Where Earth Meets Sky:

Chapter 18: Upcoming Events

Author Note: Hi, everyone. Yeeaahh... I know this chapter is long awaited. I'm sorry! I just needed a little break from writing this. I felt like I was starting to take Toph way out of character. I mean, true, she's been changing and growing a lot through this fic... but I feared that maybe she was starting to act girly..

Then when I started to write my Smellershot fics, I started to see how similar Smellerbee and Toph are, and it started to confuse me some about their characters. That's the problem about writing more then one fic for the same series at a time. Unfortunately it happened to me, also, when I was writing my CCS-2, Tomoyo's Desire and Xiao Lang's Formalities. I started to feel like XLF's was the going in the same direction as CCS-2. *sigh* One of these days, I plan to get back to finishing XLF's along with my CCS-3fic.

Before then, I want to finish writing this before Legend of Korra airs.

So, I do have things planned out. I know basically how the next chapter will go and I have the basic plot ideas for the chapters after that... hmmm... I don't know... I may have to rethink the ending... but just what I have planned, in general, atm will probably require 8 or 9 more chapters... not counting the ending. I need to get my butt to work.

Anyway, thank you all for being so patient with me and for supporting this series. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Next up should be lots of fun.

Toph heard the sound of someone running towards her. After making an adjustment with her footing, she was able to determine that it was Emi.

"Toph!" The older girl pounced on her from behind; by now she was used to it. "Look at this!" Emi released her hold and stepped around her, apparently shaking a piece of paper for her to see.

Resisting the urge to comment, Toph blew her bangs out of her eyes; they had come loose from the single braid that ran down her back.

"Oh, right…" Emi commented. Evidently she caught the hint and remembered that Toph was blind.

Toph smirked. "Don't worry about it, Princess," she said at the feel of Emi's sudden disappointment. "What's that?"

"Oh, right!" she repeat, her voice regaining its previous sense of excitement. "It's a flier!"

"Uh-huh…" Toph raised an eyebrow and waited for her to continue.

"For the Solstice Ball coming up next month!" Emi was bubbling with excitement.

Toph cocked an eyebrow. "Uh-huh… that's nice, Princess. Have fun!" She stepped around the hyper girl before her and continued on her way. Emi rushed after her.

"You'll be going too, of course! I mean, you have to! It'll be so much fun!"

"Does this ball include formal wear?"

"Of course! It's the one time during the year that everyone dresses up."

"In that case, then I won't be going." Once again, Toph continued on her way, only to be stopped when Emi grabbed hold of her good arm.

"Why not? Please Toph, you have to go! Please?" Emi pleaded in desperation.

"Where does Toph have to go?" Teo asked as he brought his chair to a stop behind the girl in question. Toph heard the rustling of paper and detected Haru as he bent to pick up the flier that Emi dropped.

"A Solstice ball?" Haru read out loud.

Teo reached up to take the flier. "It's that time of year already?"

Emi nodded and looked over Toph's shoulder at the two boys with a pout. "But Toph says she won't go."

"More like I can't go," Toph corrected and wiggled her hand out of Emi's grasp. "You said so yourself, it's a formal occasion. I don't have anything to wear." Through her feelings of relief, Toph smiled an apology.

"Well then we'll just have to go shopping," Haru suggested, much to Toph's dismay. "I don't have anything formal to wear either, but I wouldn't miss this chance to spend such a special occasion with Emi."

Toph felt Emi's heart skip a beat and was acutely aware of the romantic atmosphere; it made her uncomfortable, standing between the two love birds. Over the past week they had been inseparable, and every bit as bad as Sokka and Suki had ever been. "Eww…" She complained in annoyance and stepped aside. "Keep your love bugs to yourself, will ya?"

"Aww, come on Toph. It'll be fun." Teo reached out for her hand. Toph's stomach flipped in response to his touch.

"Nah-uh…" Toph shook her head in response, forgetting her will for a moment. His hands, though rough and calloused from years of maneuvering his glider, were larger then hers and strong. Their warmth permeated through her defenses and spread up her arms to settle in her cheeks. "I don't like formal affairs; had enough of them in Gaoling."

"Except this time you'll be among friends and will be having fun," Emi insisted. "Please, Toph? This will be my first year going. I really want to go. I… I've always wanted to go… but was always too shy to go by myself. For the first time in my life, I have friends."

Toph looked in Emi's direction, not masking her shocked expression. "You mean to tell me that you've never gone before?" Emi shook her head, and looked down, self-conscious with her confession.

"Until you came around, Toph, Emi was a very quiet person, too shy to make friends. She always hid herself away, doing chores," Teo reminded her. Haru reached for one of Emi's arms and pulled her closer, offering strength in her obvious moment of weakness.

Feeling defeated in a three against one battle that she couldn't fight with earthbending, Toph let out a heavy sigh. "Okay, Okay… I'll go."

With a high pitch squeal of excitement, Emi clung onto the smaller earthbender with a tight hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

The next morning, Emi knocked on Toph's bedroom door before the sun began to crest over the horizon. When she refused to wake up, Emi practically pulled her off of the bed. "Come on, Toph, we have to leave soon."

