FicWad

There's a time skip between Eruption 41 and 42 since the basic plot would be the same as in the series so I feel it would be too repetitive. Eruptions 1 to 41 take place during book 3 and Eruptions 42 and beyond take place after the end of book 3. You may notice that I merged what I had written of Lucky Cat with Magma to make it a novel length toko and because most stories end after they get together and I wanted to write a little further into the future. For those who have read the old version of this, I'll make a note at the start of the part where the new things start.

Magma: Volcano V

Eruption 36: Time Flows Differently

Appa stopped, sensing he was far enough from the strange light.

"What is that?" Sokka asked.

"I don't know," as the Avatar, Aang somehow felt as if he should know, but he didn't. The light felt familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. Appa landed and everyone got off. "It's okay buddy, you don't need to go over there if you don't want to."

"Does that mean we will be going?" Katara did not approve of it, but a part of her thought they should go, to make sure whatever it was didn't harm anyone should it move or extend.

Aang nodded, "I feel that we should."

The group started walking towards the strange light. "Toph do you sense anything?" The entire time Zuko noticed that Toph had a confused look.

"Whatever you're seeing, I can't see it," Toph admitted.

The group came to a halt, "you can't see it with earth bending?" Zuko as well as everyone else was surprised.

Toph shook her head. "I don't feel anything strange at all. Whatever you see there isn't causing any vibrations."

Toph not being able to sense the source of the light brought a feeling or uncertainty mixed with curiosity. "Maybe we shouldn't get too close." Katara thought of the possible danger, and didn't want anyone to be in that danger.

"But someone has to check it out." Aang felt that as the Avatar, the responsibility fell upon him.

"We'll go carefully and approach little by little," Suki suggested. "Toph if you start feeling anything unusual with your earth bending, let us know."

"Got it," Toph agreed.

The group continued to approach the light coming from the temple, now joined by Appa and Momo. They sensed things differently from humans and would prefer to stay away from the temple right now, but they didn't want to let their human friends continue alone.

The group finally reached the temple to see the light had somewhat died down and was focused on what can only be described as a rip in the fabric of time and space. "Toph?" Aang asked.

The earth bender was becoming frustrated with her inability to see the thing that had everyone so worked up, "nothing."

A ghostly figure appeared near the rip, one that could only be seen by Aang. "There's someone there." He tried to focus on the being who had appeared, willing his sense to see and hear only that. The arrow on his forehead began to glow and soon the image became clear. "Avatar Roku?"

" Aang, what you see before you is a rare disaster that has not occurred in a long time. It is not just this world but the Spirit World itself is out of balance," Roku explained.

"How can we fix it?" Aang knew this was serious. "Will it be fixed when the balance of this world is restored?"

"No, the balance of the Spirit World must be restored first, or you will be working against fate to restore the balance of this world." Roku wished he could help more, but this was a task that only the current Avatar could accomplish.

"What can I do to make it work?" Aang asked.

"Go into the Spirit World, you may bring your companions with you if you wish. Your bodies will sleep here in this temple and your spirits will go." Roku started to fade away. "I'm sorry I cannot help you more with this task, but if the Spirit World is out of balance, us spirits lose our power."

"Roku!" Aang woke up from the Avatar state.

"Avatar Roku?" Katara asked, "you were communicating with him just now?"

"Yes," Aang looked at the rip; it was nothing but light and an opening to the Spirit World. Looking at it closely, the Spirit World could be seen on the other side, it was blurry, as if everything was moving too fast. It produced no vibrations or air currents that could be felt. "The Spirit World must be brought to balance before our world can return to balance. Roku said that my body would sleep here and my spirit would go, and that guys could come with me."

"We can actually visit the Spirit World?" Zuko had not thought it was possible for someone other than the Avatar. This must truly be a special occasion of great emergency.

"I want to go, if I can use earth bending in there," Toph said.

"It should work, maybe it will be a little different but it should still work," Aang looked at the rip, the bright lights that once reached for the skies had been reduced and stabilized. It would be hard to find the rip now, but anyone who had seen the lights before might wonder what it was. "We can't all go at the same time, someone needs to stay here and make sure nothing happens to our bodies while we're in the Spirit World. Katara..."

"No Aang, I want to go," the water bender protested.

"I know, I want you to come too, but it's best if you stay," because Aang had to be the Avatar with no distractions, and he would worry about Katara otherwise. "I know I can entrust everyone to you. Toph has a special way to sense things, even if she can't sense the rip, I think that her senses will be enhanced in the Spirit World so she should come. Zuko might want to come too if Toph is coming and there are some things I think he can help me with. Katara, you're really good at taking care of all of us, so please watch over us. Sokka and Suki, you're both strong warriors, keep us safe if anyone comes this way. Appa and Momo will help too. I think this is the best way to do this."

A moment of silence passed in which everyone gave the situation some thought. "I'll do it," Katara decided. "I know you need me here taking care of everyone's bodies while your spirits are in the Spirit World, don't worry about it, just leave it to me."

