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Magma: Volcano III

Eruption 20: Date

"Zuko," Toph quietly spoke as the group soared in the skies on Appa.

Sokka continuously showed his affection towards Suki and she returned it. Katara was having a conversation with their new member, and Aang listened to Suki's narration of her experiences. Suki occasionally gave Zuko uneasy looks, though she didn't say anything.

"Yeah?" Zuko felt as if he was starting over, once again trying to earn the group's trust.

"Have you ever taken the first step to ask someone on a date?" Toph's question took Zuko by surprised.

Zuko gave it some thought. There was Song, he didn't actually date her, but she seemed interested. Then there was Jin, he went on a date with her after Iroh said he should, she had taken the first step as well. Finally, there was Mai, daughter of a high ranked Fire Nation politician, close friend of the princess and whom everyone expected Zuko to be with. She had taken the first step as well, "no."

Toph laughed and Zuko gave her a confused look. "It's nothing never mind."

"Toph, will you go on a date with me when we land?" Zuko didn't stop to think, he simply let the words flow out.

For a moment Toph wondered if he was just kidding, if he had forgotten what was decided at the cave and was starting the competition again. But she realized, he wasn't, he was actually sincere. "Sure, if you want to."

This time Zuko wasn't going on a date just because he thought he should, this time, he really wanted to go.

xoxox xox xoxox

Appa landed in a town famous for its local fortune teller, Aunt Wu. Suki had not been seriously injured and any scratches were already healed by Katara. Sokka wasn't too fond of fortune telling, but that was not the main activity around town that day. There seemed to be some kind of festival going on, the festival of hope they called it. The day of the black sun had passed, but the town was trying to remain optimistic and believe the avatar would save them again, as he once did from the volcano.

Sokka was off somewhere in lovey-dovey world with Suki. A few of the towns' people recognized Aang and asked him to tour the town, to lift the spirits; the avatar was all too happy to comply. Thus the group was spit into four tiny groups. Sokka and Suki, off in lovey-dovey world, Aang and Katara, touring the town and giving inspirational speeches, Momo and Appa, being fed and spoiled by the locals, which left Zuko and Toph.

Those who had curiously, yet fearfully approached Zuko to ask who he was, had received an answer from Toph before he could reply. "This is Li, he's new in our group," and they believed that any resemblance between the fire nation prince and this Li guy, was a mere coincidence.

"Do you want to take a walk and see if we can find anything to do in the hope festival?" Zuko asked, noting that an awkward silence had formed.

"Sure," The pair walked around the festival, passing by the many booths, and occasionally stopping to take in the sights, or scents, or sounds.

"Young lady," as they walked past a booth, Toph felt that the voice was directed at her.

Toph and Zuko stopped. From what she could feel, Toph could tell there were many small containers on the booth and wondered what kind of goods the woman was selling. "You mean me?"

"Oh yes, would you be interested in buying some." The woman paused taking a good long look at Toph, her eyes were unusually pale, "make up?" she finally finished.

Toph had never cared about make up, it's not like she knew what it looked like, and she couldn't put it on without seeing what she was doing. She recognized shapes, but colors were unknown to her. That make-up substance was so thin when applied to the skin that she wouldn't really feel it, and thus she wouldn't know the difference between subtle matching colors, and a big colorful mess. "I can't really put it on." Besides, the one time she did wear make-up she was led to believe it didn't look good, though Katara tried to assure her it did.

"That's fine, if you buy some I can put it on for you, then you can get a friend to do it later, or your mother can do it," the make-up selling lady didn't know she had been taking the conversation from bad to worse.

Suddenly, Toph found herself comparing the make-up to a mask forced upon her by her parents, and she decided that make-up was just fine and dandy for the girls who chose to wear it of their own free will, but it was not meant for her. "I don't think it'll work out, thanks anyway." Toph started to walk away, followed by Zuko, who had been patiently waiting for Toph to decide if she wanted something from the booth or not.

The thought of buying something for Toph crossed his mind, as Zuko reflected on the unknown status of his relationship with Toph and how spontaneously he had asked her out and she agreed.

Desperate to make a sale, the woman called out to Toph again. "Don't you want to be beautiful?"

Toph stopped, she wasn't confident about her looks, she knew she had talent and brains, but when it came to beauty, how could she believe in something she could not see? "I..."

"I'm sure I have just the right products to work miracles for you!" The woman smiled at the prospect of a sale, but Toph frowned.

"Does that mean I need a miracle to look good?" The earth bender was upset.

"Well, I'm sure there's nothing that the right amount of make up can't solve..."

That was all Toph could take. She ran away into the crowds, and as she disappeared among them, a small earthquake concentrated only directly under the make up booth, shook it harshly, throwing the merchandise everywhere.

Zuko rushed after Toph, mentally kicking himself over and over for not saying anything when he should have. Toph had always been confident in his eyes, he didn't think she needed the extra support, and as much as he secretly wished to be her hero, he wasn't sure she would be okay with that.

