and focused on the vibrations of the earth. She could feel herself relaxing as she listened deep and close at first, then spreading her awareness wide until there, not too far away, she could sense him. So quiet, so still and peaceful.

Toph growled and pounded the earth until she could feel it in her bones. She moved the rocks and stone for hours on end until she could hardly lift her arms or stomp her feet. Once she grew tired, she didn't even bother going inside the Palace, choosing instead to lie where she stood and earthbend herself a tent to keep what little cold there was away.

"Stupid Twinkletoes," she muttered before she fell asleep.

...

Almost as soon as Toph felt herself doze off, she startled awake. Eyes open, she sat up, but when she tried to earthbend her tent away, nothing happened. It was unusually quiet and when she couldn't feel any vibrations, her breathing hitched in her throat.

"What's going on?" she asked out loud.

"Toph?"

Earth, it couldn't be. "Twinkletoes?"

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"What do you mean, what am I doing here? What are you doing here?" she asked, annoyed. He'd been sleeping near Appa in the stables. How did he get there so fast?

"I don't know," he admitted and his honest reply only made her feel uneasy.

She took a step towards his voice. Why couldn't she sense his vibrations? Why couldn't she see anything?

"Where are we?" she whispered, her voice unusually soft as she tried desperately to keep the fear from sounding through.

"Toph! Look out!" Aang yelled, but something reached her before she could move. It hit her across her cheek, sending a sharp burst of pain through her as she flew and landed with a violent splash in a shallow pool of water. "Don't show any emotion, Toph!" Aang screamed at her and Toph wondered why, but the panic in his voice told her she should listen. It was hard with the pain throbbing on the side of her face, but Toph kept very still, face completely devoid of emotion.

Someone laughed. It was a creepy sound and Toph fought to keep from reacting to it.

"Oh, I can wait," a voice said and Toph realized she'd heard it before. She shuddered when she realized when, but her face remained impassive. "I've been patient these many long years," the creepy voice continued. It had been on the island - Taang Island - when she'd had that strange, terrifying dream. Whoever was talking was close to her now; the voice seemed to be coming from someone directly in front of her. Then, something cold ran along the base of her foot and it took all of Toph's focus to keep from making a sudden move or crying out. "What's a few more?" it asked, a hint of malice laced with the words.

The pain from the side of her face was soon drowned by the anger she felt rise in her. Who was this hogmonkey trying to intimidate her?

"What do you want?" she demanded, careful not to show any emotion.

The answer frightened her more than anything else ever had.

"You."

...

Aang didn't understand what was happening. He had been counting stars, trying to fall asleep and just as soon as he had, he'd woken up. And, not only had he woken up, Toph was there right next to him. At first he wondered how she moved so fast and why she looked so lost, but soon he realized since he didn't have his bending, neither must she. And yet, they weren't in the Spirit World. He just didn't understand.

That's when Aang saw him.

Koh.

"Toph! Look out!" he yelled a moment too late. Koh hit her with one of his thousand limbs and sent her flying through the nothingness they were in. Before she landed, the world shifted around them into a familiar place, the swamp. "Don't show any emotion, Toph!" was the only thing Aang could think of screaming. He ran towards them, but the closer he seemed to get, the farther they seemed to be. It was an awful, sinking feeling, running until he felt weak and never getting anywhere, trying to get closer to Toph and being unable to.

Aang watched, horrified, as Koh stared directly into Toph's face. They were talking, exchanging words Aang was too far away to hear. Koh reached for Toph's foot with one of his centipede legs and Aang feared she would panic. But her expression remained frozen. She looked so different to him without the Blind Bandit's grin or the Runaway's mischievous smirk. The strangeness he felt earlier because of that kiss evaporated and he realized then, that no matter what happened (if anything), she would always, always be his friend before anything else. That tie that bound them could never be broken.

The realization freed him, allowed him to move and make progress once again. With as much force as he could muster, Aang rammed into the side of the spirit.

"Leave her alone, Koh!" Aang yelled, immediately schooling his expression just as the Face Stealer turned to him.

"You cannot hurt me," Koh smiled. "But I will leave her alone." Behind him Toph stood and Koh shuffled back, away from them both. "For now," he added, moving further away.

"Come back here!" Toph yelled. Though her voice was loud, her face was the same immovable mask as before. "You caught us off guard before, but we're not afraid of you!"

Koh's laughter echoed all around them, though he had vanished. "You should be," he said.

...

Aang was moving before his eyes were fully open. The ground shook beneath his feet and he knew it was Toph's doing. Sensing where she had fallen asleep, he ran there as fast as possible. He reached her in time to see her earth tent come down.

"Toph, are you okay?" he asked kneeling next to her. He half-expected there to be a red gash across the side of her face. When there wasn't, he sighed in relief.

She stood and moved away from him. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

Aang might have believed her, her voice was calm, still groggy from sleep, but though he did not posses Toph's mastery of feeling the vibrations all around, Aang knew enough and she was clearly lying.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he whispered. Though it was weird that he'd had a bad dream, too, they couldn't have had the same one - that wasn't remotely possible. Besides, he wouldn't wish his nightmares on anyone, least of all his friend. Still, it must have been pretty bad for her to earthbend while asleep.

"No."

Taking her hand, he said, "Come on," planning to lead her back to the stables.

Stubbornly, she remained in place. "I'm fine right here," she argued. "I'm not even sleepy anymore."

But Aang had learned to be stubborn, too, so he took her hand once again and that time, he didn't let go when she tried to pull away.

"You might not be sleepy," he yawned, "But I am."

"And?"

"And, I had a bad dream," he explained, dragging her behind him.

Toph let him pull her forward thinking it was weird that he'd have a bad dream at the same time she had.

For his part, Aang knew that if she really didn't want to come with him, she wouldn't. No one could force Toph to do anything. Toph's emotionless expression as Koh stared her down flashed in his mind's eye and Aang turned to look at her to keep from seeing it again. "I don't want to sleep by myself," he added. Sure, they hadn't slept around a campfire in a while, but they used to do it all the time before.

"I'm sure Sugar Queen's still up," Toph suggested.

Aang stopped suddenly and turned to face her fully. "I don't want Katara," he said, "I want you." He said the words and he wasn't lying (they both knew), but what surprised Aang was how true that statement was. It probably had to do with the nightmare he had. Maybe. He was too tired to think at that moment. "Now, come on. If I don't get any sleep, I am so not going to get up on time," he whined. "And, Katara wants to leave first thing in the morning."

They walked into the stables and Aang waited near Appa. Toph's tent was up in the blink of an eye and he crawled in with her. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so incredibly tired. Once he closed his eyes, he would be fast asleep in no time, he was sure of it. Taking her hand in his as he curled close enough to her that she could feel his breath on the side of her face, he mumbled something that sounded like good night.

Toph thought back to the fear she felt as that thing hovered over her and she stifled a shudder. Absently, she tightened her hold on his hand.

After another few minutes passed, she spoke. "Hey, Twinkletoes?"

"Hmm...wha...?" he mumbled.

Toph wasn't sure if he was fully awake or not, but she asked anyway.

"Who's Koh?"

She waited anxiously but there was no reply, except for Aang's light snoring. Since he was leaving early in the morning and he was clearly tired, Toph didn't ask again. She simply lay awake, trying not to think about how real her dream felt (or how strange it was that Twinkles had a bad dream, too). Instead, she focused on the faint, steady vibrations of the boy sleeping next to her, the boy who held her hand close against his chest.