"Right, and we'll help out too," Suki agreed.

"You're all in good hands, no worries. Now go in there be all Avatar-like and restore the balance!" Sokka brought in a positive optimistic mood as he usually somehow did.

Toph and Zuko held hands and followed Aang into the Spirit World. Their bodies were left in a dream-like state and their spirits journeyed to the Spirit World.

At the other side, they saw the world moving slowly. "It feels as if time is flowing differently here," Aang observed.

"Looks like for the time we spend here, less time passes in our world," Zuko concluded. It was a little odd watching Katara, Sokka and Suki moved in such slow motion, it was hard to tell they were even moving. No wonder the Spirit World looked like such a blur of motion when they tried to look into it from their world.

Toph held Zuko's hand tightly, her eyes closed. The fire bender looked at her with a concerned expression. "Toph, are you alright?"

Eruption 37: The Light of her Eyes

"Toph!" Zuko saw her pained expression and worried about what could be causing it.

"There's something wrong, something's here," of course Aang knew there was something wrong in the Spirit World; that was what he was trying to fix, even if Roku was not able to tell him the specifics. But Aang didn't expect to feel such evil all at once after stepping into the Spirit World. The feeling came and went rapidly, leaving a sensation of discomfort behind. "It's, it's gone, I can't feel it anymore, but what was it?"

"Toph, did that, thing, whatever Aang is talking about, attack you somehow?" Zuko had not seen anything, but he felt as if Toph was in danger, then the danger was gone, or maybe hiding.

"I'm fine, I felt pain all of a sudden, but I fought it. That thing, some kind of invisible spirit attacked me, but it's okay, I drove it away. I guess you could say the power of the mind is important here." Toph's eyes remained closed as she spoke.

"Right, we should all say alert, Toph do you feel anything with your Earth bending?" Aang asked.

"Nothing," Toph replied, eyes still closed, as if she couldn't open them. "Can't see a thing, it's as if my bending is gone."

"Gone?" Aang started to look a little nervous.

"What is it?" Zuko urged the Avatar to say what was on his mind.

"Well I haven't been here for a while and I kind of forgot," Aang stared at the ground.

"Forgot what?" Zuko didn't like where this was going.

"That we can't bend in the Spirit World," Aang confessed.

Zuko blinked, stared then finally slapped his forehead. "That makes things so much easier," he sarcastically said. He looked at Toph and wondered why she had not opened her eyes. Even if she couldn't see, she kept her eyes open. "Toph, are you okay?"

Toph slowly opened her eyes, blinking gently several times. Her eyes were watery but she was smiling.

Zuko couldn't stop looking at Toph. Her eyes were not nearly white as they used to be, they were green, a deep shade of emerald green more beautiful than the jewel itself. "Toph?"

Smiling, Toph hugged Zuko, taking a long look at his face, "I really like your eyes," so that was what gold looked like, Toph had heard Zuko's eyes were golden but had never seen them. If gold looked like his eyes, it was no wonder it was considered precious and beautiful. "Dancing Dragon, you really are handsome, I'm happy to finally be able to see you with more than just earth bending."

Aang was practically open mouthed witnessing the scene. "Toph's eyes are..."

"It's a gift of the Spirit World I guess," Toph had not looked away from Zuko. She was curious about the world around her, but she wanted to savor the image she had longed to see for so long. "I'm really glad I came."

"So am I," it gave Zuko immense happiness to see Toph smiling like that, with her wish being granted. He didn't know how long it would last, and if her eyes would once again fade to white after they left the Spirit World; but for now he would make sure she enjoyed her new found sight, even if they were on a mission.

After the initial surprise, Zuko, Toph and Aang continued moving forward. They found a building Aang was sure he had not seen before when he was in the Spirit World in the past. "I don't think that's supposed to be there." They approached the building cautiously, entering a long dark corridor.

When they reached the other side, the setting was not a swamp; it was a vast field of colorful flowers. When her parents used to make her wear flowers in her hair, Toph didn't like them, but now she thought they were beautiful. "I didn't know flowers came in so many colors. I didn't even know what colors were." She knew in theory from descriptions, but it wasn't the same as seeing them.

Aang's expression was blank and tired, as if he wasn't being himself, but Zuko was too busy watching Toph run through the flower field to notice, and Toph was too busy with the flowers. The Avatar felt strange. He tried to clear his mind but it wasn't working. He felt as if he should know were to go but he didn't.

Aang was sure the building was not big enough to hold this large flower field inside, plus there was no ceiling; but he thought that structures in the Spirit World didn't necessarily follow a logical style. "I'm going to meditate," Aang finally announced, something was off and he needed to see it clearly. The Avatar sat down at the tunnel entrance and went into a deep meditation.

Toph and Zuko decided to leave Aang to his meditation and explore a little. "I never thought a place like this could be inside that building," Zuko voiced.

"It does look like it would fit, the building wasn't this big, there's no ceiling out there, the sky is different and there's no swamp. I guess that's the Spirit World," Toph was in an exceptionally good mood.