He felt frustrated to have messed things up yet again, this time with lack of action rather than the wrong action, but he wasn't going to give up. Even if his entire life was made of messes and attempts to fix those messes, Zuko would keep on living. He would just have to think of a way to make things up to Toph and cheer her up.

Eruption 21: The Scent of Love

Zuko searched for Toph in the crowds, but sadly he had lost track of her. He continued walking around the festival looking for her, until a pleasant scent reached him. He followed it to a small shop. It wasn't a booth for the festival, but an actual shop. The small but pleasant shop was adorned with flowers. Wooden shelves displayed a variety of glass bottles containing all kinds of perfumes.

Zuko remembered that Toph's senses were very acute. It was as if all her other senses were working harder and made up for the one she did not have. He imagined she would like a place like this, full of enjoyable scents.

"How may I help you, Li?" The shop keeper, a young girl with long dark hair and golden-brown eyes, asked.

For a moment Zuko was surprised at the name, but then realized that word must travel fast in the small town, and everyone probably already knew the avatar was in town with his group of travelers. They were probably already informed about the new members as well. "I was looking for someone," even if Toph was not there, there was a possibility that she might have visited the shop drawn by the scents. "Has Toph been here?" If the girl knew 'Li' then maybe she knew who Toph was as well.

"Yes, she was here not too long ago," the shop keeper smiled, as if pleased with a secret that only she knew. "She liked my latest perfume creation and even asked its name. I offered her a free bottle as a gift, but she said something about not being sure if it fit her and left. I tried to tell her should could chose a different scent if she didn't like that one, but she said she had to go. I'm not sure what it was, but I think something was bothering her."

In the mood Toph was in, Zuko would imagine she would want to stay in a calming place like that little shop for a while longer. "What was the name of the perfume she liked?"

"Amazing Beauty," the shop keeper picked up a light green glass bottle, decorated with leaf carvings. "It was this one."

That explained a lot, Toph must have still been upset about earlier and was reminded of it. "Do you know where she went?"

"I can't say for sure, but the inn keeper is giving the avatar and his friends free rooms, so maybe she went there."

"Thanks, and about that perfume..." Zuko wanted to give it to Toph as a gift; he wanted to let her know that she was amazing and beautiful. He knew he liked her, but he was starting to truly realize just how much.

"Welcome to Suna's Perfume Shop! How may I help you?" A young man with short blond hair and blue eyes, around the same age as the shop keeper, rushed into the shop carrying several grocery bags.

"Bento, I thank you for bringing me groceries from your father's store every day, but you already do so much for me. Don't worry about my shop; I'll take care of the customers. Just let me help Li get his lady's gift ready." Suna, the perfume maker, smiled sweetly and tied a soft green ribbon with golden details around the perfume bottle. Though Toph couldn't see the ribbon, she could easily perceive the texture.

"Oh, right, I didn't meant to interrupt," visibly relieved that the customer already had a lady, Bento, who obviously liked Suna, went to put the groceries away.

"Here you go, it's on the house," Suna smiled and gave Zuko the delicate perfume bottle. "Go find your princess and give everyone a good future."

"Thanks," Zuko paused, the words of the perfume maker finally sinking in. "Are you... never mind..." He left the shop, walking towards the inn. He couldn't help it but to wonder if Suna was from the fire nation and had moved away because of the way Ozai was governing. The dark hair, the golden-brown eyes, and her name, Suna, were all common in the fire nation. Zuko decided not to over analyze it too much; maybe it was just a coincidence, maybe when she said princess she didn't literally mean a royal princess.

Zuko's thoughts stopped when he arrived at the inn. Toph was there alright, he saw her in the second floor window, feeling the soft breeze and listening to the sounds of the town. He went inside and up the stairs to find her.

Toph felt someone entering the room, she had left the door open anyway, and she could tell it was Zuko.

"Toph, I got something for you," he placed the small bottle into her hands. Toph felt the fine artwork of the glass, and the soft ribbon. She opened the bottled and recognized the scent. "It's called 'Amazing Beauty' I think it fits you very well."

"I don't even know what beauty truly is," Toph wondered if it was possible. She thought she had the answer, but as she grew, she became unsure. "I can't see so there's no way for me to know."

Toph remembered her past, she remembered hearing her mother describe a painting as beautiful, but she couldn't see it. She remembered an older cousin fussing about keeping her skin smooth and beautiful, yet Toph once touched a sculpture described as beautiful and it wasn't smooth at all. If the answer wasn't the texture, then could it be the colors she didn't see? She had head people say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but her eyes couldn't see anything. Maybe beauty was something easy to identify just by looking, but she couldn't do that, so she couldn't identify it at all. That was what she had come to believe.

"Beauty isn't the same for everyone; you have to decide what's beautiful to you and what isn't. Besides, you can see with your earth bending and tact," Zuko tried to cheer her up.

Toph smiled, "let me take a closer look at you..."

