A/N: Okay, this is the first time I'm attempting to write a humor/romance fic, especially a Toph-centric one. It may start out serious, but I assure you it's a fun story. Toph is one of my favorite characters in Avatar and I wish to do her justice. The Duke should have a name, so I named him after the Chinese folk hero Huang Fei Hong (Fei is the given name) and the story's from his point of view. The other recruits are mine, as is anyone not from the show.

Chapter One: I got Lost on my Way to College

Change. Reformation. Hope. These were words that were commonly uttered in the wake of the end of the Hundred-Year War eight years ago. Though the world was at an era of relative peace, there was still much work to be done in order to truly restore balance. Avatar Aang and the remnants his band of friends who had been central to ending the war were working tirelessly to solve the political squabbles in the Three Nations, to rebuild towns, and help displaced victims of the Fire Nation's menace.

There were even three occasions where Team Avatar had to testify for the prosecution at the Military Tribunals in the Fire Nation capital of Agnishima, where ex-Firelord Ozai and twenty-five others had faced justice for their atrocities. The court sentenced Ozai to death by hanging along with more than a dozen others. The others who were convicted were sentenced to imprisonment ranging from ten years to life, and only four of the accused were acquitted.

In the Fire Nation, Firelord Zuko was as good as his word that he would devote his reign to restoring the honor of his nation, which had been tarnished by his ancestors, and work for the good of the people and the world. Indeed, as soon as he took the throne, the young Firelord had begun to make drastic reforms in the country by granting many unalterable rights to the people in the form of a Constitution. He also created a Parliament to serve as an advisory position on behalf of the Fire Nation citizens, and allowing elections of the lower house (Commons) and on the local level. The upper house (Senators) was purely ceremonial. Eventually, the Parliament would have legislative powers and Zuko would transfer much of his power to an elected Prime Minister. While the Firelord would still effectively be the highest authority in the Nation under the Constitution, the Prime Minister would do the day-to-day running of the country.

Even in his personal life, change had taken place. A year after his coronation, he married Mai Han, naming her the Firelady. Soon after their marriage, they became the proud parents of three children. Their first and heir was a boy who was the spitting image of his father, and they called him Ryuhito after the dragons. Their second child was a beautiful girl named Kumiko and their third was another girl named Aiko. Being a devoted family man as well as a true servant of the people had earned Zuko a place in the hearts of the citizens who had known nothing but tyranny and fear from his three predecessors.

Aang and Katara's relationship was stronger than ever. Through their experiences in the war, they had forged an unbreakable bond of true love and friendship. Their post-war travels and duties had only strengthened their bond. Katara's brother, Sokka, his beautiful fiancée Suki, and their good friend, Toph Bei-Fong had traveled with them. It was not until Toph had turned seventeen that the transitional leaders of the Earth Kingdom recruited her into a new, elite military division of Earthbenders.

If there was any nation in the world that had hope for reformation and change, it was the Earth Nation. After the war, the Earth King and King Bumi of Omashu had abdicated their thrones, and declared the Earth Kingdom to be reorganized into a united Earth Republic. After millennia of division, autocratic rule, absolutism, and then the Fire Nation occupation, the two monarchs had decided that it was in the best interest of the people to unite the land and begin a new era of rule of the people, by the people, for the people. Such a change would require months, even years of negotiations and struggle to establish a system to make everyone happy. The elite unit of Earthbenders attached to the Army, known as the Terra Rangers, was charged with the protection of the government and the protection of the country against any enemy that would threaten the impending democracy. They would also be sent on the most dangerous operations should anymore problems arise. Within a short year, Toph had risen to the rank of Sergeant and was offered the duty of training new recruits in Earthbending, which she readily accepted.