"This is what the day sky looks like in your world when it's clear." Zuko and Toph found a spot far from Aang so they wouldn't interrupt, but still close enough to see and hear him if he needed anything.

"It's really nice and so big; I wish I could have seen it before. I heard the stars are really beautiful. Do you think there's night in the Spirit World?" Toph asked.

"I don't know, it's my first time here. Maybe there is," Zuko didn't fully understand the Spirit World, but it didn't feel that hard to survive in.

"What color is this?" Toph pointed at one of the flowers.

"That's a rose and it's red," Zuko replied.

"What about the sky?" Toph asked.

"Light blue," Zuko couldn't help it but to be amused by all of Toph's questions. She knew the names of colors but she only had words and no images to match them with until now, so she was learning to truly identify them.

Eruption 38: Images

At the entrance to the cave, "Aang," the Avatar opened his eyes to a pair of blue eyes accompanied by a smile.

"Katara? What are you doing in the Spirit World? Is something wrong?" Despite the odd feeling of peace around him, perhaps excessive peace if that was even possible, Aang was concerned with Katara's sudden appearance in the Spirit World.

"Everything's fine, I just wanted to see you. I missed you. Let's explore the Spirit World together!" Katara took Aang's hand and pulled him to his feet. Little did he know, that was not Katara at all.

xoxox xox xoxox

In the flower field, a feeling of relaxation washed over Zuko and Toph. She was a quick learner and was already able to identify many colors. A soft breeze blew, a few flower petals dancing around them. One fire red petal landed on Zuko's face and he brushed it away. He skin felt smooth where it shouldn't be. He touched the area again, a wave of self-consciousness almost hitting him, realizing that Toph could now see him. However, he found relief in the inexplicable feeling of being healed. He blinked and noticed how easy it was to open and close his left eye, which he could only open partially before.

"What's wrong dancing dragon? Got an itch?" Toph thought he looked funny, rubbing the left side of his face, tracing along the area around his left eye and the left eyebrow that was there, but shouldn't have been.

"Do I look different?" Zuko asked, as if Toph was always able to see, which in a way she was, but not in the same way as she could now.

"How should I know? I'm seeing you for the first time," but she had seen him before in a different way. Even if Toph had no earth bending in the Spirit World, she had retained her senses including tact, and had gained sight. She felt his face, like she used to when she was trying to see him with her hands. "You do feel different. You said you had a scar, I'm not sure what it was supposed to look like, but this is not how it felt and I can't see any scars." The skin was perfect without a single mark; his face had nothing that by the definition she had learned, could earn the name of scar.

"The Spirit World healed us," Zuko concluded. He ignored the feeling of foreboding as originating from his past experiences when things took a turn for the worse just when he thought they couldn't. That wouldn't happen again, not this time; because this time he was doing the right thing. But bad things could still happen to those who did the right things; he had experienced that and carried the scar for a long time. Yet that scar was healed, was that not the proof he needed to conclude that things do work out if the right path is chosen?

"I wish we could have come sooner," the subject of leaving the Spirit World was not mentioned. Toph looked at the distance and thought she saw something that wasn't there before.

Zuko noticed and looked in the same direction. "A waterfall?"

"Let's go take a closer look!" Toph had heard many times that waterfalls were beautiful and now she knew why.

The pair run to the waterfall, it was much bigger than it appeared to be. Or maybe it grew as they approached; much more then it should have out of simple relative perspective. The crystalline water fell majestically, creating a soft sound. The lake below the waterfall had no means of not overflowing with the water constantly falling in, but the surface of the lake was calm and peaceful, and the level of water never changed.

The rays of the sun reflected off the falling water creating a radiant rainbow, with colors that were much brighter than they would have been in real life. Toph felt as if she had been missing out for a long time, finally seeing all those things that some thought of as beautiful and others took for granted. But of all of it, her favorite sight was her handsome Dancing Dragon, who was currently examining his reflection in the mirror-like surface of the calm lake.

Satisfied with the mysterious disappearance of his scar, he looked at Toph. She had happiness radiating from her smile and her emerald green eyes. He hugged her, thankful that she could see him like that, without the mark of his painful past, and thankful that she could see at all. They stayed close and kissed, the light around them becoming dim.

When they parted, the dark skies were filled with many small lights, brighter than the stars that could be seen from Earth, some in colors that Zuko would never imagined for a star. The atmosphere was perfect, they were together, and they wished that it would last forever.

They sat next to the lake, looking up at the stars, a gift from the Spirit World, they thought. They hugged and watched the shooting stars go by, lighting the skies as they went, and they realized once again how comfortable they were with each other and how much they never wanted to let go.

"I love you..."

