I'll Walk You Home pt. 50

Chapter 17

pt. 1

Family

It was the barking of the fox/wolf that finally broke the kiss between the two young people.

Sokka's four footed friend had, apparently with some difficulty, dragged his sword belt out of the fog and onto the ancient road.

"Our stuff!" The tribesman said, slapping his hand on his forehead. "Toph I have to get those books if I can."

"Oh right!" Toph said, catching her breath.

The young man struggled out of the hole he was in and limped up to the old highway, the earthbender came along holding his hand. The fox/wolf waited impatiently for the couple to reach her, she then gave one more bark and scampered back into the fog.

Sokka buckled his weapons belt under his coat.

"You should probably stay here on the road." He suggested taking the blind woman's hand and squeezing it.

"Ok..." She grudgingly agreed. "But if you're not back by the time I count to sixty I'm coming in after you."

"Got it." He told her pulling her close.

"Kiss." He warned her moving his face down to hers.

They shared a quick light, wonderful kiss, and then Sokka was gone at a limping jog up slope into the fog and out of Toph's ability to sense him. She began to count in her head.

"Up here!" Sokka heard as he moved up the wagon track at his best speed.

He recognized the voice as Su-Kami's, and put on more speed, even though his left leg was very painful. Soon he saw the young woman standing above the two black sacks containing the books he had taken from the village.

Su-Kami's white skin faded easily into the dense fog. All the young man could easily distinguish were her dark hair, eyes, and dark pink nipples as she stood in the ancient track.

Nipples? The thought passed through the fifteen year olds mind. Crap she's naked! There also seemed to be too many of them. Sokka shifted his eyes to the two book sacks and kept his eyes low, especially off of the dark triangle only a little above the tops of the sacks.

"Thanks!" The teen said reaching for the knot joining the two bags, and hoisted them up onto his shoulder.

"I'll start bringing the rest of your packs down." The naked woman told him, her face close to the side of his.

She rubbed her face against his, her body moving against his arm, which felt very nice but a little odd. As if there were too many soft things on her chest.

"Ah... Thanks!" He told her as he began to move down slope to the ancient road.

"You smell so good." She told him as she released his arm and scampered up the slope.

.

Toph could just feel something, someone, coming down the slope in the fog. She was up to fifty-four when Sokka came out of the fog and stepped onto the ancient highway, and she could finally get a good sense of him.

"I got the books!" He cheered.

"Oh goody!" Toph replied in a dry tone.

"They're important Toph." He told her, lowering the sacks onto the road.

"And our stuff?" She asked.

"I'm going back for it." He replied moving back up into the fog.

"I'm counting." Toph told him.

"Give me to one eighty." He called back to her as he moved up the track.

It took Sokka three more trips to get the rest of their equipment, without Su-Kami's help he doubted he could have gotten any of it.

"I don't know how to thank you." Sokka told the naked woman, as she handed over the last of the bags.

She smiled, her tongue gliding between her sharp teeth, as she moved into him, rubbing her face against his.

"I'll think of something by the next time we meet." Su-Kami whispered in his ear.

Sokka felt her long dry tongue lick the side of his face. She smiled and turned, jogging up the track through the fog. The last he saw of her was her dark pony tail swaying against her bare back.

.

"From the lights, there looks to be a small village an hour or so down the road." Sokka told Toph as he strapped on his leg brace.

"Sounds good." The blind bender replied slinging her back pack on.

The sun was well down by now, in the sky over head stars could already be seen, to the west the sky was fading from red to black and large dark clouds blotted out the horizon.

Sokka slung his rucksack on his back and pulled on his duffle bag. The three food bags were all empty, pillaged by their pursuers, but everything else looked fine, except kicked around a bit. He checked the two heavy book bags. The contents were fine. The bags themselves were made for carrying books, heavy canvas and the outsides had a thick coating of tar and lacquer on them to protect against the weather. From the look of those clouds the books would need the protection.

"It looks like a storm is heading our way." The young man told his companion. "We could hunker down here and try for the village in the morning."

Toph thought a moment as she was shouldering her duffle.

"I'm hungry." She finally replied. "Let's try for the inn."

"Ok!" Sokka said standing up under the great weight of the books.

