Part 6

The night before felt almost as if it were a dream. Even after all of these years Sokka still seemed to trust her enough to confide in her. But she knew deep down he had every reason not to trust her if only he would see things the way she did. After all, she was the one causing him all of this confusion. She was maybe even more confused than him, why was she even doing this?

The outcome of this all would never be the happy ending she dreamed of, it would only hurt herself. And now in such close quarters, she knew she needed to end this, no one could ever find out.

With less than an hour of sleep, she popped up out of bed, making her way over to the fire pit. So far she was the only one awake, but it wouldn't be long before the rest of the gang decided to join her. After only an hour the rest of the group made their way over, all enjoying breakfast before she real business would begin.

Aang could barely contain himself, he had thought of what he believed to be the perfect plan. He waited tirelessly for them all to finish eating. As soon as they did he jumped up from his seat, a huge grin staining his face. Toph was growing a bit impatient as well, why couldn't he of just spilled it already.

"Alright Twinkle-toes what's the big plan?"

"It's perfect! I was up all night thinking it through, and to make it even better it involves my favorite Earthbender and my favorite uh - sword guy?"

Her heart dropped from her chest, Oh no, did he know?"

"- Okay just hear me out for a second guys, who are these criminals going to trust, the rest of us who crack under pressure undercover, mister Royal Firelord over there, or a bad ass blind war hero and her trusted caretaker?"

"Aang, Sokka can't act - This isn't a good idea-"

"Hey! I can act just fine, you can do most of the talking I promise, let me prove myself."

She could only sigh as Aang continued, "Now it isn't their hideout, but there is a local bar that some of their members supposedly are regulars-"

"So what's the plan? They aren't going to trust me right off the bat."

"Just trust your gut Toph, you've got this. You're the only person who could get away with this. You're a Fire Nation war hero, imprisoned after Ozai's defeat, you were just released and ready to overthrow the palace."

"See that's a great plan and all, but what if an actual royal guard is there and I get arrested and thrown in jail for real?"

"That won't happen - I've done my research, you won't find anyone who isn't considered a rebel in there."

"I still don't exactly like this plan - but I'll do it, Sokka I'm going to need to borrow one of those swords of yours-"

"W-Wha?"

"Well clearly I can't shoot fire out of me, so if I'm a nonbender they're gonna wanna see a weapon."

"Alright, alright, just don't do any of that metal bending on it..."

"No promises,"

It was still early in the day, they planned to wait a few hours until dark to head out. They all figured there would be more of a presence at night. She put on a straight face, but deep down she was nervous. She was a good liar, an incredible one even. But none of them had a clue what this group was capable of, and that's what scared her the most.

Right before heading out into town, Sokka pulled her aside for a quick moment.

"Hey, you sure you wanna do this?"

"I don't really think we have much of a choice..."

"I won't let anything happen to either one of us, now come on let's get going."

With a few quick goodbyes and pep talks from the rest of the gang, they set out towards the forestry in search of the bar Aang had mentioned. Sokka had grown much better at following maps over the years, both able to quickly locate it in town. They stood outside for a few moments, planning for the worst. Toph took a few deep breaths, turning to Sokka with a straight face.

"Remember, you're my caretaker, stay behind me with a hand on my shoulder as we walk."

He nodded, Toph barging into the building walking straight up to the counter.

"What the hell does a girl have to do to get a drink around here, whiskey on the rocks!"

An older man, thick white beard and black eyes filled with anger made a comment,

"Aren't ya a little too young to drink?"

"I didn't fight under Ozai's command to be refused a drink in my own nation-"

The young bartender served her with a smile, Toph quickly chugging the liquid, as much as it stung her throat she kept a straight face, this was her character - she had to play it through.

Curious as ever, the bearded man took a seat beside them at the bar.

"Bartender, get us both another drink please. So you fought under Ozai, huh?"

"Since I was only 12, I lied about my age to fight."

"So many of us did, I can't blame you for that, how come I've never seen you in here before? Most of us come down here for a drink at least twice a week-"

Slamming her wrists down on the counter, she revealed deep ligature marks on both arms, one of a few tricks she had up her sleeve.

"You'd think I'd make it out of war a hero, but with the Avatar alive and the Royal brat making a mockery of the palace, I've been living in a cell."

"They actually released you?"

"Hell no, I saw my chance and made a break for it-"

"You remind me so much of myself.. of my friends.. and who is this young fellow you're with, can he be trusted?"

"Yes, he doesn't talk much, he's my caretaker, you see I'm blind as a bat-"

"From the war?"

"No, I've been blind since birth... but I've never let that stop me, I've learned to see the world around me from vibrations."

"That takes a lot of skill, you must be an incredible fighter... Why don't you two meet me back here tomorrow night? I have a few people I want you to meet, fellow war heroes.."

Toph nodded triumphantly, finishing her drink. Sokka kept a close eye on her as the two spoke, he was amazed at how well she had been doing. At times he almost believed her story too.

As the night grew darker and most of the bars customers had left, Toph and Sokka headed out back towards camp. Once they reached the edge of the forest, out of sight, he grabbed Toph tightly shaking her with joy.

"I can't believe you did it!"

"Hey we're not in yet, but its progress."

"Still - that was amazing!"

He pulled in once more, giving her a big hug. As he pulled away, he looked down at her for a few moments, almost as if he were lost in thought. Before she could react, he leaned in pressing his lips against hers. The kiss only lasted a few seconds, but it was everything she could of wanted and more. Slowly pulling away, he started to panic.

"I-I'm sorry... I just..."

"... It's okay."

They continued to walk on in silence, after a few minutes Sokka spoke up once more.

"Hey uh, have we kissed before? Like uh, I don't know maybe I was in a coma or something and-"

"I don't think so.."