Eruption 39: Their Own World

After dozing off together, Toph started dreaming. The wind was harsh and cold, she saw blurred figures fading. She heard, felt and even smelled the danger somehow. There was boiling lava all around, she couldn't explain how. She saw him, Zuko, exactly as he was. He stood in a lone rock among the lava, a being of fire standing before him. "Make your choice," the being spoke in its thunderous voice.

xoxox xox xoxox

Toph woke up in Zuko's arms, her heart was pounding and she suddenly felt lost. She couldn't feel where she was, though she knew they had taken refuge in a cave to get some rest. Her hands reached for the sleeping prince next to her, gently so she wouldn't wake him. Her green eyes were wide open, but the faint light of the stars at the entrance to the cave wasn't enough. She ran out, leaving Zuko asleep. She stared at the clear night sky and her fast breathes evened.

Toph could not feel where she was, but she could see. When she closed her eyes, lacking her earth bending, she became uneasy. Maybe that was the reason why she had nightmares. Her nightmares in the past were rare; usually she woke up without remembering anything she might have dreamed about. When she did dream, be it good of bad, her dreams were about feelings, similar to what she could perceive through earth bending, that was all that was stored in her subconscious, so that was all she had to dream about.

This was Toph's first dream with clear images. Not only could she see the dream, but all her senses were acute during it as well, more so than ever before. She would have preferred a pleasant dream as the first dream she could see, but even so, she was thankful to be able to see in her dream at all, even if it was a nightmare. Toph continued to stare at the night sky, and didn't notice the little weasel approaching until it was sitting next to her. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

Toph was surprised by the sudden unfamiliar voice. Her head turned in every direction, searching for the one who spoke, but saw no one except a little black weasel.

"Yes, it was I who spoke," the weasel answered Toph's silent question.

She laughed, "I guess I shouldn't be surprised." It really shouldn't be rare for animals in the Spirit World to speak.

"Yes indeed, many things can happen here. You've received a gift haven't you? I received one too," the weasel smiled.

"The Spirit World can even make animals talk, that's interesting," Toph knew of that world's powers, she had no doubts about it.

"Oh yes, yes, it's wonderful. I wanted to show my friends but," the weasel paused and observed Toph's expression; she looked uncomfortable with where this was going.

"What happened?" Toph wanted to know if it was possible to take the gift of the Spirit World with her when she left.

"I couldn't talk, it was too bad. I missed it so much I came back. It was hard leaving my friends, but I made new friends here, other weasels, animals and even humans!" The weasel sounded happy with his choice.

"There are more humans here?" Toph was a bit surprised. She thought that going into the Spirit World was not something people did so easily.

"Yes, yes! There's a town not too far from here. But the gates only open at sunset, the days are a little irregular here so you never know when that will happen, but tomorrow may end really fast. When that happens, head for the sunset and beyond the twilight there is a town," the weasel explained. "Seek the wizard; he knows how to make the gifts of the Spirit World permanent even if you leave. Of course, he'll charge you, but it'll be worth it if you ever decide to go back. I'm already used to living here and I made lots of new friends, so I decided to stay even after I found out about the wizard."

Toph had found the solution to her dilemma and it was all thanks to a weasel. "Thanks," she petted the small animal, who comfortably snuggled in her arms.

Knowing that there was a way to keep her seeing eyes, Toph headed back into the cave, feeling more at peace. She lay on the ground next to Zuko, just as she said, it did not rain in the middle of the night, so they really could have stayed out. It didn't matter knowing that she could have a lifetime to look at that sky, at Zuko and at the world. She was curious about so many things.

The idea of how to pay the one called 'wizard' tugged at the back of Toph's mind, but she ignored it, she would find a way to pay him. Her family was rich after all, if she needed money she could send for it somehow, or as a last resort go get it herself. After Toph drifted off to sleep next to Zuko, the dreams that came were pleasant.

xoxox xox xoxox

Toph was marching down a long corridor surrounded by fire, but the fire did not worry her. The flames looked beautiful, not threatening, taking many colors and shapes, it was amazing. Zuko looked as handsome as ever, radiant in formal royal attire. Toph noted that she too was dressed formally. At the end of the fiery corridor stood Iroh, waiting at a table set with tea.

Toph and Zuko sat at the table with Iroh. The three of them had tea together and spoke of many things. Toph and Zuko were engaged and would soon announce it. The good dreams continued until morning.

Eruption 40: Magical Dream

The next day, upon reaching the village they had been directed towards, they found little cabins that looked like they came out of a painting. A small bridge went over the peaceful stream that was only about one or two feet deep, tiny silver and gold fish were swimming in the peaceful crystalline waters and little pebbles in a variety of color were visible at the bottom.

Entering such a normal looking village, with people walking along the streets, merchants selling fruits and a variety of goods, and cabins lining the streets, made them almost forget where they were. It was all too similar to a village in the outside world, except it was a little more dream-like, ideal and peaceful; it was a very pleasant place.

Across the bridge and past the mailbox labeled 'Wizard', where a small blue bird was perched happily chirping a little melody, Zuko knocked on the door of one of the small houses. "Come in," the voice of an elderly man was heard from within.

Toph and Zuko entered to find that the tiny house looked much bigger on the inside, composed of several rooms though from looking at its apparent size from outside one would assume it's only composed on a single small room. The cozy living room was layered in colorful festive fuzzy carpets and comfy furniture. A fireplace burned on the opposite end of the room, though no chimney could be seen outside.