Eruption 22: Love for the Present and Hope for the Future

"Take a closer look?" Zuko wondered what Toph meant, but he kind of liked the sound of it, though when she nodded and extended her hands his insecurities kicked in. Toph had done this before, but it was only for a moment, and it was meant to embarrass him; this was different. "It's not nice..." Great, there he was trying to let Toph know he thought she was beautiful, because she really was, and he had completely forgotten about his own problem regarding looks.

"Let me decide that, okay?" They sat on one of the beds, near the window next to each other. Toph put the perfume on the nightstand and placed her hands on Zuko's face, slowly tracing his features. She felt the difference between the right and left side of his face, the burn skin's texture quite different from the healthy skin; that really must have been painful. But even with the scar, that covered nearly half his face and one ear, she still thought he looked good. It was something she couldn't quite describe but it was there right in front of her, in his expression and in his being. "I think you're handsome..."

Toph continued moving her hands down Zuko's neck, shoulders and arms, all the way to his hands. Then back up his arms and shoulders again, down his chest, her hands stopping on his heart. Zuko wrapped his arms around Toph and hugged her close. She became comfortable in the embrace and returned it. It all just felt so right, like they belonged in each others arms.

They stayed that way quietly for a few minutes, enjoying being so close to each other. They kissed, not realizing that they had an audience out the window. The world had come to a stop for them, and all they knew was pure bliss. The sound of clapping and cheering was heard from outside. Zuko and Toph broke the kiss sooner than they intended and Zuko quickly closed the window.

Toph laughed, "you still get embarrassed easily."

"I'm not embarrassed; I just don't like interruptions," Zuko was still a little embarrassed to be caught kissing, but he was too happy to care about that little detail. He held Toph close again, lips almost touching once more, almost...

Then the door flew open and startled Zuko who did not expect it. Toph had felt the footsteps rushing over, but she didn't care. Zuko turned to look towards the door which caused Toph to land a kiss on his cheek.

"Everyone saw you and they're all happy!" Aang cheered.

Zuko stared at the avatar in confusion. "Why is it so important to them?"

"They think young love is hopeful and inspiring," Katara explained. "They're all over Sokka and Suki too. Aunt Wu also wants to read your fortunes."

xoxox xox xoxox

When they arrived at Aunt Wu's house, she was predicting the future of Sokka and Suki. "Many tests and trials await, but your spirits are strong." She looked at Sokka, "you have improved, you don't inflict as much pain upon yourself as you used to."

Sokka never believed any of that, he was just letting Aunt Wu read their fortunes for the sake of amusement, and didn't even bother to point out how illogical and unscientific her methods were this time.

"I see the two of you being together for a long time. I see you getting married some day and having children," Aunt Wu clapped her hands together and smiled. "That is the future I predict for the two of you."

"What? It's over?" Just when Sokka had, as Suki advised, relaxed and taken the prediction as entertainment he felt it ended too soon.

Suki couldn't help it but to laugh. "You said yourself you knew our future without needing a prediction."

Sokka nodded, "that's true, I have it all planned out in my head." Sokka's imagination took him to a happy, peaceful future, where he was married to Suki.

Next it was Toph and Zuko's turn to have their fortunes read, if only for the fun of it. Aunt Wu poured a new cup of tea so she could read their fortunes in it. Reading tea fortunes was the in thing in the fortune telling world lately. "Your future is very interesting. It seems that your union will bring many positives effects, in fact the fate of an entire nation may hang in the balance. How interesting, you have an important future ahead of you, I see that your love for each other is strong, and together you will change many lives."

Although Zuko didn't believe in fortunes and made his own luck, he couldn't help it but to think of that nation as the Fire Nation. Then he imagined himself in the Fire Nation palace. His uncle Iroh was there, and Toph was there, she was the Fire Lady.

xoxox xox xoxox

That night there was a big dinner in honor of the avatar and his friends. The celebration had really cheered up the entire town. Zuko and Toph sat together and truly enjoyed it. After the dinner, there was a lively dance party and the fun continued until sun rise.

When the sun rose in the horizon, Zuko and Toph had strayed from the group and were on the rooftop of the inn. Toph could feel the warmth of the sun, though she preferred staying warm in Zuko's arms. They wished that moment could last forever; they had found true happiness in each other.

Eruption 23: Earth Bending Tournament

After watching the hope festival celebration, the avatar's group had started to travel all over the world again, keeping people's hopes up. They stopped at an earth bender's city, not just any city, this was where the Bei Fong family lived.

Even if Katara suggested that Toph should go see her parents, she would rather re-take her identity as the blind bandit and compete in the earth bending tournaments. She was quick to sign up and sat in the audience with Zuko and the others waiting for her turn to enter the arena.

"Toph, are you sure you want to do this?" Zuko saw the earth benders in the arena were very strong, and quite a few challengers had left with broken bones.

"Listen dancing dragon, I'm going to warn you right here and now, don't get over protective, you know I can take care of myself and if you need a reminder just le me know." Toph liked being hugged, cuddled and protected more than she imagined she did, but there was a big difference between being protected and loved and being overprotected and underestimated.

