Book One: The Oracle

Chapter Eighteen: Natural

A/N: I advise, if you haven't, read the last chapter and the one before to refresh your memory first. If you delve right back into this, you may become a bit confused. Much appreciated. And I'm nixing the dedications, but I am very thankful for all of my reviewers.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters within it.

A half an hour passed and none of the four friends exchanged a single word. Aang and Katara found a comfy spot beside the living room fire to take a nap, which wasn't very long, but it rested them. The Avatar pulled his waterbender into him, allowing her to rest on his shoulder, then he put his own head upon hers.

It wasn't long before Toph came out of confinement and passed the two, scoffing at the sight of them. You think you're so great?she thought, rolling her eyes. With her earthbending, she sensed they were sleeping, which was also made evident by the fact they weren't saying anything or acknowledging her. She didn't care, though. She let them be and made her way into the next room, which was a hallway leading to the place she would find her parents.

When she made it to the large doorway, she took a deep breath, which soothed her indefinitely. The girl pushed the door, ever so slowly, reminding herself that whatever happened is what happened and it didn't matter what the outcome came to be. She entered the room holding her breath, but then let it go, along with all the stress and bad vibes she could gather in a single gulp of dry air.

Lao Bei Fong glanced his daughter over meaningfully as he sat with his legs crossed, arms folded neatly on his silken green robes. His chin was raised just the tiniest bit, proving his high class standard and champion blood.

"Toph?" he questioned, excruciatingly calm, as if it was an attempt at being droll.

The blind earthbender stood before them, her shoulders slumped and her hair not quite as neat as they would've done it up. Poppy saw the slightest bit of misery under her daughter's thick outer shell and it caused her to grow dim as well.

"I didn't come back here because I wanted to." Toph's words were blunt and sudden, but she didn't mean to attack them. She just didn't care. "I'm a thirteen year old blind girl," she said. "I know it's hard for you to let that fact slip. I know it's bad enough that I can't see, but the truth is..." she took in a deep breath, "I would've told you this a few years ago if I wasn't so afraid of you thinking I'm crazy."

Air in the room swirled around with a thickness that suppressed all the inhabitants of it.

"What is it, Toph?" Poppy spoke, leaning forward slightly in anticipation.

"The truth is... I can see. Just, not with my eyes."

The two adults shared glances and focused back on their daughter. Toph kicked the ground softly and shrugged.

"I guess that's it."

She turned to leave, but Lao pushed forward on his chair, standing. "Wait," he demanded. Toph paused, but she sighed as well, not pleased where this could go if it continued on. "I just wanted to know--You are staying, correct? Because last night wasn't exactly... precise."

Toph muffled her laughter as he spoke his final word. Her father was precision in it's entirety, and only then did she catch on to how annoying it must be to have such a rebel for a child. She knew she wasn't like her parents, but the thought that she could've been was enough to find amusing. She started nodding however, walking toward the exit.

"If you're willing to have me."

The thirteen-year-old shut the door behind her on the way out. She felt so relieved. After their conversation the night before, she thought she would never have the courage to tell them the one thing she kept to herself. Being blind, whilst being able to see was something her parents couldn't accept, especially if it involved earthbending--or so she thought. Lao despised earthbending, though he kept her in amateur training only because it was important to know, just considering the slim chance she was injured, or captured. Or both. She would be able to do something, albeit, that something was very minuscule, if anything at all.

Toph laughed again, thinking about her father's logic. His insecurities were pretty hilarious, now that she could actually decipher them.

--

Aang opened his eyes. It was really, really warm. Not too warm, but a comfortable temperature, making him want to doze right back into sleep and cast away the world for just a few more hours. Which, in actuality, was possible. Today they weren't doing much, especially since Sokka was taking this time to say his goodbyes, or find himself, or whatever nonsense a sixteen year old boy might go through. Although, it would be nice to say their own goodbyes as well. Who knew when they would see Toph again? There was so much to deal with, and they desperately needed to contact both Zuko and Earth King Kuei before the end of the month, if possible.

The Avatar glanced at the girl beside him. She was his true love, and, he supposed, his right hand from this point on. She vowed to stay with him. Aang did love this theory, but in hindsight, he knew he shouldn't have let go of the subject so quickly. He needed to put up a fight and demand she spend time with her family. It was an important matter. A duty, maybe?

He shook her. "Katara. Wake up," he whispered, kissing her below her ear and smiling as lips met skin.

Blue eyes fluttered in a daze while the water tribe girl came to, waking up slowly, yet efficiently. Her head spun in just the slightest way, causing tiny black dots to fill her vision, but then promptly disappeared when she saw the boy who held her. She stifled a yawn and said, "What time is it?"

Aang shrugged at that. "Day time?" he offered with a smirk on his face. Katara clicked her tongue.

"Mmkay."