The walls were practically covered with overflowing bookcases, containing texts big and small, in a variety of colors. In the corner of the living room there was a desk, some rolled up parchment was pushed to the side as well as a bottle of ink with a large white feather. A book was placed on the desk, and in front of the book sat an elderly man.

The man looked at his visitors. He was a little on the chubby side, his blue eyes looked kind behind his glasses and he ha s a short white beard. "Tashia! It's been so long!"

"Huh? You mean me? My name is Toph," she did not know of anyone called Tashia.

"Oh? My apologies Miss Toph, you look so much like my granddaughter I thought she was back. Sometimes I forget that she passed away and expect her to return with a basket full of berries like she used to do." The man paused, trying to shift his sad expression into a happy one.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Toph spoke quietly; she didn't expect to remind anyone of a loved one they've lost.

"Don't worry about it, it's actually good to see someone so young and energetic who looks like my dear granddaughter. I am known as Wizard, it's nice to meet you Miss Toph, and what is your name young man?" Well at least they knew they had the right person if he was the wizard.

"My name is Zuko."

"And I'm just Toph, I don't like that formal miss stuff."

"Very well, pleased to meet you both, sit down, I have some tea; it's good to have company over when drinking tea." While Wizard got the tea, Toph and Zuko sat in the living room.

"He kind of reminds me of uncle," Zuko wondered what kind of tea Wizard liked and if it was anything like Iroh's tea.

After the tea was served Toph was about to explain her purpose for the visit, which of course involved keeping the gift she received from the Spirit World after leaving, however that was not what she said.

That world, specifically the strange structure that they entered which had a world of its own inside, played many tricks on their minds. "We're travelers," Toph voiced.

"We're searching for a nice place to live, and some jobs," Zuko added. Somehow he felt as if they were a young couple who ran away together to spend their lives with each other. The story fit so well that he didn't question it as much as he should.

"Well you've come to the right place; I could offer you some jobs myself. It's nothing too hard, there's a little path behind this house that leads to a field rich in fruits and berries. They grow by themselves so you don't need to worry about that, but someone has to bring them to the village. I usually sell the products that grow in my land to the local shops, and they supply the village. Sometimes merchants come by to buy fruits to take to other villages. How about I hire you two to work on my land and we split the profits three ways? I can also provide you with a place to live."

It certainly sounded like a good deal, "sounds great, what do you think Dancing Dragon?"

"I agree, we could stay in this village and live a happy life together," Zuko and Toph were both wrapped up in the dream, but at least, it was a happy dream.

xoxox xox xoxox

That afternoon they went to the fields to bring back the fruits. Apples, oranges, bananas, pears, strawberries and all kinds of fruits grew from identical trees, each carrying an unnatural cocktail in its branches. It made no sense, but such details were blurred by a happy dream where time moved at an indefinite pace.

The small carriage pulled by an ostrich-horse held many baskets filled with fruits sorted by type and a happy couple enjoyed an afternoon snack under the shade of one of those cocktail trees. "That was fun," Toph took a bit of her apple.

"Okay, you were right, it was fun," it took some convincing but Zuko finally gave into the strategy of Toph shaking up the trees with her earth bending while he ran around catching the fruits. He felt a bit silly like the first time he did the Dragon Dance, but after a while, he actually started to have fun, and Toph was certainly amused watching him.

They wrapped their arms around each other and kissed. They would have a long and happy life together in that little village. It was what they traveled out to do, to find place just like that to live their lives forever. They didn't question the return of their bending abilities, and they didn't remember that the world they were in was not their own. They didn't know that all they saw was only an illusion.

Eruption 41: Wake Up Call

"Zuko! Toph!" When Zuko and Toph were returning to the Wizard's house they found a boy with arrow tattoos who knew their names. "We have to get out of here quick! We've been tricked! We have to go, it's all an illusion, everything; the bending, the village, all of it is a trap. We need to get out of here!"

Aang saw through the illusion only thanks to the real Katara. Aang had been tricked by the fake one until he heard the real Katara's voice in the distance. Though his soul was in the Spirit World, being the Avatar, Aang could somehow hear Katara speaking to his dormant body despite the difference in the flow of time and the distance.

"I don't know who you are but you need to calm down." The boy looked familiar, but Zuko couldn't quite remember who he was.

"I think he's been out in the sun for too long," Toph added.

Aang started at them worriedly, "oh no, you were tricked too. Wake up! You have to wake up from this dream world!" Toph and Zuko looked at Aang as if he was crazy and the Avatar felt them slipping further away. "I won't let this happen, I won't lose my friends!" His arrow tattoos and eyes began to glow, "you have to remember!"

Zuko saw many images, pictures of his life, his time in the Fire Nation, his time with Iroh and his time with Toph. At the same time, Toph felt the sensation of earthly vibrations, reminding her of everything she saw through her earth bending.

"Aang?" Zuko recognized him. "What is this place doing to us?"

