Thank You For The Compliments, Twinkle Toes

By Bleeding Wings

//Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. However, the antagonistic Dark Inferno Clan and other OC's that'll aid the main characters belong to me. Sit back, relax and enjoy the tale!//

"COME ON, TWINKLE TOES! If you wanna be an earth-bender, you gotta be as TOUGH as an earth-bender! Shoulders square! Thighs parallel to the ground! ARMS parallel to the ground!"

"Gotcha, Sifu Toph!"

For over an hour now, Aang has been in his horse stance. The Avatar continued to look as though he was sitting in an imaginary chair, with three pairs of stone rings on his wrists. Aang grinded his teeth and felt sweat pour through his eyebrows as he felt the strain on his arms and legs continue to agonize him. However, Aang dared not to complain about Toph's training. Toph was being tough on Aang to prepare him for his destiny, and for that Aang will continue to respect her.

"… Okay, Twinkle Toes. Enough with the warm-ups and let's get down to the REAL training!" Toph faced Aang 100 feet away from her and ripped out a huge boulder from the earth. The mighty earth-bender hurled the 15-ton boulder right at the Avatar with all her earth-bending might. As the boulder was closing in on him, Aang let out a battle-cry and demolished the boulder into hundreds of pieces, still remaining in his horse stance. When his eyes form into a pair of slits, the shards of what's left of the boulder spiraled together and roughly formed the shape of a dragon. Aang's rock-dragon flew right for Toph and whipped its tail right at the blind warrior, but Toph was ready for his attack. Toph waved her hand in an upward motion and created a rock-wall, blocking Aang's attack. The young girl quickly transformed her wall into an enormous wheel well studded with stone spikes and had it run right towards Aang, flying at 50 miles per hour!

All of a sudden, the spiked wheel stopped at its tracks, inches away from Aang. Refusing to dodge the attack, Aang focused heavily on not letting the wheel of death run him over. Toph held out her hands and continued to push the wheel towards Aang with her own earth-bending powers. The teacher and the pupil got themselves into a power struggle, seeing whose earth-bending will conquer whose. Aang and Toph grinded their teeth as they push their earth-bending powers to the limit, seeing who shall be victorious.

Fifteen minutes later the wheel of death began to move. Right towards Toph. The spiked wheel began to pick up momentum, speed climbing rapidly. Toph grinded her teeth and tried to move the wheel right back to Aang, but it was no good. Thanks to Aang, the spiked wheel of death rampaged right towards Toph!

Not once has the Avatar moved from his horse stance.

Toph began to feel her legs give in, feeling her strength overpowered by her own pupil's.

"Strong… he's too strong…" Toph fell on her knees and hands, too weak to get out of the spiky wheel's warpath!

"TOPH!" With one stroke of his hand, the wheel disintegrated into rubble. Aang ran to his teacher and cradled her into his arms. The blind warrior slowly opened her eyes.

"You're… you're good. Real good. I… I never thought anyone could surpass my earth-bending. You'll make… you'll make a perfect earth-bending master."

"Toph, don't talk so much. I'm bringing you back to camp!"

Back at camp Katara was sharpening up her water-bending skills while Sokka was busy picking his nose. Both of the siblings spotted Aang carrying the semi-conscious Toph in his arms.

"Sokka! Get her sleeping bag ready! Aang, lie her in the bag quick! I'll get her some tea!" Sokka and Aang did what Katara told them in a flash. Feeling drained from her earth-bending power struggle with Aang, Toph slowly opened her eyes.

"… Hey, Aang. You did me proud, Twinkle Toes. That, you did."

Aang clamped his hand onto Toph's like comrades-in-arms.

"… I learned from the best." Aang responded.

"Well here's something I didn't expect. Aang carries Toph back to camp while Toph is too messed up get to camp on her own. Normally, it's the other way around."

"You could be a little more compassionate, Sokka. Here, Toph. Drink this."

Katara handed Toph a nice cup of honey-lemon tea, fresh water from the river nearby camp. Lying in her sleeping bag, Toph inclined her back with a rock-wall and slowly drank her tea.

"… Thanks, sugar-queen. I see that your healing skills you told me about are top-notch. I owe you one."