Problems did unfortunately arise. There was a major disagreement as to how the Republic should be run. In the north, one former General insisted that they should do everything in their power to prevent a corrupt class-based system from taking control. He believed the Earth Kingdom should be collectively ruled by the people using an ancient philosophy called communism. In the South, the majority of the people believed in private ownership and elections of leaders based on a majority's opinion regardless of class. Nobody thought war was coming, but the debates were becoming more heated between the two opposing views.

"Alright, you snail slugs," roared the raspy–voiced Ranger outside. "Get your asses off the train and onto my green footprints painted on the ground, on the double! Move it! Move it! MOVE IT!" Not for the first time, Fei felt as though he had made a mistake joining the Rangers. It was not as though he hadn't done his part in the war eight years ago. At that time, he went under the alias of "The Duke" and served in the Earth Kingdom Resistance, first under Jet and then part of the Gaia Brigade (one of many resistance movements that arose in the wake of the fall of Ba Sing Se) along with his good friend Pipsqueak. However, it was nothing but confusion ever since he signed the papers to volunteer.

The drill instructors barked orders to him and his fellow recruits, telling them to go in one direction while others said to go in the opposite. Eventually, they found the footprints painted on the road and stood on them as straight as they could. Fei stood in the middle of the company, and was among the taller men. He grew quite a bit over the years, achieving at lean but toned build, but retained his boyish face. They were immediately greeted by another drill instructor. He wasn't very tall, Fei observed, but what he lacked in size, he made up for in his commanding air.

"On behalf of the commanding officer of this depot, Colonel Kim, I'd like to welcome you to the Terra Rangers of the Army of the Earth Republic!" he said in a quick thundering tone. "I'm Staff Sergeant Lee, your processing drill instructor. Understand this, recruits: Volunteering for the Rangers is one thing, but you've got a long way to go in order to prove you belong here! Don't you think for a second that you're Rangers or even soldiers, you are just worthless recruits! Therefore, when speaking to any Ranger or soldier, the first and last words out of your mouths will be 'sir' or 'ma'am', you got that?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" recited the recruits.

"NO!" shouted Lee, adjusting his helmet, which was falling over his eyes. "I thought I told you that you're just a worthless rabble of recruits! Now sound off with some freaking volume! Do you understand me?"

"Sir, yes sir!"

Fei had to bite down hard on his lip to keep from laughing. It was very fortunate for him that Lee did not see this, because he would give him hell. "Under the new military law, you are forbidden from unauthorized absence and are to obey all lawful orders willingly and without question! You will now go into that building and do everything the other drill instructors say! You are in Second Battalion, Easy Company, Platoon 2275, and it's your duty to remember that!"

The next few procedures were the only orderly part of training Fei would face. It involved him and the other recruits, both men and women being separated, then stripped naked as the day they were born, which was especially embarrassing. After a quick, cold bath and disinfecting powder, they were issued training uniforms. These consisted of green tunics and trousers. The men had to shave their heads completely bald, and Fei found himself wondering how Aang could live with the cold wind on his bald head. The women had to put their hair up in a tight top knot.

After a few medical evaluations, the rest of the night could only be described as a paper-pushing torture. They gave the recruits a huge stack of papers to fill out. Fei and the others had to fight to stay awake during the process or the drill instructors would ambush them. On one occasion, he invoked Lee's wrath. The Ranger said nothing; all he did was stare Fei down. Those unfeeling eyes said more than enough; Fei didn't fall asleep again for the rest of the time he had to spend filling out paper work. When the recruits were finally herded off into the barracks, sleep did not take them for a long time.

"Hey, Huang," one man whispered.

"I'm tired," he grumbled, turning to his side. "And call me Fei."

"I'm Liu Xun," he replied. "I'm from Gaipan."

"Oh, nice." Fei hoped his tone sounded weary rather than sad. That town still held a painful memory for him when he served under Jet. Their leader was going to flood an entire town with the help of him, Sneers, and Longshot, while Smellerbee and Pipsqueak kept Sokka at bay. After the Avatar and his friends stopped him, he disbanded the Freedom Fighters. They had lost sight of their mission to protect the people of the Earth Kingdom, and many innocents could have lost their lives.