"This place isn't a temple we entered, it's the enemy, we're literally inside the enemy; it was all an illusion from the start. This evil being is what's affecting the Spirit World, but we can still win, you'll have to call the power of our souls" This time it wouldn't be about letting everything go, it would be about projecting the wishes of their souls through their energy. "The sooner the better, I'll need your help for this, so lend me your power."

"Are you sure you wish to do that?" A blurry figure appeared, slowly becoming clearly visible. It was the one known as Wizard. "When Earth and Fire unite they create magma, a substance that moves slowly, destroying everything in its path. Eventually it cools and it's like a new world, a world that's been cleansed. Earth and Fire together have too much strength to face any challenges that may come; they might destroy the will for war and bring a peaceful era in a new world. I can't let you do that."

"All of this was a trap for Toph and me," Zuko realized. "Who are you really?"

"I've been called many names," the being spoke, "and many times, I've been called Despair. This place, this temple you entered, is all inside my very soul. Avatar, the hope of people, while you continued to be reborn I could not grow. All those years of despair created me from the anguish of people's hearts. If you accomplish your mission I will be gone, perish now bringer of hope!" Despair created a warp in the dimension and summoned Kenu.

"Don't worry Toph, after this is over you won't remember anything and you and I will live happily here!" Kenu charged at the Avatar with a sword. Kenu's mind was easily controlled by Despair due to his willingness to sacrifice others to gain what he wanted.

Aang jumped out of the way. Air bending didn't work in the Spirit World, it had all been an illusion and that would do him no good now; but the power of his soul still worked. Aang focused on that power, eyes and arrows glowing. "Kenu, if you stay here you'll be living in a dream and it won't last. Despair will consume your life!"

"I don't care! I'll die happy knowing that I defeated the Avatar and that Toph can be with no one else!" Kenu continued to attack.

Toph and Zuko joined the battle, calling out their power like Aang said it was the power of the soul, a power that everyone processed and few could truly awaken. Kenu started to slow down, iridescent light surrounded them and Kenu fell.

"Useless fool!" Kenu sunk into the ground and, even if Aang tried to stop it, he was consumed by Despair. "The next challenger won't be so easy to beat. Destroy the Avatar, Toph!"

"You really are crazy, I'm not fighting Aang!" Toph yelled.

Despair laughed, "you will if you want to keep what was given to you. Those eyes are something I gave you and without me you'll go back to the way you were."

"No!" Toph couldn't bear the thought. After seeing the world in all its color, she didn't want to let go of all of that, she didn't want to go back into the darkness.

"Toph I'm sorry but those images you see, you're not really seeing them, he's just putting them in your mind," Aang hardly spoke above a whisper. Things like this were hard to say and it made him feel helpless as the Avatar.

Toph felt her eyes begin to water, but her vision was not blurred by the tears. It further confirmed what she knew was true. "I don't want that."

"Then stay here, the Avatar can leave if he wants, I'll let him go." Despair's offer sounded too good to be truth.

"I can't let you stay here poisoning the Spirit World, Despair! If you keep doing this it'll only get worse and the real world will be affected too. I'll stop you no matter what it takes!" Aang sounded determined.

Despair was also confident, "you say that you'll stop me no matter what it takes? Even if it means fighting your friends?"

"I know that my friends will fight with me, not against me!" Aang certainly hoped so, because he didn't feel he could do this alone.

"Leave," Toph spoke, "get out, go away Aang. Don't try to take away my happiness, because I'm prepared to defend it with my life!"

Aang was speechless, he didn't know what he could possibly say or do to change Toph's mind and he couldn't blame her.

"Toph," Zuko hugged her gently, "please don't do this. We have to save the world, we have to help the Avatar, we need to protect the world and our friends. You also have your parents, it looks like things have improved little by little, and they'll continue to improve. I have to back to the Fire Nation one day and set things right. I need to help people learn to accept a peaceful life with the other nations and help them adapt and I need you to help me with that as Fire Lady. I need to see my uncle Iroh and apologize for all I did. I know he's alive in the real world, I feel it. I know he's fighting on our side and I have to find him. I need to earn his trust again; I won't be able to live with myself if I can't do that. Please Toph, come with me."

"You don't understand!" Toph broke the embrace. "You can see in the real world, you won't have to say good bye to the colors of the world, or accept never seeing the people around you ever again. I'm not leaving, we can be happy here, why can't you stay with me?"

"I will," Zuko watched Toph's surprise.

"You will?" Toph echoed. After all he said he needed to do, Zuko was staying?

"Yes, if you decide to stay here I'll stay with you until you realize that this isn't what you want. There are many things I need to do, I already told you, and I hope that when you decide to leave it's not too late to do them. I hope that those we care about and the world don't suffer too much waiting for us. Toph, please think about it, you'll regret it if you stay here. I betrayed my uncle who took care of me as if I were his son, all for what I thought I wanted. For a while I was happy, but then I started feeling terrible and I didn't understand it. I made a huge mistake and I'm trying to correct it; but I really wish I haven't made the mistake in the first place. Toph, I don't want you to go through that pain too. I'll stay with you; I'm never leaving you no matter what, but I know this isn't right. I love you and that's why I don't want you to get hurt like this."