"I know," Zuko remembered just how powerful Toph was. She could very well be the strongest earth bender in the entire world, and the only one he ever heard of who could even bend metal. He was tempted to say, 'be careful', but instead he said "have fun," and placed his arm around her shoulders while they waited in the audience.

Toph liked being trusted, she had been treated as helpless for many years, so she truly appreciated it when someone recognized she wasn't. "I will." She rested her head on his shoulder, it wasn't that he protected her because he thought she needed it, but rather he did it because he cared; and Toph would not accept it any other way.

The current fight ended with an earth bender who called himself Unbeatable Muscle as the victor. He lived up to his name, tall muscular and seemingly unbeatable.

The host ran to the arena, while Unbeatable Muscle's unfortunate opponent, or should I say victim, was carried away by paramedics. "Now for the moment we've all been waiting for!"

"Think that's my cue, the bandit returns," Toph was ready to jump off the first row and onto the arena, but she noticed another competitor entering the arena.

"The one and only, Ninja Warrior!" A boy only slightly older then Toph went on stage; he had brown hair and green eyes. "Ladies and gentlemen, a new challenger has risen to take on the champion, Unbeatable Muscle versus Ninja Warrior!"

"I'm the champion," Toph was tempted to yelled that and go to the arena to take on both Unbeatable Muscle and Ninja Warrior, but she decided to wait. She had been told that her return as the Blind Bandit would be saved for last.

The announcer left the stage and situated himself in the safety of a balcony overlooking the arena. "Fight!"

The crowd yelled and cheered when the boy known as Ninja Warrior began to pull a large amount of earth from the arena's ground and divided it into smaller pointed pieces. He avoided Unbeatable Muscle's attacks with great agility, while filling the space above them with more pointed rocks. When he was ready, Ninja Warrior went on the offensive, lunching the pointed rocks like a thousands knives from every direction.

Unbeatable Muscle was not so unbeatable after all. He managed to block some of the pieces of earth, but not all of them and it got bloody.

Katara gasped, with a look of horror on her face. "This is too much!" She then proceeded to hit Sokka on the back of the head because he was actually cheering in awe.

"Ow! C'mon Katara that was amazing!" Sokka defended his right to cheer like a crazed fan boy.

"Suki, what do you have to say about it?" Katara searched for some support from the other girl, but found that she too had enjoyed the show.

"It is a little overly violent," Suki said for Katara's benefit, though at the end she added, "but he did bring it upon himself when he signed up for this."

Katara pouted and searched for support in Toph. "What do you think, Toph? I'm sure you felt what was happening on stage."

"Sorry Sugar Queen, but you're the only girly girl in the group who can't take a little gore, the rest of us are tomboys." Toph felt the battle with her earth bending, the boy, Ninja Warrior, was strong, but she had a good strategy to counter his attacks.

After Unbeatable Muscle was taken out of the stage, beaten and bloody, Katara got up as well. "I'm going to the infirmary to help the medics, I'll be back to treat your wounds too."

"No one ever said I would need it," Toph confidently replied.

"You do have a plan right?" Zuko asked, concern and worry evident in his voice. He wanted to stop Toph from fighting, but he knew she wouldn't listen. If anything he would make her upset, angry at him, and maybe even throw her out of focus if he didn't show he trusted her.

"Of course I have a plan. That boy is a lousy aim, that's why he had to fire away from every direction. I'll get him before he can make enough stone knives, and even if he managed to last that long, I already thought of the perfect defense. Relax dancing dragon, he won't put a scratch on me." Toph was actually looking forward to challenging another skilled earth bender.

"I trust you," Zuko trusted Toph, but he couldn't help it at that time but to say the words he held back before, "please be careful."

Toph nodded, "Don't worry, I won't be caught off guard," she assured him.

Eruption 24: Ninja Warrior vs Blind Bandit

The arena was cleaned and smoothed out with earth bending, and the announcer who hosted the tournament once again walked to the center of the arena. "Another amazing victory by Ninja Warrior, but it's not over yet, we have one more fight for everyone to enjoy today. A spectacle of never before seen proportions, a battle that will sure go down in history! The champion of the past has returned to reclaim her title from our current champ. After months of absence from the arena here she is, Blind Bandit!"

Toph jumped on the arena and the crowd cheered with high expectations for this next fight.

Once again, the announcer got to safety before the battle began. "Is everyone ready for the greatest fight ever?"

The crowd cheered loudly, the noise becoming annoying to Toph. She had become used to it during her career as the Blind Bandit, but she had been away from the arena for a few months and it had been expanded.

Nothing the uncomfortable look in Toph's face, Zuko's worries increased. Aang was also starting to see Katara's point. He had been bothered by the bloody battle from before, but didn't say anything about it. Now that one of his friends was out there, it made things worse. The avatar looked towards Sokka who appeared to be pretty confident. "She can win right?"

"Sure she can, Toph can earth bend, see with earth bending, she can even bend metal and she can put up with Zu... er Li for a boyfriend; she'll be perfectly fine I'm sure," Sokka nodded at his own analysis of the situation.

