I'm not a fan of Taang at all (you may know me as the author of Between the Two of Us and One More Time, which both are heavy Kataang fanfics), but to test my writing abilities and to challenge myself, I am writing Taang. I like how this story came out and nevertheless, whether it's my ship or not, I'm proud of it. I hope you readers enjoy it. And I promise, there is not one hint of Kataang. Not one.

I don't own Avatar: the Last Airbender or any of its characters.

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To my friend Eri

Happy 13th Birthday!

August 24th 1993 – August 24th 2006

And many birthdays after

Much love from Samaria

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…I found your fingerprints
On a glass of wine
Do you know you're leaving them
All over this heart of mine too
But if I never take this leap of faith
I'll never know
So I'm learning to fall
With no safety net to cushion the blow…

"I Bruise Easily" by Natasha Bedingfield

----whenIsoar----

It was a bright, sunny day, one of those days that were so calm and carefree that a person wondered why the world was the way it was. The sun shined golden rays down onto an emerald green earth, the low grass swaying in the gentle breeze. The cerulean sky stretched out for miles in either direction, nothing at all blocking the group's view of it. Appa was spread out on his back dozing off while Katara and Sokka washed his fur, scrubbing away the dirt that had settled deep into it. Momo was somewhere in the trees, picking fruit here and there to stuff his mouth with.

Toph sat on the soft grassy carpet, her eyes staring blindly at the ground. She was absentmindedly fingering the hem of her skirt, one borrowed from Katara since her own needed washing. Her hair was down, tumbling over her shoulders and sliding down her back like a thick, dark waterfall, painfully straight even after being pinned up for so long. Her wispy bangs brushed along her eyelashes. She remained there, silent as a thief's footsteps in the night, simply listening to the world around her. Listening. There were Sokka's groans and the lighthearted splash! as Katara sprayed him with water, and Momo's content purrs every time he found another peach. Appa grunted every now and then and she could feel the deep tremor as he rolled a bit so that the two siblings could clean his other side.

She could hear childish laughter above her, first here close enough by her side that she could hear the swift woosh of the wind and then there gliding away with a silky swish so far away until she couldn't hear a thing. And then there was the still quiet before the air decided to come back all at once, an almost deafening roar until it all just stopped and all she could feel was the gentle padding of a pair of feet landing softly on the ground, so soft it felt like a whispering caress to her earth, barely there and tickling her senses awake.

The ground rumbled slightly beneath her as the young airbender collapsed beside her (or more like settled, she mused to herself). She listened to the familiar rustle of his silk garments as the smooth threads retreated apart from each other and then felt a gradual, long weight on the ground, both a sure sign to her that he was now spread out on his back. They stayed there together, neither speaking but both wanting to (wanting to say anything, anything to break the silence between them). She could feel his eyes on her, burning a hole through her tanned, porcelain skin. She became nervous, but for what reason she didn't know (and maybe didn't even want to).

"So…" she began, an edge of uncertainty in her tone. Aang shifted in order to turn to face her; by the way the ground moved she was sure of it.

"So," he said.

The way he said it, so nonchalant in the words, made her stomach roll over once, twice before deciding to settle down into something that was both pleasant and uncomfortable. She fidgeted in her spot.

"Are you okay?" he asked her, no doubt a line of concern forming in between his brows.

"I'm fine," she jeered, the last syllable coming out harsher than she originally intended. He sighed an okay, whatever sigh and resumed his first position.

"So how was gliding?" she asked him, the question surprising them both and breaking the silence. She stunned herself by asking that, she normally wasn't one to take interests in the ways the others spent their free time, but then again, Aang wasn't some other person.

"Well," he began. "It was fun."

That was all? "It was just fun?" She raised an eyebrow, an all too familiar smirk starting to come out of hiding, her body visibly relaxing. This wasn't the Aang she knew, the one that would give you every single detail of something to make sure that you understood it from his own point of view.

"Fun?" she asked again. Her tone was flat, monotonous in its presentation, as if the word was nothing too important, as if someone had asked another for the time.

She could feel him sit up, eyes trained on her figure. Toph tensed up once again, not quite liking his stare on her (unless of course it was between a pupil and his teacher, but this was not the case). This was one between friends, close friends even, and she wasn't used to it. He had always been the sweet, kind boy to her, but this stare…this one…it was different. It was more than difficult to exactly explain what was in it, but she knew this much- it meant something. And that was what made her edgy right then.

"Yes, fun," he answered easily. He stood up and she heard the familiar click as he allowed the staff's wings to emerge from their wooden cocoon. Her blind, pale green eyes followed his movements as easily as if they could see the colors of the world around her. She felt his hand on hers, warm and assuring and steady, pulling her up from the ground.

"I'm going to show you," he whispered into her ear, an act that sent cool shivers down her spine, even though she was more than warm. He was so close.

"Show…show me what?" she replied, her voice tripping over itself. She frowned as he pulled her towards him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I am going to show you how it feels to fly," the young monk said simply, as if it was just another thing to do that day. Toph pushed him away and took a step back herself, sun-kissed arms crossing over her chest.

"No."

They stood there facing each other, one debating whether to take her answer as a final one and the second juggling the emotions inside of her.

"If you say so," Aang said eventually, his voice unsure but still indifferent all the same.