"Zuko..." Toph could feel Zuko's love, his sincerity and truth. It wasn't earth bending, she could feel his very soul. "I guess it is a little selfish of me to think of sacrificing the world. But more than that, I want you to do what you need to, and I want to be there for you." Her tears continued to pour and her vision blurred until Zuko's face faded and she was left in darkness.

"This is your last chance!" Despair couldn't believe his tricks had not worked on Toph.

Toph held Zuko's hand, calling forth the power of her soul. "Dancing Dragon, let's help Twinkle Toes finish this!"

xoxox xox xoxox

A soft breeze blew through the air temple. Aang was exhausted and sleeping soundly. The area where they had entered the Spirit World was back to normal, showing no signs of anything being wrong in the first place. The Spirit World was also back to normal and their initial goal continued to approach. Soon Aang would have to face the Fire Lord to restore balance and peace to the world. Everyone was relieved and happy with the group's safe return from their mission in the Spirit World.

Zuko and Toph were resting in each other's arms. Their bending was back to normal since they returned to the real world. Toph's eyes were a pure white, but the image of Zuko's face would never leave her heart. They had many things to do and an entire life ahead of them, and they would be alright as long as they had each other.

"I love you, Dancing Dragon."

"I love you too."

xoxox xox xoxox xox xoxox xox xoxox xox xoxox

Eruption 42: Pixie Mischief

It had been several years since world peace had been established but the pressures were merely starting to lessen. Zuko had been quite busy, working as Fire Lord with Iroh's guidance. Life went on, one stressful day after another, until Zuko received a much awaited visit from Toph. They were a couple, but the only ones who knew were their friends, Iroh and Toph's parents.

On his way to meet Toph, one day in the Fire Nation, to avoid the crowds Zuko took a shortcut through an alley. The buildings were so tall that the alley was covered in shadows. The atmosphere gave Zuko an uneasy feeling, but he disregarded it and continued on his way.

A small giggle was heard, but Zuko didn't see anyone near by. He ignored it and kept walking until he saw a strange light, "who's there?" The same giggle echoed and the young Fire Lord was surrounded by silvery dust. "What is this?!" The world around him became bigger through Zuko's eyes and the next thing he knew, he had trouble standing upright, and he was a lot closer to the ground in a bundle of clothes that were now too big for him.

"What happened?" Zuko looked at his hands to find a pair of black feline paws. "What is this? What happened to me?" No one answered him, but he did hear that giggling again, yet he couldn't tell where it was coming from. "Whoever did this, you better come out now!" There was no reply.

Zuko further examined his new form, touching the top of his head with his paws, feeling the small triangular ears characteristic of a cat. His entire body was covered in black fur, there was no burn scar, and he even had a tail. Concluding that who ever was responsible for this must have already gotten away, Zuko did the only thing he could think of doing in such a situation, he ran towards his uncle in hopes of being rescued from this strange occurrence.

xoxox xox xoxox

The black cat was ignored as he dashed to the tea shop, people passing by nonchalantly, some commenting about how they saw Fire Lord Zuko run by not too long ago. Finally, Zuko made it to the tea shop on time to hear a conversation between Iroh and dark haired young lady.

"I wonder when Zuko will get here, he's been working so much lately," Toph spoke.

"He's been working too hard, I keep telling him to take a break," Iroh replied.

Toph felt the approaching cat. "Your pet?"

"Oh no, this one must be a stray. Sorry little one, but you'll have to go out back if you're looking for leftovers." Iroh gently patted the cat on the head, unaware that he was Zuko.

"Uncle! It's me, Zuko! Don't you recognize me?" Zuko could hear himself speak, but to the human ear, it came as a series of meows.

"What an energetic little fellow," Iroh laughed.

Toph curiously picked up the cat, "I like him, if he's a stray I think I'm going to keep him." With his fate decided, Zuko was carried off by Toph. "I'm going to see what's keeping Zuko." Thus she went to find her boyfriend, whom she didn't know she was already holding in cat form.

Eruption 43: Lucky Cat

By the time Toph arrived at the Fire Palace, Zuko had given up, at least for now, on trying to communicate with her. The only answer he received to his meows consisted of "shh, calm down, I'll feed you soon" and soft scratching behind the ears. Zuko didn't know if it was cat instinct or something else, but he rather liked being petted.

'No, no, no! I can't get distracted!' Zuko tried to tell himself as Toph's hand running up and down his back become more apparent. If only he were in human form, he would greatly enjoy this.

"What's wrong?" The earth bender felt the cat tense up. She knew that small animals tended to have fast heartbeats, but this was too fast, even for a cat. "It's alright, don't be scared." She held the cat closer against her chest and Zuko was certain that if not for his black fur, he would be blushing scarlet.

