Author's Note: Decided to start over with this story and this first attempt at redoing Chapter 01

I would like to thank:

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Parescimbel, Matheus Bezerra de Lima, Femke-the-lotus, Childatheart28, RandomnessRules, NothingSpecialJustMe, Guptanation,TBei15, PenName: lord Martiya, Drowning in Ice, Rickashay, and GraysonPaladin for adding this story to their favorite story list

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The city of Gaoling in the Earth Kingdom. A city untouched by the currently century long war that was Fire Nation was raging against mostly the Earth Kingdom.

Unlike the capital city of Ba Sing Se where they were just keeping the knowledge of the war under wraps because of the benefit of one group, they did not really have to be seemingly worth too much about it themselves.

Even though there was in fact one couple that was probably one of the richest in the Earth Kingdom that made this place their home. In that being the Bei Fong family that influence stretched through the entire kingdom.

They were long spells of despair. At first glance, most would think they have little to be depressed about. That would be true in most cases as they do have little to worry about as they are not bothered by the war, their own king, or even the front line of said war that is on their doorstep.

But Lao and Poppy Bei Fong's worries stemmed from their missing daughter. Their only child.

Toph Bei Fong had run away from home, seeking to escape the crushing over-protectiveness of her parents, and having found friends who treated her as what she was, not what they wanted her to be. The Avatar had sought her help in teaching him the ways of Earthbending, and she took the chance, seeing a way away from a life she hated. To be who she really was rather than play the role of the ideal blind daughter for her parents. She may not have been able to see with her eyes but was by no means without sight. Something she called seismic sense let her "see" the world, and she was perfectly aware of all that was around her, just as long as she was on solid earth

Her parents still recall the last time the two of them talk to each other. Quite possibly the first time in a long time they really communicated with each other at all. Not just her engaging in an exchange she thought they would want her to do but actually talking to them rather than just responding. Not everything they recalled was word for word

"The avatar needs an earthbending teacher. I want to become that teacher as I really good at earthbending so I know I can be helpful to them" Toph said to them

Had the three of them had more talks like this over the years they could have reacted to this better as the daughter they were so overprotective of they did not even allow the people of her own hometown to know of her existence.

They clearly could not point out the dangers of a girl like herself going out into the world without despite having never left her own hometown in her entire life. Not only was she trying to leave the home she was basically trying to join the war effort against an entire nation with three kids whose combined total age did not even add up to fifty years.

On top of that, they were from the Water Tribe and supposedly wiped out Air Nomad Tribe. The water tribe siblings were not ever from the Northern tribe but the Southern one instead. They did not instill much hope that they would be able to keep their daughter safe.

Acting on emotions and the over shock of the moment, Lao lashed out at both the Avatar and Toph that night which lead her to run away even if it endangered the city. They could convince the Avatar to stay at their home for a while. They managed to keep Toph's existence hidden from everyone there so doing the same for him for a short period should not be that hard.

Attempts to convince him to find someone else to teach him or convince their daughter to second guess her decision to leave could have happened.

Rather ironic that her parents who could see with their eyes just fine, but were the blind ones of the family. Seeing their daughter's true strength in defeating a group of professional Earthbenders with little effort, rather than realizing how powerful she was, they feared that she required more protection. When she fled, they thought that the Avatar had kidnapped her.

Thus hired those that might have lost to her and mostly more than once(also the ones that kidnapped her the previous day strangely enough). To go and get her back as losing to her meant they could know how to get around her unique ability and entrap her in their minds.

Also, they forbade them from revealing her existence to the world at large even though she probably goes around proclaiming her full name at the time possibly even using the influence that came with it if she truly had to. Not many would automatically assume she was their daughter straight up. Possibly just a girl that could do it or maybe just a family that happened to have the same last name that worked for them.

Revealing her existence fully to the world at this point could make it so that she has a bigger target on her back even more so than just being considered part of the Avatar's group.

Master Yu and Xin eventually managed to find her and in a move that would make things worse going forward used her parent's name and thought of them accepting her. Maybe accepting her for who she was was just being overly hopeful but at least she thought they were more willing to talk to her rather than at her this time around. Found trapped in a metal box, they had claimed she had escaped this time around by mastering the ability to bend metal. Despite all the stories that reached them of her shows of skill and strength, they refused to ever believe the truth. They decided to hire a professional mercenary to get the job done.

Thinking that their daughter had been so thoroughly and completely taken by the Avatar that she overrode common sense to stay by his side. Which she probably got from them as they overrode common sense to convince themselves she did not run away from them, the real ones that wanted to keep her trapped by their side.