He held out his hand to the young woman. She grasped it with a little a squeeze and a smile, and the two started down the old road.

.

They were nearly to the village when the storm hit them. Both of them had their hats in their pockets and their coats open to cool themselves as they walked swiftly down the road. A strong gust of freezing rain hit them, blowing their coats open and soaking the two to the skin before they could get the flapping cloth under control.

Sokka finally grabbed Toph into a close hug to protect her from the winds so she could close and button her coat. Once sealed the coats did their job of repelling the cold wind and freezing rain but the damage had already been done. Toph was beginning to shiver.

"HOW MUCH FARTHER?" She shouted over the storm.

"MAYBE TEN MINUTES!" He answered.

"LET'S MAKE IT FIVE!" She responded taking his hand.

"RIGHT!" He shouted in return.

The two moved as fast as they could against the deluge and the wind, down into the village.

.

Kang stood behind the counter that doubled for a bar in "The Friendly Fisherman" the small inn he owned. The wind and rain beat against the windows of the common room and the pounding of the heavy rain on the roof two stories above nearly drowned out the quite conversations at the tables in the room.

The inn keeper saw the flash of light against the curtains and soon after heard the peal of not too distant thunder. This was the first bad storm of the season, and it was moving fast onto the little village by the old road.

Kang sighed. Business had been good for a short time at the start of the season but then traffic from the north had stopped about a month ago, and traffic from the south, mostly men who fished for sport had slowed and finally ended. The last two nights had finally been good with men coming down from the north heading home to Gaoling. The inn had been full last night and was almost full tonight.

But with the start of the storms travel would slow again, and guests would be few. It could be a hard winter this year, even if the war were actually over, as the proclamations claimed. Kang found this last hard to believe. The war with the Fire Nation had been going on all his life, and all his father's life and his father's father before him. It didn't seem possible that it would ever end.

"I closed and locked all the windows." A fourteen year old boy told the inn keeper.

Kang, pulled from his gloomy thoughts, looked to his son.

"Any leaks?" The father asked.

"No." The son replied. "We're safe and sound."

There was another peal of thunder, closer this time.

"Good." The inn keeper replied. "Well then put another log on the fire, it's a cold wind this night. Then get any dirty dishes into the scullery and tell your mother to go ahead and close the kitchen for the night. There won't be any more travelers on the road in this weather."

"Yes father." Bingwen answered with a small bow, before heading toward the hearth.

Kang saw another flash of lightning against the windows and was counting the seconds when the door to the inn flew open as thunder crashed outside. A fierce cold wind carried freezing rain into the room and the candles flickered and nearly went out, and a second strike of lightning illuminated the two dark travelers standing in the open door way.

"Close." The tall stranger dressed in black said in an undertone.

The smaller traveler, dressed in what could be white, in the right light, made no reply, she just clutched tighter to her companions arm. Thunder roared through the common room, shaking glasses, bottles, and dishes. The whole building seemed to vibrate from the sound.

Then the tall man in black pushed the door shut against the storm that resisted his efforts, but could not overcome his strength or will. And the rain and howling wind were locked out into the night.

"Any rooms left?" A deep rasping voice asked.

Kang had to think for a moment, mesmerized by the dark face and deep blue eyes of the man who had just spoken.

There were murmurs from the guests at their tables.

"It's them." Someone said.

"The Black Lotus." Another answered.

"The White Queen." A third said.

"Ah…, ahh… Yes of course." Kang finally replied. "You can leave your wet things by the door."

The inn keeper pointed to a row of pegs on a board attached to the wall by the door.

The tall man bowed in reply and the two began to divest themselves of all their heavy packs and bags, hanging their coats from two empty pegs.

Another flash of lightning illuminated the room.

"Close." The tall man said, placing an arm around the small woman and holding her close.

A crash of thunder shook the building, which when it had passed, caused another set of murmurs amongst the guests.

Kang looked back to the couple who were now standing in front of him, water dripping from their heads and clothes.

"I hate thunder." The small woman said through chattering teeth, her arm still around the waist of the tall young man beside her.

"Makes two of us." The man said in his deep raspy voice, his arm still around her shoulder.