Toph turned over and buried her face into her pillow. She may not have been able to see the first rays of light starting to shine in through her window, but she knew by her own body's internal clock that not even the cooking staff was awake and making breakfast, yet. To make matters worse, she had been dreaming. In it, somebody was holding her. Not in a restraining way, but in a loving one. She couldn't remember the last time that she took comfort from being so close to anyone; maybe when she was a little girl and her father treated her with loving adoration rather than possessive over protectiveness. Like with the vision of her first kiss that she had after hearing the myth of the earth and sky, she couldn't tell who was holding her. There wasn't a heartbeat that she could distinguish, and she was blinded even from her earthbending.

She felt so comfortable, so warm, so… safe…

Safe? Why did she need to feel safe? She could take care of herself.

As her consciousness started to awaken, she found that the arms that were holding her in her dream began to entangle her. The more she struggled the less she could move. That sense of comfort turned to one of panic.

Somehow she managed to pull one arm loose. The other wouldn't move.

Hands came from nowhere trying to pull her back. She rolled away, pushing at the disembodied limbs but her mobility only became more restricted. Then she was falling and awoke with a start when she hit something hard; the floor.

"Oh my spirits, Toph! Are you alright?" Emi gasped.

It took Toph a moment to realize what had happened. She was tangled up in her blanket and had fallen off of the bed - thankfully landing on her unbroken arm. Through the vibrations in the floor, she could feel Emi rushing around the bed.

"I'm so sorry! You wouldn't wake up, and when I tried to wake you, you started to push me away and flail around in your sleep." Emi helped to unwrap the blanket. "Are you okay? You didn't hurt your arm did you? Should I get the doctor? "

Through her hazy daze of sleep, Toph was slow to comprehend what Emi was talking about; the older girl was talking in a rush. The only thing that hurt was her shoulder, but judging by its maneuverability, it wasn't broken. "I'm fine," she assured her panicked friend after being pulled to her feet. Kicking the blanket away, she took account of everything around her. A quick focus through her feet confirmed that everyone else within the general proximity was still asleep. "What's the deal? It's still the middle of the night.

"No it's not, it's morning. If we're going to go into town with the guys, we have to have an early start." Satisfied that there weren't any serious injuries to her friend, Emi moved across the room to the chair, where she picked up what lay over its back.

"What are you doing?" Toph asked with slight annoyance, snapping awake enough to realize what was going on. "I can get dressed on my own! I don't need your help!" she exclaimed and snatched her clothing out of Emi's hands.

Emi cringed, "So… sorry. I was just trying to help."

"I don't need help!"

"O… Okay," Emi was startled by Toph's sudden outburst for independence. "We're meeting at the landing strip. I… I'll go check on the guys."

Toph blew at her bangs after Emi left the room. It was too early; she blamed her actions on lack of sleep.

"Why are we meeting here?" Toph grumbled in annoyance when she met up with everyone in the assigned location.

"Toph, you're here!" Emi exclaimed and was seconds away from pouncing on the little earthbender, but Toph's blind glare directed at her caused her to stop short, flaying her arms to keep from falling flat on her face.

"Why are we here?" Toph repeated. "The path down the mountain is over there," she pointed off in the distance, towards the main entrance into the temple.

Emi swallowed and glanced towards Teo. She knew this wasn't going to work. There was no way that Toph was going to agree to do it.

Teo rolled his glider forward, towards Toph, and spoke in a calm, matter of fact tone. "It's faster to get down the mountain this way. Then we can meet up with the caravan that left for town a few days ago, to return.

Toph took a step back, unwilling to believe what he was suggesting. "No way, forget it! I'll just meet you there." She made an abrupt turn to head towards the mountain path but was stopped by Haru when he stepped in front of her. It was earthbender against earthbender as Toph made the attempt to slide him out of the way with a wave of her hand. Haru held fast – the earth beneath his feet refusing to bend to her command. Instead, he slid forward in one fluid motion and just barely caught her wrist as she attempted to dodge to the side. Toph sent a pillar of stone jetting up from the earth between them. Haru was up and over it, using his own column of earth to propel him, before she could register that he was gone from her perceptions. From the air above her, Haru came down to land behind her and swept her off of her feet and into his arms.

Toph let out an uncharacteristic, very girly scream and kicked her legs, struggling to push against his hard muscled chest. "Put me down!" she demanded in protest, and he did… right into Teo's lap.

Having been ready, Teo quickly strapped the harness that had been added to his glider, around her, keeping her from jumping back to her feet. She continued to struggle against the vice-like hold around her waist and pushed against him, bringing her fist up to slam into his shoulder. Without earthbending force, Teo caught her fist easily. Her wide eyed, blind gaze stared at him in surprise and she stopped resisting. "You don't trust me?" He sounded hurt by the notion. "I trusted you when I went with you, out of my element, into the bath house drain…"

Toph felt her cheeks warm up, but was unwilling to admit that she was afraid. "Earth is your element! I didn't take you out of it."

"I don't have any connection to the earth; you should know that better than anyone. My element is air," he replied. She could feel his pulse racing through the palm of his hand - it matched her own. "Trust me…" It sounded like he was pleading with her.

After a moment Toph adjusted her position until she could snake her good arm around his neck. "Then you'll have to deal with this." Though she had meant for her voice to sound harsh and confident it came out sounding quiet and meek.

A smile crept onto his face, and he took the liberty to give her a reassuring hug, planting a feather light kiss against her forehead before giving the sign for Haru to push his glider into motion until he caught an updraft and soared into the air. Toph tightened her grip around him and buried her face into the crook of his neck, but otherwise didn't make a sound. Angling the glider downwards, he was soon joined by Haru and Emi, each who sported a glider of their own.