There was a pristine instant as slick silver captured cerulean blue. The waterbender was smiling with her eyes as she gazed at him, the tiredness only lurking in the background of her mind. It was too strange to wake up beside someone she cared for and trusted so much. Oddly, though, she figured she could get used to it.

Aang wrapped his arms around her and took her lips captive with his own. At first, it was a formless kiss. As he moved against her, it was almost sloppy. Freefall. He was lenient until kissing her became urgently necessary. Soon, the simplistic act turned into a battle of strong emotion laced with animation. Aang pushed his tongue into her mouth and she accepted it, then forced it out, using her own to seal her domination.

For only a little over a minute did this continue. They both found an end to it, the power becoming overwhelming and somewhat foreign, but also, casually lucid. Katara pulled away with Aang trailing behind her, holding himself steady.

"Well," he breathed, "I feel better."

Katara laughed. "Me too."

Not even a few seconds passed after Aang snuggled back against her did he remember why he woke her up in the first place.

Aang gave her a heartfelt squeeze and slowly stood, her eyes following him as she pushed off the ground and stood as well. She brushed herself down, the wrinkling kimono folding uncertainly against her. When it smoothed out, she did the same to her hair. Satisfied, she searched her best friend's face for some sign that could tell her what he was up to.

"We have a schedule today," he declared, searching around the room. Katara offered a brief nod. She was feeling a little punctual at his words. "Find out what's up with Sokka, say our best goodbyes to Toph, and..." Aang narrowed his eyes in thought, then brightened them up again. "Hawky?"

Smiling, Katara gave another nod. "Almost forgot about that. Do you think he's here?"

Aang shrugged. He grabbed Katara's hand effortlessly and the two of them slinked out of the room, ready for their mission.

--

"Complicated," the warrior boy mumbled across his lips, his arms crossed in a very 'manly' manner. He sat down. The house was so obnoxious in the sense that he, being who he was, had the right to call it that. It was too enormous. Or, was it too obsolete?

Toph's parents made it this way. Her parents. The ones who gave birth to her.

The theory was a lot to wrap his head around. There were actually people whom had a child, and that child became a young lady, and would some day be a woman. And he was slowly falling in love with her. And slowly, always slowly—because he was never good at doing things quickly—falling out of love with the girl he was sure he would spend the rest of his life with.

So, complicated was the word he decided to settle on.

Because, although he loved it when the world laid itself out for him, he was never good at doing things simplistically, either.

When his sister rolled around the corner, he grimaced. The one thing in his life that wasn't complicated. But, somehow, it seemed like such a pain. Obnoxious.

"Sokka," she said, sounding surprised. He didn't know why, taking into account her next few words. "We need to talk."

--

Toph meandered around in her mother's garden after her chat with her parents. It was a place for her to think, and always has been.

She had the chance to think about herself.

She was so many things. The Blind Bandit—her previous status—but, in actuality, it was still within her. Not just as her fighting name, but rather, an indisputable inner calling she couldn't refuse to live with. Toph was proud of being blind. She was born without sight, and to most, this would account as a downfall. Something to be pitied for. Toph, however, saw the light within this opportunity—she was the greatest earthbender in the world.

She thanked the spirits she was blind.

The downside to this magnificent gift—or lack thereof—came down to missing out on the many things she wished she could experience.

Seeing the stars, watching the clouds. Knowing how the water moves and being able to identify the color of fire.

Though, most importantly, she wanted to see her friends.

Toph had a small sense of what they looked like. She could feel how their bodies moved, since all people had different body types, if even in the slightest. She knew Aang usually had no hair. By choice, not by reason. Katara had long hair and a lean, yet muscular figure.

And Sokka...

His body type was much like his sister's. Slightly less feminine, though still growing. He had an edge to him that most didn't, which Toph couldn't quite process in words. His eyes were large, though skeptical, and his jaw was set, adequately squaring out.

Toph bit her lip. He was the rare case where she genuinely focused in, trying with all her might to figure him out.

It was an art in her mind. The figures of people were sculptures of handiwork, ruthlessly detailed to function correctly, with as little flaw as possible.

To read them was a chore.

Toph sat down beside the flower patch from earlier that day. She took one of the bigger ones from the base of the stem and left just enough leverage to have the plant stabilize itself and face the sun. She gave it a soft shake, listening to the whooshing noise it made as it passed by her face. Then, the girl smelled it briefly, lifted it up and tucked it snug behind her ear.

She wasn't entirely sure when she fell in love with Sokka. Or when she started liking flowers, for that matter. They were two very different things, but they shared a single trait.

She would never understand either of them.

A/N: Wow! I finished it, although, it's shorter than I would've liked. Please, please review. And the cliff hanger(s) were surely intentional. You should expect an update once a week, unless I declare otherwise. Thank you!!

-Katara