Ch 18- Earth Rumble IX

Aang sighed miserably when he thought that maybe Toph hadn't been as genuinely pleased to see him as he initially believed. He, on the other hand, had been almost ecstatic to see her again. Knowing she didn't feel the same way stung and left him feeling oddly deflated. Still, she looked so incredibly happy right then and there in her Blind Bandit outfit waiting for him to get ready, he had no choice but to go along with whatever crazy scheme she had in mind.

"Sure," a faint smile appeared on his face. "Just let me change."

Toph punched his arm as she walked out with The Boulder to give Aang the privacy he'd asked for earlier. As he removed his robes and slipped on the too-short pants' legs and shirt sleeves he realized then that there wasn't much he wouldn't do for her. He stopped cold and stood straight as a rod at the thought.

But...that was true of all his friends, wasn't it?

Yes, he decided, it was. He had simply missed Toph a lot and she had grown into a such a pretty girl and he was a teenage boy - something of which Sokka had tried to explain to him on Kyoshi Island when Koko and all those girls were chasing him around, but Aang hadn't understood what the Water Tribe Warrior had meant until now. So, Aang was probably just getting everything confused or something. Before he delved too deep into it, Toph called from outside the room.

"You about done in there?" she yelled.

Aang glanced down at himself. He looked like he borrowed his twelve-year-old self's earthbending academy uniform. Dark green with yellow trim tunic, beige pants that might as well have been shorts, and a plain brown belt. Not bothering to look at himself in the mirror he simply walked out of the dressing room.

...

"That girl is in a world of trouble!" Lao seethed as he paced from one room to the next.

Poppy opened her mouth to speak, but was quickly (and rudely) cut off.

"And don't even get me started on...on that boy!" he added, turning slowly to face his wife. When he spoke again, his voice was low, controlled. "I told you I did not like him. And no, I don't care if he is the Avatar! This is my home and my rules and even he can't break them!"

Before she could make the suggestion that perhaps Aang had known as little about Toph's planned departure as they had, her husband went on another tirade.

"Whatever power he thinks he has, it does not extend to the Bei Fong Estate!"

Poppy rolled her eyes, but let him finish. Finally, when he was done, she said, "We both know where our daughter disappeared to. Now, you can either prolong our departure or we can leave immediately."

...

"Wait, what do you mean Tag Team Tournament?" Aang cried, his voice comically high. Even The Boulder had to fight back a smile as he finished taping up Aang's legs, from his ankles to his knees, just to where the pants ended in order to hide the blue arrows. If the audience suspected the Avatar was in the Tournament, they might claim he and Toph had an unfair advantage.

"Geez, it's just like it sounds, Twinkletoes," Toph replied with nonchalance as she began to walk down the corridor towards the ring. She could already feel the vibrations of hundreds and hundreds of spectators cheering in the arena and the anticipation began to bubble inside her. Nothing was better than this feeling, nothing.

"The Boulder thinks it is his place to provide you with a short history of the event," the burly earthbender offered as he taped up Aang's hands and arms as well, while they continued to trail behind Toph.

She shook her head. "No time."

"We can make time!" Aang insisted, starting to worry about what Toph had gotten him into.

The Boulder, happy to explain the short history of his creation of the Tag Team Tournament, went on to say that when Xin Fu nearly lost the Earth Rumble arena after gambling all his money away and going into debt, The Boulder and The Hippo joined their savings to buy it from him at a very low price. But Xin Fu tried to steal it back, was caught trying to setup an illegal deal, and was thrown in jail. As savvy, enterprising business partners (The Boulder added with a smile), he and The Hippo saw the potential of working together and decided it would be beneficial to themselves and the fans to continue working together by earthbending as a team. But then, they would need to go up against other pairs. When asked, many earthbenders were interested in the chance to be champions and the Tag Team Tournament was thus born. And to make it even better for the fans, it would accompany every Earth Rumble.

"Oh and do not forget you must to take turns," The Boulder added as an afterthought. "The active earthbender is transferred by physical contact, usually a high five, to his or her teammate."