"I only have two rooms left." The innkeeper apologized. "A small room, and the bridal suite. Both on the second floor."

This earned him a raised eyebrow from the young man and slight smirk from the shivering young woman.

The tall man cleared his throat with a little cough and in a much younger voice asked.

"Does the suite have an attached bath?"

"Oh yes." Kang answered. "With an actual bath tub and basin and its own commode. The suite also has a table with chairs, so you can take meals in your…"

The inn keeper was interrupted by another flash of lightning and the young man saying.

"Close."

The crash of thunder followed soon after the word.

"We'll take the bridal suite." The dark skinned man said, putting a large silver coin on the counter. "And we'll need hot water for the bath, and hot tea…"

"Oolong." The young woman stated.

"And hot food if you have any." The blue eyed teen continued. "Hot soup if you've got it."

"Of course." Kang replied, picking up the coin. "And we will be happy to dry your clothes and baggage in the kitchen over night for you, and any washing that you need done as well. Just leave your luggage there and my son will bring it up to the room for you."

"Sounds good." The tall man said. "What's the soup?"

"War Won Ton." The innkeeper answered.

"Enough for three." The dark teen requested. "With plenty of the good stuff."

Kang heard the ring of a second large silver coin spinning on the counter, he snatched it up.

"Of course sir." The older man said bowing to the couple. "Bingwen grab a candle and light our honored guests to the Bridal Suite."

Kang expected some response from the rest of the guests in the common room. A young couple taking the Bridal Suite for the night usually got some laughs and ribald remarks, but everyone was silent just looking at the young pair.

"Yes father." The son replied grabbing up a candle and moving to the stairs. "This way please."

"Not as close." The tall stranger said as another flash of lightning lit up the curtains.

It was a few seconds before the sound hit the inn, softer and farther off than the last one. The young woman released her hold on the young man, he took his arm from around her shoulders, then reached down and took her hand, leading her to the foot of the stairs.

Kang turned to the small serving window cut in the wall between the bar and the kitchen, and sticking his head in he told his wife.

"Ju! We have two more guests for the night. They want hot water for the bath, and hot tea and soup for supper, with plenty of the good stuff."

With this last he held up the two coins and smiled.

.

Sokka was leading Toph down the hallway following the boy with the candle. He could feel her shivering and could just hear her teeth quietly chattering. He scooped her up in his arms, across his chest, and felt her wrap her arms around his neck as he held her. He also heard her squawk of protest as he lifted her off of the floor.

"Yeah I know…" He told her as he carried her along. "…You don't need any help and I'm being an asshole, but this whole place is made of wood and you can't feel a thing, and your freezing which is driving me crazy, so just think of it as you helping me, ok?"

"Ok." She answered snuggling as close to him as she could, she really was freezing.

"This is it." Bingwen said opening the last door on the right of the hall.

Sokka carried Toph over the threshold into the room. For a large room it was rather small. It was a corner room with windows in two of the walls and a large sturdy looking bed jutting into the room from the back wall.

"There's a stove over in the corner." The inn keeper's son said pointing to the far corner by the inside wall. "It's already, I'll light a fire as soon as I get some of these candles lit."

"Where's the wash room?" The dark skinned teen asked still holding Toph in his arms.

"Oh… Right here." Bingwen said moving to and opening a door in the right hand wall towards the back of the room.

The boy stepped through the door. Sokka followed him but stopped on seeing how small the bathroom was. It was long and narrow only about a pace or two wide and as long as the bedroom was deep. Bingwen was using his candle to light two candles on a wash stand in the far end of the room. The tribesman could see that the bath tub, was just that, a round wooden tub set on the floor. If Toph curled her legs up she should be able to sit in it.

"Thanks." Sokka told the younger boy. "We need the bath water right away, even if it is only lukewarm."

"I'll just light the heater and go get it." The boy said exiting the bathroom.

"That'd be great!" The tribesman replied stepping into the bathroom and kicking the door closed.

There was a flash of light from the one small window.

"Not too close." Sokka told the girl in his arms.

Toph gripped tight to the young man as she waited for the crash of sound. They stood holding each other for a few seconds before the thunder hit. Loud but not too close this time.