"Hey," there was a short complaint from Zuko, but he was thankful for the extra vote of confidence. "If she gets as much as a scratch, I fry that guy before he can do any more damage and not even the ashes will be left."

When the host yelled "fight!" the arena was full of fast movements and fierce attacks. Toph was the champion, and she wanted to prove that.

When Ninja Warrior levitated a large boulder into the air Toph focused her energy to bring it down upon him. He split it into two at the last moment and avoided being crushed, only to dodge and incoming boulder a second later.

Watching the fast paced battle unfold, Zuko breathed deeply and calmed down. Toph was alright; she was on the offensive and had her opponent dodging none stop. She would knock him out of the arena and it would all end soon.

Just as Toph said, she was able to knock Ninja Warrior out of the arena before he could use his signature move. The goal was to either render the opponent unable to fight, Ninja Warrior's preferred method, or the faster way of just knocking them out of the fighting arena.

"The Blind Bandit wins!" The host called out from the balcony, though the crowd wasn't too pleased. They had grown used to the violent encounters that ended with injuries, and simply throwing one of the fighters out of the arena, was no longer enough to please the crowd.

The host had gone down to the arena to award Toph her prize, but just as he set foot in the arena, the stadium shook, and several large boulders suddenly flew towards Toph. The boulders crashed down where she stood and a cloud of dust was sent into the air.

"Toph!" Zuko yelled her name, fearing for her safety and her life. He didn't see that attack coming; he had relaxed when the battle officially ended.

Zuko, Aang, Sokka and Suki jumped to the arena as Ninja Warrior ran up to it. "No one can beat me, no one!"

Before Zuko revealed himself as a fire bender, the ground beneath Ninja Warrior opened up sending him below the earthly arena, and Toph came out without a scratch. "I felt it coming, but I let him make a fool of himself." Toph had gone underground at the last moment, and other than the dust that stuck to her clothes and skin, which she would call a healthy coating of earth, she was perfectly fine. "I said I could win."

Zuko was happy for Toph and relieved to see that she was safe. He hugged her while the crowd cheered. They didn't get a bloody finish for that round, but making a fool out of one of the competitors amused the audience.

Ninja Warrior emerged from under the stage, his black clothes covered in dirt. "Not bad, you dodged even my surprise attack. I apologize for that, but I have never been defeated before, and I prefer a true battle without the limitations of having to stay on the space of the arena."

"Yeah, more room to run away," Toph replied victoriously, while Zuko secured his arm around her waist and glared at Ninja Warrior.

"Let me congratulate you," Ninja Warrior extended his hand, waiting for Toph to take it.

"Is the knife under your sleeve a congratulatory gift for me?" Toph asked.

Ninja Warrior stared at her with wide eyes, "what are you talking about?"

Toph could not only sense the almost desperate rhythm of Ninja Warrior's vital signs, but also a pattern that revealed plotting, and bad intentions, and she could sense the metal of the knife. She imagined that he must look calm and serious on the outside, though she could not be deceived by an expression she couldn't see. Unlike Azula who controlled her inner workings as well as her expression, this guy could only act on the outside.

Two earth bending security guards came to the arena, and Ninja Warrior was asked to leave. He gave Toph one last look, which Zuko didn't like at all, before turning away and leaving quietly; presenting no resistance towards the guards that escorted him out of the stadium. But the mysterious earth bender would not be their only worry, for the Bei Fong family heard of their daughter's return and went to find her.

Eruption 25: Family Reunion

Toph knew they were there, she felt them with her earth bending; her parents were right outside the stadium, waiting for her to exit. First the group went to the infirmary, slipping away from fans who wanted Toph's autograph, it's not like she could write anyway.

Katara was relieved to see that Toph was safe, and other than the dirt she had all over, which Zuko had gotten as well when he hugged her, she was fine. The infirmary was more like a massacre room; Ninja Warrior didn't show any mercy to his previous opponents. The water bending healer did all she could to help the patients recover, and left exhausted.

"My parents are waiting outside," Toph stated. The thought of taking the back exit crossed her mind, but she did not act on it. She had written a letter to them, hopefully Sokka's messenger hawk, Hawky, had delivered it and they understood. She couldn't avoid them forever, and this was as good a chance as any to face them.

"You've decided to talk to them?" Aang asked.

"Yeah," Toph continued walking towards the main exit with no doubts.

"I think it's a great idea," Katara encouraged her.

"What are they like?" Suki asked; the mood felt relatively relaxed so it couldn't be so bad.

"Annoyingly and over protective like you won't believe, but I guess I can't avoid them forever. Maybe they'll finally understand that I'm not going to bother staying unless I'm given some freedom," Toph felt Zuko let go of her and start to fall a little behind in the group.

Zuko slowed his pace and wondered about Toph's parents. Would they recognize him? If so, what would happen then? Even if they didn't recognize him as being from the Fire Nation, that didn't mean they would approve of him. Then again, Toph didn't seem to care what they said and that knowledge reassured him. Even if they disapproved, she was the only one who had to like him, but even so he hoped they wouldn't be upset because of him.