"Sokka would love this," Aang smiled, relief clear in his voice. He'd fought alongside Toph often enough, so being in a tag team with her shouldn't be a problem. "It doesn't sound too bad, I guess."

"Earthbending as a tag team isn't," The Boulder admitted, handing Aang a green wide brimmed hat to hide his bald head and arrow. "It is fairly enjoyable. The tough part will be working your way up to the championship round as the new challengers."

"New challengers?" Aang cried in surprise and turning to Toph. "But I thought you were the Earth Rumble Champion?"

"I am, but this is Tag Team. Team," she emphasized. "What don't you get about that concept, Twinklestoes?"

"The Boulder is confused and has a question for the Blind Bandit."

"Shoot," she replied.

"You continue to call him Twinkletoes, but the program has him listed as the Fancy Dancer and-"

"WHAT?" Aang yelled, his voice almost drowned out by the roaring crowd just beyond the archway. The Fancy Dancer? Where had he heard that before? He couldn't quite place the name. "Why can't I just be Aang?"

She scoffed. "Pfft, that's just dumb."

"How about Twinkletoes? You call me that enough, it might as well be my name," he grumbled.

"Yes, that is The Boulder's question as well."

"Exactly," Toph replied to both of them and they looked at each other, confused. She then whirled around to face Aang. "It's what I call you."

"What about 'The Avatar'?" he asked with a hopeful smile.

She shook her head and The Boulder replied, "Negatory. There's already an Avatar."

Grey eyes nearly bugged out of their head. "How can there already be an Avatar? I'm the Avatar!"

Toph laughed. "Not in this ring."

"I can come up with something better than the Fancy Dancer, just give me a minute."

The Boulder shook his head, sympathy in his eyes. "The Boulder apologizes, Fancy Dancer, but there is no time. The Tag Team Tournament is about to begin."

...

Toph and Aang stood under the archway and waited for their cue to make their way up the ramp into the ring.

"You look good, by the way," she said, making Aang smile.

"Really? Thank you, Toph, I wasn't sure if-" he stopped and groaned. When was he going to stop falling for that?

Punching his arm with her fist, she laughed and he recalled the first time he heard the sound.

"Relax," she told him. "This is gonna be fun."

"Oh yeah, I'm sure," he muttered. He wasn't exactly nervous, but he had been so busy with diplomatic affairs in the last year, his bending might be a bit rusty. Yes, he was the Avatar, but there had been little to no time to practice. Therefore, the possibility that he would be earthbended to a pulp was very real and that wasn't exactly his idea of fun.

"You should be," she added. "We're the World's Greatest Earthbender and the Avatar. They won't know what hit 'em!"

She sounded so confident, he couldn't help feel better.

"Hey," a thought suddenly struck him. "Why didn't you just pair up with The Boulder or one of the others?"

She looked at him like the answer was obvious.

"You saying you don't wanna do this?" Her smile faltered and Aang's reply came quickly.

"No, no, I just-"

"I want that belt," she was grinning again and he relaxed. "Who better to help me get it than my first and former student?"

Aang blinked. Did she...did that mean she wanted him there specifically? Fighting at her side? Tag Team Champions together? That miserable feeling he had earlier dissipated and he smiled at her.

"Besides," she turned from him to face down the corridor. "Haru was busy."

"What!" Aang yelled, but it was lost to the roar of the crowd just as a man he had never seen before dropped down into the middle of the arena.

"Welcome to Earth Rumble IX's Tag Team Tournament! I am your host, Lee. The rules are simple, just knock the other team out of the ring and you win." The crowd whooped and hollered. "Round 1," the announcer continued, "The Blind Bandit and the Fancy Dancer versus The Fire Nation Men."

...

"Must we sit so close?" Lao asked his wife as he pulled his hat lower over his face to hide the upper half. Before leaving their home, they had changed their clothing to better blend in with the crowd.

"Yes," she replied. How else were they going to see their daughter? Not much could be seen from the nosebleed section. She'd tried that already. Besides, no one would be looking at them, all the action would be in the ring.