"Ok?" Sokka asked.

"Yeah." Toph replied.

He set her down on her feet by the bath tub.

"Need to get you out of those wet clothes." He told her reaching around her waist and undoing the back of her belt.

He set the heavy studded belt on the nearby stool, and turned back to the shivering girl, who was pulling ineffectually at the ties holding her over robe on.

"My hands are numb." She explained through chattering teeth.

"Here give them to me." He told her taking her hands and placing them on his face over his cheeks. "This is how mom used to warm our hands back home."

He covered her hands with his own for a few seconds then began to unbutton and untie her over robe. The wet fabric made it much more difficult then it normally would have been.

As Sokka worked on her clothes Toph held her hands to his face. His cheeks were warm and soon she regained feeling in her hands, tingling at first, almost painful, but as they grew warmer they stopped being lumps of ice and became hands again and she could feel his warm skin under them.

"Got it." He said opening the robe. "Put your hands down a second."

She did as he asked and she felt him slip the heavy wet over robe off of her shoulders and let it drop onto the floor. She was still freezing. As she felt his large hands begin to work on her next layer of clothes she reached out to find his face again. After all your hands can't be too warm. She told herself. She let her fingers trace the outlines of his strong features, as he squatted in front of her.

Soon the second layer was slipping to the floor. Sokka was trying to find the draw string to her pants when they heard a knock at the outer room door.

"Be right back." He told her as he stood up and moved into the main room.

Sokka crossed to the bed room door and opened it just as Bingwen was knocking again. The younger boy had a wooden yoke across his shoulders. Hanging from one end was a large wooden bucket full of cold water. On the other end was a large iron kettle, steam pouring from its spout.

"Be careful, the water is really hot." Bingwen warned as he set the bucket and the kettle on the floor by the door, and unhooked them from the yoke. "Mom was going to use it for the dishes. I'll bring up your baggage next. I'm sorry but the lady's bags are soaked through. They weren't oiled or tarred like yours. Mom is going to hang all of the lady's stuff up in the kitchen by the stove and it should be dry by mor…"

"Not too close!" Sokka called out interrupting the boy, in response to another flash of lightning.

"Thanks." Toph called from the bath room.

"Sorry." The tribesman apologized to the boy.

"No problem." The boy replied. "The soup will be ready soon, oh and the tea I'll bring it right up."

"Thanks." Sokka told him handing him a bronze coin.

"Thank you sir!" The boy said enthusiastically bowing his way out of the room.

The slow peal of distant thunder echoed through the room.

By the time Sokka had returned to the bathroom with the bucket and the kettle Toph had managed to get her boots, socks and pants off, leaving her in her under tunic and shorts.

"Let me get the tub ready. Warm water is the best way to fight the cold."

Toph continued to undress as he poured most of the contents of the kettle into the tub which filled the small room with warm steam. He then added cold water from the bucket until it was warm but not too hot. He turned back to the young woman who was now standing in just her loin cloth and breast wrapper. Both made of white cotton and both wet.

Sokka stood staring. He missed the flash of lightning from the small window and it was a good number of seconds before the distant peal of thunder brought him to his senses again.

"Here, get into the tub. That will warm you up." He told the girl.

He took her hand, helped her step over the rim, and soon she was standing in the hot water. It felt wonderful against her cold feet and calves.

"Go ahead and try to get under the water." He told her.

Toph sat in the tub and by pulling her legs up was just able to get most of her body under the water.

"Ohhhhh….." She let out a contented sigh as the trembling in her muscles stopped. "This is wonderful."

"Good!" He told her, still holding her hand.

He let her rest that way for a while, trying to keep his eyes on her contented face instead of inspecting her now very wet underclothes.

"Do you want some more hot water?" He finally asked.

"Yeah!" She said with gusto.

Sokka poured the rest of the hot water into the tub, being careful not to splash her.

"Oh yeah…" She crooned as the steaming water was added.

"Good?" He asked kneeling down by the tub and leaning in toward her face.

"Very!" She answered.

She reached out toward the sound of his voice and her wet hands found his face. She pulled him down farther and lifting her head she found his lips with her own. His hand moved down into the water to slide onto her waist, then up to her back, helping to support her, as they kissed.