Toph was about to call out to Zuko because he was falling behind, but she felt him catch up with the group and didn't say anything.

"Toph!" Mr. and Mrs. Bei Fong hugged their daughter, it was a little suffocating, literally and metaphorically, but she endured it.

"Did you get my letter?" Toph casually asked.

"Yes, we did. Have you come home to stay?" Toph's mother asked hopefully.

"No, I need to keep traveling with the avatar and training him," Toph knew they disapproved, but she didn't expect them to approve, she expected them to understand and clarified that. "You don't need to like it; you only need to understand it." Toph seemed too defensive in her parent's eyes. She noticed their discomfort and the atmosphere went from semi-relaxed to tense, to the point where everyone could feel it. "Mom, dad, you know very well that you can't trap me, I'll break away even if it is by force; and why would you want to keep your own daughter as a prisoner anyway? Thanks for taking care of me when I was little, I now learned how to take care of myself, so you should be good parents and give me some room to grow. Believe me, I do not need protection, especially from bodyguards who are weaker than me." The very earth they stood on started to quake, as if responding to Toph's frustration and sudden rush of emotion.

Toph's parents backed away, and Katara looked like she wanted to say something to make peace, but couldn't figure out what to say. Suki was surprised with how it turned out, Sokka watched not knowing what he should do or say. Aang's mind raced trying to find a way to promote peace, he was the avatar after all, but he couldn't come up with anything.

"We watched the fight..." Toph's father finally broke the tense silence. "We know you're a powerful earth bender and if we must accept that," he made it clear they were only accepting it because Toph gave them no other choice. "Then allow us to help you with your earth bending. We'll hire the best masters to teach you, stay here and train, you'll become stronger, isn't that what you want?"

"That sounds great, but not right now. I'm going to help the avatar," at least they accepted Toph's power; that was a start.

"Try to think about it," Toph's mother insisted. "You don't need to decide right away. Why don't you and your friends stay over and we can try to work things out."

The start wasn't exactly smooth and sweet, but that did not mean it absolutely had to end in disaster. Toph accepted the invitation and the group headed to the Bei Fong mansion.

xoxox xox xoxox

Once they were at the mansion, the avatar's group and the Bei Fong family sat in a large oval shaped table, while the servants brought tea and cookies. Hawky sat contently on a perch, he looked a little chubbier than before, as if he had become accustomed to being fed and spoiled by the servants without having to work. Sokka dared not claim the hawk, he was probably happier as a spoiled pet than a messenger anyway, and Sokka didn't want to take that comfort away from Hawky.

"Let's start over," Toph's mother spoke. "Let's work things out, from the beginning. We'll start with introductions. Toph, tell us about the avatar and all your friends." The atmosphere wasn't exactly comfortable, but at least they were talking without yelling so things could still improve.

Zuko noticed the suspicious looks he was getting and felt very uncomfortable. He stared at his tea, feeling nostalgia; it wasn't as good as uncle Iroh's tea. Zuko let his hair fall over his face, partially hiding the burn scar.

The sitting arrangements on the table had Toph between her mother and father. Aang was sitting next to Toph's father, and Katara was next to her mother. Aang and Katara had become the self proclaimed keepers of peace, and thus needed to work as a barrier between Toph's parents and the rest of the group, absorbing as much of the tension as they could themselves.

To Toph's left the arrangement was her mother, then Katara, Sokka sat next to Katara, where she could elbow him if she thought it was needed. Next to Sokka was Suki. Suki was facing Toph and her parents directly, which was good since a new face might be best for them to have the clearest view of. Next there was Zuko sitting between Aang and Suki. It was as close and he could get to Toph without being directly next to one of her parents. Aang sat between Zuko and Toph's dad, and the oval was completed.

Eruption 26: Introductions

Toph took a deep breath and started to introduce everyone. Her parents seemed to be paying more attention to the avatar now than last time so she started with him. "This is Aang, the avatar. He's on a mission to master all the elements and restore balance to the world," hoping to ease the tension Toph added, "I call him Twinkle Toes."

Aang gave the Bei Fongs a big silly smile, but they remained serious, occasionally stealing glances at Zuko who was having a hard time hiding behind Aang since Zuko was taller. The fire bender saw the world between strands of black hair that had grown and fell over his eyes, and he had no intentions of bushing away the comforting curtain that he knew did not hide him, but gave him the illusion it did. He imagined Aang must feel so bald receiving those scrutinizing looks directly on his head.

Though her parents kept their poker faces on, Toph thought the nicknames were a nice touch to help make the introductions a little more personal, and less awkward. "Over here we have Sugar Queen, also know as Katara," Toph skipped to the other side of the oval with the introductions. "She's a master water bender, she can even work with ice and snow, turn water into ice, and ice into water." Toph decided to skip the blood bending story for Katara's sake, and to prevent her parents from jumping to conclusions and assuming Katara was controlling Toph and making her run away. "Katara is also a healer, her healing powers are really amazing," it was a note worthy to be mentioned, plus it might help calm Toph's parent knowing she was safer than they thought, though the fact remained that she would still be in battles.

