Black Belt

"Hiiiiiiya!" And a loud cracking noise echoed over the auditorium. The crowd cheered. Toph bowed politely, hiding a smirk. She knew she kicked ass, and now everyone else did too.

It had been four years since see started going to karate classes regularly. She had advanced much, much faster than Master Yu expected, and had kicked more ass than any other girl ever could. She had blown through the lower levels, struggled with the moderate stuff, and suffered big time on her way to brown belt, but she had finally made it through all of the colors.

She had finally made it to a black belt.

Aang was in the bleachers watching her. Every time someone screamed, he flinched. He was way out of his element. Loud people, thick crowds, and violence! He was not used to violence. But his girlfriend was going through a real achievement. She wanted him to see.

Master Yu coughed, and stepped forward. "Today…Toph Bei Fong…you have graduated the beginning level. As Masters like myself knows, black belt is actually only the beginning to your training. It is merely the first step towards self-mastery. There will always be more to learn…and you can sign up for even more advanced classes later." He laughed softly. He had a stuffy voice and a tiny smile. Toph never liked him. "But today, you have done well. Congratulations my pupil."

He reached into a wooden box, one with Japanese symbols on them, and pulled out a very long black linen belt. Toph smiled arrogantly.

"Stand!" He shouted. Toph stood and shouted Kyaa! "You have earned this Toph." And Yu presented his student with her reward. She bowed and peacefully stepped down.

Aang kinda spaced out for a while after that. A bunch of other large guys went up one by one to received the same speech but received a different colored reward. Toph was the only girl in the class.

Most guys would have been a little intimidated being with a girlfriend who could smash through boards. And Aang…was no exception. Toph did intimidate him and did make him feel a little weak. Aang knew he was a softy, and that Toph was the tougher of the two of them. But he kinda liked that. He kinda liked that Toph was strong and brave and her confidence was very attractive. She was his yin.

Toph sat down quickly, keeping a stern face and trying to act like she wasn't overjoyed. But her hands clutched her new belt tightly and proudly. She knew that she had earned that belt. It wasn't easy, but it was worth it.

She glanced over towards her boyfriend. He looked so out of place. Everyone there was either an older person come to see their son or another large beefy guy there to see their large beefy buddy. Aang looked so puny compared to everyone, like a boy lost in a shopping mall. But he came. She asked him to come, and he came.

Well, she told him to come…but no one forced him.

The point was that someone was there for her and she loved that.

Most girls wouldn't have given a guy like Aang a minute of their day. Most girls would have 'friend-zoned' him so fast that the his arrow on his hat would have spun. Then again, Toph wasn't like most girls. She didn't like all of that prissy stuff and didn't want to pick a guy just cause he was tall or good looking (and Aang was both). He was patient, he was gentle, he actually cared about people. He had a good heart underneath all of that puniness. Her was her yang.

"HA! I rule! Look at this Sokka, look at this!" Toph jammed the black belt in Sokka's face, forcing him to pay attention. Outside of the dojo, Toph's facade of modesty vanished.

"I see it! Knock it off already." Sokka pushed Toph away from her.

"Look at it again Ponytail. This right here means I'm better than you! And you…" she pointed to a random stranger passing by. "…and that guy, and that guy, and that girl. I am a Super Saiyan! I am Jacqueline Chan!"

"Don't they teach you modesty in martial arts?" Katara asked passive aggressively.

"Don't they teach you how to bow down to Gods? Bow to me mortals, for I am queen!" Toph threw the belt over her neck and let it hang over her shoulders.

Aang just sat, waiting for his turn to speak.

"Aaand this guy…he saw it all." She grabbed Aang and put her hand in his pants pocket. "Years from now, he'll tell stories about how amazing I was."

"Alright Toph, enough with the Supergirl act." Katara was starting to get annoyed.

"Act? What act? I am Supergirl"

"It is great that you got a black belt and everything, but we just came to congratulate you. So we did that, now we are gonna go. Bye." And she left. Fast.

"Yeah, way-at-go Champ." Sokka patted Toph's back and ran after Katara, who was already inside her car.

"Wow, she was pretty annoyed." Aang said.

"When is she not?" Toph sighed. "Thank God they are gone."

"Why…"

Toph threw her belt over Aang's neck and pulled him in to her. The usual passionate kiss came. First shocked, Aang responded kindly.

"I have been wanting to do that all day." Then she hugged him. "Thanks for being here today Twinkle Toes. That…really meant a lot. The belt is just a belt. I'm glad you were there."

Aang hugged her back. Whenever he hugged her, she seemed so small and so soft compared to him. She hadn't grown since freshman year. This was the only time when Aang felt like he was the tough one, the one that she looked up too. Most of the time, Aang looked up to her.

"Why can't you be this gentle when those two are around?" Aang asked.

"Ha! Good one." She wrapped her belt around his waist and pulled him. "Now buy me ice cream."

"You and the ice cream…" Aang said.

"You and the skinny arms. Mush boyfriend, mush."