"Fine," she muttered, dropping back down onto the ground and assuming her first position. He stood there for a moment or two, just to figure out a thing or two before taking off. The earthbender exhaled a sigh she realized she hadn't been holding and started to listen…

There it was again, the air. It swooped and swirled and glided, the boy manipulating it with precision and ease. She listened carefully to every turn it made and to every noise it produced.

Something is missing, she concluded.

Maybe it was just her imagination working to her disadvantage, caused by the confusing feelings jumbled inside of her, but when she listened harder to it she found that she was true. Something was missing from it, something was wrong. Had she disappointed him when she said no to his offer? Is this the result of her rejection?

Pitiful.

The air calmed down once more (he must have landed softer this time) and Aang was again right beside her. He said nothing to her at all and she could sense his gray emotions, clouding her vision like a dark fog. She clenched her jaw (why was she suddenly feeling guilty?) and squeezed her eyes shut. The airbender walked away, leaving behind a dull thump, thump on the ground as he shuffled away.

I can't believe I'm going to do this…

"Aang!" she called after him, running over to where he was standing, black hair flowing after her. She could feel his gaze speeding over her again as if the first few times weren't enough to take her all in (she didn't know which one she liked more- him treating her simply most of the time or this sudden undeniable attention he was giving her).

"Yes?" he answered plainly.

"I…I want to go with you," she said quickly and quietly, looking down as if saying something embarrassing. The young Avatar didn't say anything for a minute.

"Are you sure?"

She became irritated with that question. "Yes, I am sure, thank you very much!"

He flinched at her tone, she was sure of it, but he came beside her nonetheless. "You'll have to hold on tight. Be relaxed, though, the wind is about freedom and having a carefree spirit." His voice had lowered just for her, sending those cold chills down her spine again.

"I think I can handle it," she whispered, her tone shaky.

"I'm sure you could," he went on. "But it's different once you're up there."

"I don't mind," she said.

"Then take my hand," he ordered. She held it out for him. He slipped an assuring hand into hers, bringing him behind him and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Now when I jump up," he told her. "You need to put your legs around my own."

"And then what?"

"Then," he laughed. "You fly."

She heard the staff click once more into a glider, the wings spreading a sharp breeze against her face.

"Ready?"

She nodded, a knot of fear (not that she would ever admit it) lodged into her stomach as she positioned herself on his back. "Go ahead."

She screamed. Loudly. The moment her feet left the ground she realized that she was moving though nothing. Nothing. Nothing but the cool breeze around her, tangling back and forth until she couldn't tell where it began and where it ended.

"Aang!"

She wrapped her legs around his lower half and held on as tightly as she could, keeping her blind eyes closed just for the sheer comfort of feeling more secure that way. This direction and that one, she forgot where she was. It all blended into one. The glider tilted sideways and down, bringing them into a sharp curve towards the ground before shooting straight into the sky once more.

She felt a hot, itchy tear leave her eyes, her body breaking out into silent sobs. She wasn't going to let Aang know that she was afraid, she wasn't! She tightened her grip around his slender body; it was her only comfort in all of that empty abyss. He slowed down a little and she let out a relived sigh, one she regretted for letting out too soon because of how he sped up. He sped and sped and sped, until she feared that if they fell it would be the end of them, until they weren't in the wind but the wind was in them, until all that was left was the two of them together up high. Somehow through all of her fright she managed to find a warm reassurance in that (should she?).

Then she felt them going downward once more, landing with a swift shooof! on the grass once more.

Toph collapsed to the ground, shaking and trembling as she curled up on one side. Aang dropped his glider with a wooden clatter and rushed to her side, standing her up and embracing her into a hug.

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…I didn't want you to get hurt!" he exclaimed, over and over until he quieted down from not having anymore to offer. She stilled and took in deep breaths of the same air that had nerved her.

"Don't ever do that again!" she yelled. He nodded fervently and took her hand.

"I'm here if you need me, Toph," he said quietly, before letting go of her. His parting touch lingered on her fingertips- cooling, soft, burning.

She sat down on the ground again, her black hair ruffled into a tousled mess, skin flushed from the exhilarating ride. Her body was still smarting off of it, only calming down just now. It was still going free, twisting and turning just like the glider did. It had frightened her more than anything else possibly could, being in something that was made of nothing. It was an experience, for sure.

And though she would never tell anyone (not for a while, if ever), it had made her feel something else.

It made her feel…

Alive.

---ifeelalive---

I hope you all enjoyed that. I enjoyed writing it. It was different for Toph and Aang- different character dynamics, different interaction possibilities, and a different way of reading into their relationship. I had to let go of my Kataang-ness (if only for writing this story) to fully dive into Taang. It was an experience that I've been working on since May, when Eri requested this fan fiction after seeing Toph in action for the first time. It wasn't easy at all. With my die-hard loyalty and love for Kataang and the fandom's vibe leaning towards Taang and Zutara, it was a journey that was both emotional and mental. I had to see the other side without my opinions of the two romances clouding my judgment and it was hard. Still is, I think, but I'm getting better. I'm never leaving the Kataang side, never, but I can still try my best. And I believe that I did it well. I only wish that more people form both sides would do it.

If this is accepted well by the community, I might write more Taang friendship one-shots. Please review me. I would appreciate both constructive critcism and compliments, please and thank you. I ask that you avoid sending me flames and nasty comments involving my ship preference. If you ask nicely, however, about why I support Kataang, I'll answer you honestly.

XOXO…daydream11