Katara gave a kind smile, not as exaggerated as Aang's, but the serenity of her expression was a point in her favor. Zuko was thankful that the Bei Fong couple's attention was shifted towards the other side of the table.

Toph decided to continue with Sokka since he was related to Katara. "Next to Katara is her brother Sokka, I used to call him Boomerang Boy, maybe I should upgrade that to Space Sword. He's a warrior, strategist, and all that stuff; he's also a bit of an inventor and has a good sense of humor," it was funny, Toph mused, in the past she might have looked away and blushed saying all those things about Sokka, but not anymore. Her crush on the water tribe warrior had dissipated and she was truly happy for him and Suki.

Sokka waved a little, as if greeting someone who was far away, even if they were all right there, sitting around the table.

"Next we have Suki, she's a Kyoshi Warrior," Toph remembered her mother speaking about how she should be lady like. "The Kyoshi warriors have a very interesting fighting style that's both strong and elegant. I will call her Fan Lady."

Suki had done an excellent job of keeping a calm expression without flinching once, even if she was at the direct line of sight of the Bei Fongs. She smiled confident but friendly, as Toph introduced her.

Now only Zuko was left, but Toph couldn't introduce him as Zuko. She also thought it was wise to wait and see how things played out before attempting to introduce him as her boyfriend. "This is Li," as soon as Toph spoke the name her friends understood that she would be introducing him with his other identity, and his fire bending and connections with the Fire Nation were to remain a secret. "He's a warrior from a far away Earth Kingdom village, an expert with the twin swords." The nicknames of Dancing Dragon and Princess hinted too much at Zuko's true identity. "I call him Sword Dancer."

After the introductions, the conversation evolved into small talk about the avatar's travels, highlighting the cultural aspect, and avoiding stories of the dangerous parts.

xoxox xox xoxox

Later, the group received a tour of the Bei Fong mansion, highlighting their collection of sculptures, decorative vases, and paintings.

Toph could tell her friends were trying their hardest to give her parents a good impression for her sake. They occasionally commented on the paintings trying to sound sophisticated and cultured, often failing to understand the metaphorical interpretation that high society claimed was ever so easy to see in those works of art. At least Sokka's comments, though not exactly sophisticated, were amusing, and Toph's parents actually smiled a few times.

"Li, you've been awfully quiet during the tour," Toph's father commented. "Tell me, what do you think of this, it's a work of art isn't it?"

The delicate porcelain tea set was meant to be kept on display, not to be used. The cups, plates and tea pot were crafted in great detail and painted with amazing precision. The illustrations of a garden of iris flowers seemed to come to life right out of the porcelain, smoothed and curved with a thin layer of glass to add shine and preserve the detailed paint under it, few could accomplish such an artistic work.

Zuko felt all eyes on him, as Toph's parents awaited his answer. He wasn't sure what to say, so he went with the obvious and decided his best choice was to compliment the tea set and thus complement their taste in art. "The Paradise Garden collection is very nice. I think the iris set was one of Alancia's best work."

There was a moment of silence in which Zuko mentally kicked himself for what he said. He knew about Alancia's work because his late aunt used to collect tea sets and her husband, Zuko's uncle Iroh, loved tea.

In fact, Zuko remembered all too clearly accidentally breaking one of the cups of the rose set when he was a child. It was part of the legendary Paradise Garden collection, updated with a finely crafted tea set featuring a different flower each year. Back then the iris set had not yet been made. He remembered hearing the story of the tea set, though his aunt didn't make a big deal about the broken cup. She mentioned she would simply get a new set the next year, when the sunflower set was to be crafted by Solava Alancia, an artistic fire bender famous for her glass, ceramic and porcelain masterpieces.

Well, at least the Bei Fongs appreciated art no matter what nation it came from. It brought back memories of Solava's visit to the fire palace, and how she crafted a hair piece shaped like the symbol of the fire nation, using her fire to melt the glass and shape it with great skill, then draining away the heat from the glass item, causing it to become solid. It was silly how they expected children to wear such things on their hair and not break them. But memories aside, Zuko felt as if he had walked right into a trap.

Eruption 27: A Disaster Waiting to Happen

"You've heard of Solava?" Toph's mother asked.

Zuko wasn't sure what to do. "Yes, only a little."

"You don't seem surprised at the name Solava," Mr. Bei Fong added curiously.

"I heard about Solava Alancia's work from an aunt," Zuko decided that the truth was good enough in this situation, as long as it didn't go too far. Yet, somehow, he felt as if he was falling deeper.

"I see, well then why don't we continue the tour?" Toph's mother led them towards the gallery room, and Zuko breathed in relief, while Toph tensed up.

The earth bending master quietly slipped away from between her parents when they where immersed discussing a painting, and approached the secret fire bender. "They're suspicious of you."

"What did I do?" Zuko half blamed himself, half asked. He thought he escaped suspicion.

Toph shook her head, almost amused at the irony. "Like I said, a disaster waiting to happen."

"Li, tell me your opinion about this painting," Mr. Bei Fong pulled Zuko away from the group and Toph.