The kiss was actually about six kisses, which were becoming more and more heated as they went on. Finally Sokka pulled away, against Toph's protests. He knew where this was going if he didn't stop it right now. His will power was failing miserably.

As he pulled away, Toph's hands dropped from his face to his chest, clutching at his damp robe.

"You must be freezing." She said as she felt his cold wet top.

"Not too bad." He replied in a deep husky voice.

He stood up and stared at the towel rack over the bathtub. She was far too cute and far too nearly naked in her wet underthings for him to be able to look at her. Standing and looking at the wall was by far his best option.

He pulled one of the towels from the rack and releasing his hair began to rub his head vigorously.

Toph lay in the tub with her knees up, swirling the hot water up onto her legs and chest.

"Sokka?" She asked in a quiet voice.

"Yeah?" He replied, kicking off his boots while pulling off his wet top.

"So… before… what you said…?" She couldn't finish the question and shifted so her mouth was under the water blowing some bubbles.

"That I love you?" He asked removing his knife holders and toweling himself down.

Toph moved so that her mouth was up out of the water.

"Yeah…" She said.

"I meant it Toph. I really love you." He told her a little worry entering his voice.

Sokka draped the towel around his neck and squatted down by the tub, leaning on the edge, looking the young woman in the face.

Toph lay in the water, her face down, playing with the end of her long braid.

"So…" She finally said in a soft little voice. "Does that mean… I'm your… girlfriend?"

There was a distant peal of thunder, as Sokka smiled at the question.

"Yeah!" He told her. "It does."

Toph felt his large hand on her cheek tilting her head up towards the sound of his voice. Then she felt his warm moist lips on hers.

"So can I be your boyfriend?" He asked, his lips brushing against hers as he spoke.

Toph's hands rose up out of the water and traveled across his bare chest, up to the ivory choker on his long neck. She pulled herself up out of the water into a sitting position, finding his lips with her own. They stayed like that for some time. Their mouths exploring each other's lips, the steam rising around them from the hot tub, surrounded by the sound of the water in the tub, surging as Toph shifted, water dripping from her arms and body, the sound of the rain on the roof just above their heads.

Toph opened her lips to take in more of his mouth, her lungs beginning to burn for air, but she didn't care. She wanted this moment to continue to the end of time.

It was the knock on the outer door that finally broke the kiss.

.

Sokka answered the door in just his damp leggings with the towel around his neck.

It was Bingwen with the tribesman's back pack and a tray with a large tureen of steaming soup full of meat, vegetables, and wontons.

"I'll bring the tea and more of your luggage on the next trip." The innkeeper's son said trying to hide his smile. "And you can give me any clothes you need to dry then too."

"Thanks." The tall teen said ushering the boy out of the room.

Newlyweds! Bingwen thought with a chuckle as he headed down stairs.

.

Sokka filled two bowls with the soup and brought them to the bathroom giving one to Toph who pronounced it,

"The best I've ever had!"

"Yeah!" He said sipping from his own bowl. "It's amazing what running for your life and being nearly frozen can do to enhance the flavor."

Toph laughed in agreement.

The two sipped then slurped in ravenous silence until Toph held out her empty bowl and demanded,

"More!"

"Anything for my girlfriend." Was Sokka's happy reply.

She felt him take the bowl from her hand, then she felt his hair trace across her face and his lips on hers in a gentle little kiss. As he pulled away, she got her hands on his head and pulled his head down, while pulling herself up out of the water and kissed him back, opening her lips to again capture more of his mouth.

The kiss went on for many seconds until Toph felt something wet move across the opening of her lips. The feel of whatever it was surprised her and she released his head, which caused her to slip back into the water.

She heard a deep chuckle from Sokka as he stood up, and went to get more soup.

His tongue! She finally realized, as she lay in the water playing with her braid. That's kind of gross! But for some reason thinking about it caused her heart to beat faster and that little warm tickle deep inside her to start up again. Her right hand let go of her braid and began to fondle the stone at her neck.

"Got another one for you."

She heard him say breaking her thoughts. She sat up straighter and reached out. Sokka placed the bowl in her hand and sat down on the stool again.