"You don't owe me anything, Toph. Now I want you to rest while Sokka and I go to the forest to collect some wood for campfire. We'll be back as soon as we can. Aang, keep her company, okay?"

"Sure thing, Katara."

"Hey! Why do I have to help find some wood? Hunting animals is my forte! Not getting a bunch of some stupid-"

Katara yanked Sokka by the ear and pulled him away from the camp. Sokka let out a yelp.

"We're collecting wood whether you like it or not!" Katara and Sokka disappear into the forest, Katara's trusty fingers still yanking on Sokka's ear. By the time those two were gone, Aang and Toph giggled.

"Oh, that Sokka. I'm really glad you have a clown in your group, Aang. We do need a few laughs every now and then."

"Actually, Toph, Sokka's a really cool guy, once you get to know him. And don't underestimate him for not being a bender. He really has a good head on his shoulders."

"Yeah. And Katara's Zuko's girlfriend." Both the kids laughed out loud.

"Toph? I'm… I'm really sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to put you through that situation. I'll try to restrain my earth-bending next time."

"Restrain yourself? Are you KIDDING me? That was the most awesome earth-bending I've ever experienced!"

"But Toph, I nearly crushed you!"

"Aang. Aang, listen to me. You're on your way to fully mastering the art of earth-bending. It's my duty to help prepare the Avatar restore balance to the world. Even if you did crush me with your own earth-bending powers, you'd still reach your goal of becoming an earth-bending master. Isn't that all that matters?"

"No way, Toph! There's no way I'm going to lose any of my friends! Not Katara, not Sokka, not Appa, not Momo…"

Aang looked down to the ground and started to feel his face blush. The Avatar sat closer to Toph, still in her sleeping bag and inclined by a rock.

"… Not even you." The blind earth-bender felt her heart slightly leap from Aang's change of voice-tone. Toph placed her cup of tea on the ground.

"… Thank you, Aang. That… that's very nice of you to say."

"Toph, you're my friend. There's no way I could let anything happen to you. You're just as special to me as everyone else in the gang."

"I'm really glad I joined you and your friends. You're definitely different from the boys I knew back at Ba Sing Se about a year ago. They use to always make fun of me, comparing me to the other girls by calling me ugly and flat-chested. Damn, I couldn't stand it!" Feeling warm from the tea, Toph unzipped her bag and opened it up to get some air.

"I'm sorry you went through that stuff, Toph. Boys can be really mean."

"But you're not. You're much kinder than those other boys."

"Thanks, Toph. I don't understand why they'd put you down! You're far from ugly! To tell you the truth, you're one of the cutest girls I've ever met-"

Aang bit his lip.

(Shut up, Aang! What are you thinking?) Aang thought to himself.

"… You think I'm… cute?" Toph asked. Aang began to feel heat build up. The young Avatar adjusted his collar.

"Well… yeah. I really like the way you fixed your hair, making it all wild and stuff. And you have the nicest eyes. They're … they're nice. And you're in really good shape. I mean, there's no way in the world you're flat-chested-"

Aang slapped both hands over his mouth.

(… Why the hell did I bring that up?)

Toph couldn't believe what Aang was saying to her. Toph slithered out of her sleeping bag and sat much closer to Aang. With a sly smile on her face, Toph leaned towards Aang and brought her lips near his ear. Aang's face blushed even harder.

"… Is there anything else you'd like to get off your… chest?" Toph asked. Aang began to fidget and felt a bead of sweat pour down his head.

"You have the nicest… feet." A split second later, Aang created his trusty air-scooter and blasted off!

"I'MGONNAFINDSOMEBERRIESANDNUTSI'LLBERIGHTBACKGOTTAGOSEEYA!" In an instant, Aang was gone. The only ones left to give Toph company were Appa and Momo. Feeling her heart make an extra beat, Toph couldn't help facing the direction Aang sped off to. Momo glided in the air and landed on Toph's shoulder. Feeling her face blush, Toph fed Momo a nut. Momo let out a few squeaks and jitters.

"No, Momo. Aang is feeling okay. He's just going through some changes, that's all."

Toph caressed her own face, imagining Aang touching her the same way. Her lovely smile began to widen.

"… Thank you for the compliments, Twinkle Toes…"