Zuko tried to give a neutral opinion. He realized that few people outside of the Fire Nation knew Solava's first name. To most she was simply Miss Alancia, since Solava was such an obvious Fire Nation name which translated to sun lava. "It's pretty?"

"Come now, you must have a more detailed opinion than that," Mr. Bei Fong insisted.

"I was happy when I thought you were familiar with these works of art. Could it be that you've only heard about Alancia? I suppose warriors have little time to culture themselves," Mrs. Bei Fong put out a great performance, and Toph hoped that Zuko would keep his princely mouth shut, but had no such luck.

Zuko focused on the painting and tried his best to remember all those boring lessons from when he was little. He didn't see Toph flailing her arms trying to get his attention when her parents stopped watching her. He managed to sound like a true prince, which made Toph want to bang her head against the nearest wall. Honestly, Zuko could be a little too gullible sometimes. He thought he was actually giving Toph's parents a good impression and had become more optimistic than he used to be, maybe too optimistic.

xoxox xox xoxox

Time passed by with Toph's parents getting as much information out of Zuko as they possibly could, yet they didn't comment on why he knew the things he knew. Dinner time rolled around, and things appeared to be going smoothly, but Toph was still uneasy even if most of the others had relaxed.

When night fell, Toph had gone to her old room, and her traveling companions were taken to the guest rooms of the large mansion.

xoxox xox xoxox

Zuko was alone in his room, drifting off to sleep. Toph looked uncomfortable during dinner, but he didn't have the chance to talk to her without her parents listening. He wanted to know what was happening; he wanted to know what she meant when she mentioned disaster. He wanted to see Toph, so he got out of bed, and a split second later a pointed rock rose from the stone floor and pierced the bed as if it were nothing but a thin sheet of paper. Zuko grinned, maybe his senses were better than he was given credit for, he knew he was being watched, he felt it, not like an earth bender, but with a warrior's instinct.

In a quick movement, Zuko grabbed his twin swords, threw the window open, causing a little damage to it in the process, but that didn't matter at the time. Zuko leapt outside through the window. The earth bender from the tournament was there, Unbeatable Muscle, the one Katara had healed, not knowing that he would do something like this later, the ingrate. Thus the battle began.

Unbeatable Muscle brought up sharp pieces of earth from the ground but Zuko dodged them. The problem was that Zuko couldn't get close enough to use his swords. He had no choice but to put them away and rely on his fire bending. He shot a flame from his hand and Unbeatable Muscle, though caught by surprise, used a wall of earth to block it at the last moment. He was not able to block the next flame however; it came stronger than the first, burning a hole through the earth and hitting the target.

The muscular earth bender threw off his shirt after it caught on fire then ran away. Clearly he wasn't expecting to fight a fire bender. If the Bei Fongs had discovered Zuko's identity and sent an assassin, then he should have known what he was up against. Could it be that he wasn't sent by Toph's parents at all?

"Well done Dancing Dragon!" Toph congratulated Zuko.

"For how long have you been there?" Zuko was so focused on the fight he didn't even notice Toph was watching.

"Long enough, I felt that guy's earth bending and came to warn you, but it looks like you were able to handle it. Oh, yeah and there's that," Toph pointed up towards the ceiling of the mansion.

On the ceiling a guard stood practically shaking in fear. Things were not looking good, yet somehow Zuko still took the time to note Toph's image in the moon light, wearing pale green silk pajamas, with her long hair down, he didn't even know her hair was that long. She looked beautiful.

"You can stare at me later, Dancing Dragon. Let's go back inside, my parents are coming, we've been discovered." Toph started walking back inside the mansion; she appeared relatively calm given the situation.

xoxox xox xoxox

While Aang, Katara, Sokka, Suki, Momo and Appa slept soundly; Toph, Zuko, the guard, Mr. and Mrs. Bei Fong, were sitting in the tea room.

"Are you sure about what you saw?" Mr. Bei Fong asked in alarm.

"Yes, he's a fire bender. An earth bender attacked him and he used fire to fight back," the guard testified. He didn't care if he had pointed out the earth bender attacked first, Zuko was a fire bender, and that made him guilty.

"Who was that earth bender? I assume we're not talking about one of our guards," Mrs. Being Fong inquired.

"No, I've never seen him before," the guard was still shaken from witnessing the battle.

"He calls himself Unbeatable Muscle, but he was beaten by another earth bender called Ninja Warrior, then I beat Ninja Warrior at the tournament. You might have seen him there," Toph explained.

To be Continued

Disclaimer, I don't own Avatar: The Last Air Bender. The OCs in the story so far are, Suna, Bento, Unbeatable Muscle, Ninja Warrior, Solava Alancia and Terra, but most of them have very minor roles. Thanks to MastaDrumma22 for pointing out Toph's insecurity towards her looks in a review, I used the idea in Eruption 20. Erruption 23 (and others after that) have references to the Japanese shows Ninja Warrior (Sasuke in Japan) and Unbeatable Banzuke (Kinniku Banzuke).