"Lady Bei Fong!" One of the guards called out as Toph approached the palace in plain sight. She considered tunneling to the gardens, but she might as well let herself be found if it meant someone could tell her where Zuko was, because she still had not sensed him. "Lady Bei Fong, we had not been informed of your visit, welcome! We in the new Fire Nation are dedicated to peace and equality!"

Were the tensions really still so bad that an unannounced visiting was enough to start such a fuzz? Furthermore, how would it be their fault if she didn't announce her visit? "That's nice Mr. Patriot, but don't worry about it. What I would like to know is where Zuko is, I was supposed to meet him today."

The guard gasped, his eyes filled with worry as if he carried the reputation of the entire Fire Nation upon his shoulders. "I'm sure his majesty wishes to meet you as well, Lady Bei Fong, he is usually quite punctual. I'm not sure what could have caused the delay." As he said this, the man waved his arms around frantically, signaling for a servant to come over.

Fortunately, a passing servant saw the signal and ran over. The servant girl smiled widely and bowed lower than needed. "How may I help you?"

Toph found herself hiding her laughter while Zuko the cat shook his head. He made a mental note to give that poor guard a much needed vacation and remind the servant girl that exaggerated smiles are more creepy than friendly.

"Lady Bei Fong is here to speak to Fire Lord Zuko. Someone must show her around the palace and make sure she is not bored while waiting for the Fire Lord to arrive. I will find his majesty and inform him that Lady Bei Fong has arrived, oh but I can't leave my post. I know, I'll ask another guard to do it." The nervous guard waved his arms again, this time the signal being seen by a palace watch tower and mistakenly interpreted as an indication of danger.

Dozens of fire benders soon surrounded the group instructing Toph to "stay behind us Lady Bei Fong, we will protect you!"

The nervous guard simply fainted and the overly emotional servant girl began to cry, "I only wanted to be a part of world peace, is our nation jinxed?"

Needless to say Zuko was horrified as he slapped his fuzzy forehead with his little paw, in a gesture that Sokka would do when he was feeling frustrated. Toph could have and would have earth bended away the battalion trying to protect her and hastily escorting her inside the palace, but she was too busy laughing to do so, and simply followed them to her room.

xoxox xox xoxox

After Toph was taken to her room, "Lady Bei Fong! Lady Bei Fong!" A new servant girl, since the first was still crying uncontrollably, addressed her. "Are you having trouble breathing Lady Bei Fong? Do you want a glass of water? Are you stressed? Why are you making such sounds?"

"It's called laughing," Toph said out of breath from laughing so much.

"Oh, you are amused, that's wonderful!" The fast speaking servant girl cheered, leaving Toph to wonder if insanity was a common trait in the Fire Nation. The girl soon went off to her own little lalaland with a nonsensical story about an island made of bottle caps, or something like that.

Poor Zuko was left even more stressed that he already was. As far as he could tell, the guards, servants and palace workers were sane when he was around. He didn't realize everything fell apart as soon as he left. Worse yet, they might start to wonder where he went, and they could conclude that their precious Fire Lord was kidnapped or ran away. Both scenarios would bring forth a panic if they reached public knowledge, and that would not go well with the reputation of the Fire Nation and the struggling world peace.

Feeling the cat's stress in his rapid heartbeats and uneven breathing, Toph tried to calm her new feline friend. "Hey, slow down, you're scaring the cat!" She felt sorry for the cat she had newly adopted. The poor darling must be very traumatized if it turned out to be true that insanity was as common as it appeared to be in the Fire Nation. Everyone was sane when she saw them in her previous visits, but then she was with Zuko, supposedly as an ambassador of peace, but as soon as he was out of sigh, they didn't know how to handle Toph's presence.

Maybe a high risk for insanity really did come with fire bending. Azula had clearly become insane, and one could argue that she was insane from the start. Ozai wasn't exactly reasonable himself, and the guards and servants clearly had their problems. The only ones Toph could fully trust were sane were Iroh and Zuko.

"Oh no! My apologies, Lord Bei Fong!" The servant girl fell to her knees. "Please forgive me, Lord Bei Fong, I meant no disrespect!"

Toph blinked, the girl was addressing the cat as Lord Bei Fong, "Lord Bei Fong forgives you," Toph voiced in monotone. "You may leave now."

"Yes ma'am!" The servant girl saluted army style and dashed out of the room.

Something very strange was going on with the people of the palace and Toph was starting to suspect it was more than just a genetic likelihood to insanity.

As soon as the girl was gone, Toph burst out laughing. "Lord Bei Fong! They make it sound as if we're a married couple or something." While Toph laughed it up, Zuko became more uneasy, he wanted to ask Toph to marry him, but the world wasn't ready to know they were dating, let alone engaged.

To be Continued

Disclaimer, I don't own Avatar: The Last Air Bender. Specials thanks to HarvestMoonGlows for the part about Toph's dreams in Eruption 39. There's a small Kingdom Hearts reference in Eruption 39, Twilight Town. Despair is an original villain I made for the Spirit World.