"But-"

"Shh," Poppy silenced her husband. "It's starting." She leaned to whisper in his ear. "Look, that's Toph and Aang entering the ring."

Lao narrowed his eyes and shook his head in disappointment. The Avatar looked ridiculous, like he stole a little kid's clothing. Then, Lao snorted very unlike himself when he heard the boy's stage name. "The Fancy Dancer?" From that point forward, he would chuckle quietly to himself whenever he thought about it.

Round 1 did not last very long. Toph's fighting style, and by extension Aang's, was not flashy, but it was definitely effective.

"Those poor Fire Nation Men," Poppy lamented as they were carried out of the arena.

Lao looked at his wife, an incredulous expression overtaking his face. "Did you want them to win?"

"Of course not." She didn't like to see anyone hurt, actually. But if it came down to her daughter and someone else, she was always going to pick her daughter no doubt about it. "The next team is coming to the ring. Big Snow and Triple W."

"Oh, so now they have earthbenders in the Water Tribe?" Lao asked scoffing and raising an eyebrow.

Poppy ignored his sarcastic remarks and watched as Aang stepped into the ring. When Toph tagged his hand, the Avatar didn't even look at her. Come to think of it, Aang had seemed pretty upset and distant the entire first round. Poppy couldn't help wonder what had happened. Back in their home the young man had been all smiles, except when he was too busy blushing.

She watched Aang move very much like Toph had and Poppy's smile was beaming with pride.

"What's so funny?" Lao asked.

Poppy pointed. "Their earthbending is nearly identical," she whispered

"It should be," Lao replied, the haughtiness clear in his tone. "She taught him everything he knows."

"Yes, well- oh, no!" Poppy stood up as did many of the fans around them.

Both Big Snow and Triple W were in the ring at the same time. Poppy had seen it before. It wasn't explicitly against the rules, yet the crowd booed and she joined in. The worst part was while Triple W had distracted Aang, Big Snow attacked from behind, bending a series of small boulders to his head, sending the Avatar flying off to the side. As he lay near the edge of the arena, Toph was quick to defend him. Three quick moves and the the cheating earthbenders in blue were thrown out of the ring.

Lao looked at his wife then back at the ring. For the first time that evening (or ever), he felt concern for the Avatar.

The crowd waited silently for the wall of dust to settle to see if the Fancy Dancer would get up.

...

Toph ran to his side.

"Twinkletoes," she gasped, kneeling next to him. Unable to stop herself, she reached for him. Her fingers skimmed the arm closest to her, his shoulder, and chest, until settling over his heart. His heartbeat was strong and steady, so why wasn't he getting up. "Are you okay?"

Even though she sounded worried, his reply wasn't very enthusiastic. "If I can't fight, are you going to call Haru?" he muttered under his breath.

Toph was taken aback by his strange reply and didn't bother answering. "Are you pretending to be injured?"

"No," Aang said. "I can't see. One of those guys sent boulders at my head! Or did you miss it?" he asked sarcastically. The dust was still swirling around them and the eerie silence from the crowd was getting to him. "I didn't even see it coming. My eyes were open and..."

Toph sat back on her ankles, arms crossed over her chest, and her expression one of annoyance. "So, you're quitting on me?"

"Gee, thanks for your concern, Toph."

"Oh, you'll be fine, you big baby!" she snapped at him, but knowing he was all right was a huge relief. Her heart had literally stopped beating the moment that first boulder made contact and he fell to the side. Those three seconds when his feet left the ground and she couldn't sense him at all were terrifying. She'd do just about anything never to have to relive that again. Nothing but knowing he was okay mattered to her in that moment. And now, even though he was ticked off for some reason (maybe because she forced him to fight alongside her), she didn't care that he was mad, only that he was okay. "It's just a little dirt," she added, trying to make herself feel better, too. "Besides, the healer's already on her way."

"There's a healer?"

"Yup, all the way from the North Pole and everything. The Boulder and The Hippo made some changes since taking over for Xin Fu."

