Title: Growing up Normal
Author: DarkHairedVeela
Summary: What would become of Prince Zuko if there was no Avatar? What would become of Toph if Gaoling was conquered before she could runaway? They would grow up normal. But of course that was an understatement. AU
Inspiration: City of Ember, "Redemption" by Non-Stop Music
Warnings: Language
Pairings: Toko (Toph/Zuko)
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender nor the characters.

Edited: 2/28/12

G r o w i n g U p N o r m a l— P r e f a c e

His eyes were used to the blinding white walls and the blinding white lights that hung from the ceilings of the underground tunnels that were so prominent in the Earth Kingdom. It was a system adopted by the people from the ancient badgermoles of old. Honestly though, Prince Zuko didn't much care for history and traditions that had nothing to do with his own. All he cared about was getting where needed to get to. He had already memorized this particular burrowing system from years of travelling to Gaoling.

But it didn't really matter if he knew where he was going.

She would always find him.

He groaned when he felt a loose pebble, something not usually found in the perfect tunnels, hit the back of his neck. Even though she was the object of his trip, he couldn't help but feel dread wash over him.

"Back so soon, Prince Zuko?" Toph Bei Fong asked sweetly, her ever bare feet making a full stop well within his personal space. She was always trying to intimidate him.

"It's been two months since my last visit," he argued.

"Yes," she snorted unbecomingly. "You've become more and more frequent. What is it about Gaoling that has become so important to you?"

By the sound of her voice he knew she was in the mood for hurting.

"It's just a visit."

"And this is just Gaoling. Gaoling isn't important anymore. It's just a tiny little village compared to the Fire Nation Empire."

"You are upset."

Something in her face changed. A lot of things changed. At first it looked like she could just murder the heir to the Fire Nation Empire but then her foggy eyes deadened some more and she gave him a smile so sweet that Zuko hoped his teeth wouldn't rot. She brought her hand up to his chest and then his neck where she pulled him down to her level. Her forehead and nose were aligned with his and he felt his heart stop when she closed her eyes.

"When I was a little girl, I dreamed of traveling the world, meeting new people." Toph's hand was buried in his hair now, her fingers combing through the strands almost roughly. "I hated Gaoling, and I hated my parents and I couldn't wait to get out."

"Ow!" Zuko exclaimed when she nearly ripped out a patch of his hair. She didn't seem to hear him.

"But I never got to leave because you and your men had to come marching into town." With one last wrench of her hand she snatched herself away from him. "It's been ten years since then, Zuko and I still haven't left Gaoling. I was supposed to be gone by now but you took my freedom away!"

"I didn—"

"Shut up!" she yelled, jabbing a finger into his chest as viciously as she could. "I wasn't meant for this life of wealth and etiquette."

"No one is forcing you to stay!" he yelled back.

She laughed, one tear rolling down her cheek. "I don't need to be forced. My parents are weak, they would lose everything if I left them."

Zuko paused to stare at her. He remembered his first visits to Gaoling and he remembered his many stays at the Bei Fong estate. But mostly he remembered Toph and their relationship they had no name for. He always knew she hated him but it wasn't until that moment that he knew how much. He reached out for her—maybe to hold her hand, touch her cheek, or maybe even to hit her. He wasn't sure and when Toph took a step back he knew he would never find out.

"So what is so important about Gaoling?" she repeated. Zuko's eye twitched. She seemed calm—the calmest she'd been since . . .

Zuko cleared his throat. He kept his eyes trained on the glowing orbs above him. Plasma reacting to a bunch of electricity. Toph began walking down the tunnel in the direction that would lead them to her home. "Can . . . can you get back to me on that one?"

Toph frowned. "You don't know?" After a moment, she laughed, the sound echoing through the halls. "You're such a spoiled prince."

Zuko scowled smoke curling from his nostrils. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Toph sighed. "It means whatever you want it to mean, oh perfect Prince." There was a moment of silence where everything about Toph seemed to collapse and drag. Her shoulders became hunched and Zuko could hear the dragging of her feet on the floor. She pulled her lips into her mouth and brought a tired hand to her forehead.

Maybe visiting wasn't a good idea after all.

"I wish you knew what you've gotten yourself into—what you've gotten me into."

And he wished he knew as well.