They all went their separate ways after that. Sneers joined the Earth Kingdom Army and died heroically trying to save wounded soldiers. Smellerbee and Longshot left with Jet to make a new life in Ba Sing Se. From what Fei gathered, after Jet died in Lake Laogai, his two comrades grew closer and got married three years after the war. He and Pipsqueak traveled together until joining the Gaia Brigade, under the leadership of General Cao, who was now an active member of the transitional government. Many people saw him as a likely candidate for the first President of the Republic representing the Gaia Union, one of many parties in the South.

"I…" Fei whispered. "I can't really say where I'm from." He was too tired to elaborate further, so sleep took over him within minutes.

The rest of processing went by very quickly. All through the week, Lee would warn them about their permanent drill instructor. He said that this person was a master Earthbender and a hardened combat veteran who had a direct hand in ending the Hundred-Year War. The recruits did not know whether this person was a man or a woman or what the training would be like; all they knew was that they were not up to standard. At the end of the week, the recruits had to pass an initial strength test, in which they were tested on agility, a number of exercises, and Earthbending. At night, Staff Sergeant Lee gathered the platoon in the barracks to make his opinion known.

"I'm embarrassed to hand you over to your drill instructor! I'll now have to apologize to your drill instructor for handing over this unsat, undisciplined mob of slimy individuals! Most of you are going to fail miserably, but don't come crying to old Staff Sergeant Lee!" With that, he began to storm off. Before he could stop himself, Fei muttered, "Bye, Lee, nice knowing you." The drill instructor sprang around and launched a small rock at the recruit's head. "Ow!"

After Lee's departure, the recruits were taken to their permanent barracks, which consisted of a long room with a row of mattresses on each side. The men got the left, the women got the right and each recruit was standing by their mattress awaiting a speech from the company commander, Captain Choong Won. He stood at the end of the room and addressed the crowd.

"First of all, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to congratulate you all for making it past processing." It was the first time someone talked to Fei and any other recruit like a human being in days. "You have proven that you've got the potential to succeed, but this is only the beginning. For the next six months, you will endure the toughest tests of strength, character, integrity, comradeship, and leadership that you will ever endure in a lifetime. If successful, if you become a Terra Ranger, you will not only posses the skills, but the mental and emotional attitude essential to what we do. You will become one with the earth and use it and every other skill you've learned here. However, we shall see in six months which of you has what it takes to become a Terra Ranger. Now, allow me to introduce you to your drill instructor. Come on out, Sergeant."

A door to the right side of the barracks entrance opened and out walked a figure that made Fei's heart skip a beat. The drill instructor was a woman not much older than himself. She had a petite, slender figure with long, wild, raven hair, giving her the air of a warrior. Her green eyes were clouded over…she was blind. The beautiful Earthbender could only have been one person. "Toph?" Fei whispered. Her expression, as she surveyed the recruits, was one of displeasure.

"Toph Bei-Fong?" A man next to Fei gasped in barely a whisper.

"We are gonna die," another one muttered.

On the other hand, Fei was elated to be seeing his old wartime comrade. She was a master Earthbender who trained the Avatar, so she was one hell of a warrior. Not to mention her snarky remarks would make training somewhat easier.

"This is Sergeant Bei-Fong," the Captain announced. "She will be the one to train and guide you throughout your journey. Sergeant Bei-Fong, they're yours."

"Yes sir!" she responded and the company commander exited the barracks. Toph looked ahead and began pacing the floor in the middle of the room, addressing the recruits. "I am Sergeant Toph Bei-Fong, your drill instructor! My mission is to train you all to become Rangers of the Earth Republic. A Ranger possesses not only the highest Earthbending capability, but also the highest military virtues. They obey orders willingly, respect their fellows, subordinates, and superiors, and always strive to be the best at everything they do! Let's go over the simple rules of my platoon!