"Don't try to sit up," a woman ordered and Aang didn't. The cool water over his eyes instantly made a difference and he felt better. When he tried to open his eyes, he couldn't see very clearly though. "I don't think you should do that just yet, young man. Keep them closed," she advised, her voice very soft. After a few more moments the healer asked, "Do you wish to continue?"

Aang turned to where he sensed Toph.

"It's your call, Twinkletoes."

The healer took his prolonged silence as a reply. "Very well," she smiled kindly, no judgment whatsoever. "I'm going to recommend the fight be stopped."

The announcer jumped down to join them.

"So, what's the verdict?" he asked as a badgermole cleared and smoothed the ring behind them.

"He shouldn't fight," the healer replied. "His eyes are injured and he must not open them-"

"No, I'll fight," Aang declared.

"Are you sure, Fancy Dancer?"

Aang wanted to roll his eyes at the name, but when he tried to do it, he felt like half of the desert's sand was rubbing against the inside of his eyelids. For some reason, that's when it hit him.

"Do people really want to see two little girls fighting out here?"

"I don't really want to fight you. I want to talk to you."

Ignoring the crowds' boos and Sokka's yelling, he took one step towards her, one, and she earthbended him up into the air. He landed softly a few paces away.

"Somebody's a little light on his feet. What's your fighting name, the Fancy Dancer?"

Their first meeting and Aang had all but forgotten it. And yet... Toph had not.

Sitting up, he declared, "I'm not quitting."

Even from the floor, he could feel the radiance of Toph's smile. When he reached his hand up towards her, she helped him up.

"Great!" the announcer cried, rubbing his hands in anticipation.

"Very well," the healer agreed, "But please do not open your eyes. That could cause more damage. It might help if I tie a blindfold for added protection."

"If you think it'll help...?"

"It will."

With his eyes closed, Aang turned, allowing the healer to secure a green blindfold around his head. He thanked her as he dusted himself off.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the announcer yelled from the middle of the ring, "The Fancy Dancer and the Blind Bandit will continue on their quest of becoming Tag Team Champions!"

...

"Something's wrong with his eyes!"

"How is he going to fight without seeing?"

"He's so brave!"

"He's so stupid!"

"I can agree with that," Lao muttered to himself, quickly getting annoyed with all the commotion the Avatar and his shenanigans were causing.

"He's doing it for your daughter, you know?" Poppy whispered.

Lao would have scowled at his wife, but his eyes were glued to the huge smile on his daughter's face. The corners of his own mouth turned down as a result. "Well, it's the least he could do," he grumbled. "The Avatar owes her."

...

The first time Toph tagged his hand after his eyes were hurt, he was apprehensive. What if he couldn't feel the vibrations like she'd taught him? What if he had lost his seismic sense? Or worse, what if he let her down?

But Aang had been worried for nothing. It all came back to him as though he'd been practicing blindfolded all along, just as he had done before defeating Ozai nearly four years ago. The crowd was cheering for him, but more importantly and far better, he could hear Toph cheering him on as well.

"Can't tell me you're not having fun now," she laughed and he could hear the sheer excitement in her voice.

Once Aang sent the first earthbender out of the ring, the next four rounds blurred together for him. Whether it was Toph's turn or his, or they were working together against another cheating duo, they moved through each round with little effort.

As Aang and Toph stood side by side while badgermoles smoothed out the ring, she punched his arm.

"Just one more round," she grinned, cracking her knuckles.

"Yeah." Despite the injury to his eyes, Aang was almost sorry it was over. "You think we can take them?"

"I know we can."

Then, the cheering in the arena turned to silence when the lights went out.

For a fleeting second, Toph reached for his hand. "Thank you," she whispered. When the lights came back on, her hand was gone.

Before he could say anything, the announcer began, "And now, the moment you've all been waiting for..."

The crowd was getting to its feet in anticipation.

"The Blind Bandit and the Fancy Dancer versus your Tag Team Champions, The Boulder and the Macho Maid Sandy Savage!"

Alright, back in Ch 16 I offered drabbles to anyone who took a guess as to where Aang and Toph were headed. So if you said Earth Rumble, hit me with a prompt! =)