"You will at all times give one hundred percent of yourselves and then some. I expect you to conduct yourselves like Rangers, and that includes never giving up. There are five things that you need to pass training: discipline, courage, determination, mental and physical strength, and most importantly, unity. Do you understand that?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!" the recruits responded. Fei barely suppressed an appreciative grin. Toph had always been one to take charge of every situation, and take no shit from anyone. She stopped in front of a rather tall man with more muscle than any human had a right to possess.

"What's your name, Recruit?"

"Uh-" he began to say in a nasal voice that didn't fit his build, but Toph cut across him.

"You forgot your name, Recruit Dimwit?"

"Ma'am, no, ma'am! The recruit's name is-"

"Never mind, I like 'Dimwit' for you." With that, she made her way to the women's side of the barracks to a recruit who seemed to be younger than everyone else in the platoon. "Name?"

"Ma'am, Hua Ling, ma'am!"

"You seem to have an aristocratic tone. Where are you from?"

"Ma'am, Gaoling, ma'am!" she shouted with a hint of disdain. Toph seemed to catch it because she seemed slightly impressed.

"Gaoling?" she laughed. "Is it still as anal as it was before I left?"

"Ma'am, it is ma'am! The recruit is here without her parents' knowledge!"

Toph nodded approvingly at this. "So we've got a rebel in our platoon?"

"Ma'am, just wait until they see her come back as a Ranger, ma'am!"

"So, you think you have what it takes to be a Ranger?" Toph taunted. Before Ling could respond, Toph tapped the floor slightly with her toe, causing the recruit to lose balance and fall on the floor.

Fei whistled and grinned. "And they said Toph doesn't play." On cue, the drill instructor snapped into attention and stormed over to him, grabbing his shirt, her green eyes boring unseeingly into his. While most people would've been intimidated by Toph's glare, Fei's grin simply broadened, despite knowing he was in for it now.

"Do you think I'm funny, Recruit?" she demanded in an even voice. "Do you want to see just how I play?" She didn't wait for answer. In a swift movement, she struck Fei in the solar plexus making him lurch. "On your face and give me twenty-five Earthbending push-ups!"

"Ma'am, what's that, ma'am?"

"When you push down, your hands must sink into the ground. And now you can give me thirty."

"Ma'am, affirmative, ma'am!" These push-ups were much harder than Fei could ever imagine. He had never been the best Earthbender, which is why he'd never really relied on it in his younger days. If Toph would realize this, she'd single him out as a failure. If she had been tough on Aang, who was an Airbender by birth, then who knew what she would do to a natural born Earthbender?

"That's enough, get on your feet!" Once again, he stood at attention. "You seem familiar. Who are you?"

"Ma'am, Huang Fei Hong, ma'am!"

She nodded. "Do you go by any other names, Huang?" A slight smile crossed his face.

"Ma'am, this recruit used to be known as 'The Duke', ma'am!" he revealed and Toph's eyes widened in surprise.

"The Duke?" she repeated. "The same 'The Duke' who fought in the Day of Black Sun as a ten-year-old?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

"I didn't know you were an Earthbender."

"Ma'am, this recruit was never trained, ma'am." Several of the recruits laughed, but Toph silenced them with a look and continued pacing the middle of the room.

"As far as I'm concerned, all of you are novices in Earthbending! Do you think you're any better than Huang here just because you've been taught this glorified rock throwing that you call Earthbending?" That wiped the grin off their faces. Some of the recruits were even insulted by Toph's stab at their style of bending. However, Fei was grateful to her for standing up for him. "I will teach you the true ways of Earthbending," she said. "If you have the right attitude, then you will master the most stubborn element. Your training begins tomorrow. Make sure to get a lot of rest, because we start early."

A/N: I originally meant this to be a one shot, but instead, it'll be a short multi-chaptered story. Like always, if you see something wrong, nitpick.