The two slurped the soup down. It felt warm and wonderful in their empty stomachs.

"More?" Sokka asked when he noticed she had finished the bowl.

"No, I'm good." She told him, holding out the empty dish.

He snatched it from her hand, before she could grab him. She laughed at being foiled.

"Sokka?" She asked in a serious voice.

"What?" He asked in reply.

"Just this." She told him, cupping both hands and throwing the trapped water at the sound of his voice with a wicked, gleeful laugh.

"Thanks sweet heart." He responded.

She could tell she had hit him in the face and laughed.

"Anytime, boyfriend."

There was a knock on the outer door.

"That's the tea." He told her.

"Good." She proclaimed.

.

Bingwen was at the door when the tribesman opened it. The innkeeper's son had another tray, this time with a large tea pot and two cups. Across his shoulders were the two book bags and Sokka's nearly empty duffle bag. The younger boy was staggering under the weight.

Sokka took the tray and placed it on the table as the boy dumped the bags alongside the back pack at the foot of the bed.

Bingwen got the dirty dishes on the tray and headed for the door.

"I'll get the wet clothes on the next trip." The boy explained.

"Thanks, that'll be great." Sokka said closing the door.

.

Bingwen deposited the tray of dirty dishes on the counter/bar by his father.

"What are you doing?" Kang asked. "Take those to the scullery."

"Mom won't let me in the kitchen." The boy replied.

"Why not?" The father asked.

"She didn't say." The son answered.

The boy moved off into the common room picking up any empties and asking if the guests wanted anything else. Kang turned and placed the tray of dishes on the counter of the serving window to the kitchen.

"Ju!" He called through the window.

His wife, who had been hanging the young woman's wet clothes on a line near the stove, came over and took the tray.

"Why won't you let Bingwen into the kitchen?" Kang asked through the opening.

"I'm hanging up that lady's clothes and some of them shouldn't be seen by our son." She whispered to him, as she took the tray to the sink.

The innkeeper stuck his head through the window and noticed the delicate, lacy, silk items hung up around the stove.

"Indeed!" Kang said, then he suggested. "Maybe we can do some shopping for you the next time we go to the city."

"As if I could wear things like that." The woman scoffed.

"You wouldn't have to wear them for long." Her husband said with a sly grin.

"Out of my kitchen." Ju told him, blushing furiously.

She pushed his face back out through the window and dropped the curtain that closed the opening. In large characters painted on the curtain were the words. "The Kitchen is Closed".

.

Toph was sitting in the tub and Sokka was sitting on the stool as the two sipped their tea. He was trying desperately to keep his eyes on her face, and not on the nearly invisible pieces of cloth that covered what little of her lovely body was actually covered.

"More tea?" He finally asked.

"Just a little." She told him with a contented sigh.

Toph lay in the warm water, letting her body slide under up to her chin. The bath was starting to cool but it was still warm and comfortable. Actually it felt wonderful. It was one of the few times in her life that she enjoyed being in a tub full of water.

The hot food, the warm water, and the sound of the water dripping from the roof, the rain must of stopped, and now it was just the sound of the run off. It was amazingly peaceful. She could hear the sounds of Sokka, through the closed door, in the other room. The air was heavy with the warm steam from the hot tub.

She heard someone say her name. It was distant and in a wonderfully deep and resonant voice. His voice, the voice he used when he spoke of Yue.

"Mmm?" She hummed in reply.

"Toph? Come on. Time to get you out of those wet clothes and into a warm bed." He told her.

"Mmmm!" She responded, opening her eyes and shifting to sit up in the tub.

Sokka helped her to her feet, the air of the room cool against her wet skin. He then helped her out of the tub, standing on a towel he had laid on the floor. Toph was slowly coming back to herself as she felt a large towel fall across her shoulders and Sokka's large strong hands begin to rub her back.

She worked on the knot on her breast band, struggling with the wet cloth, finally getting it untied and pulling the wet cloth off. She held it out to the side.

"Woah!… Okayyyy…" The tribesman said, reaching from behind her and taking the cloth from her.

Toph pulled the towel around her and began to rub her chest and stomach dry. She heard the sound of water falling as Sokka wrung the water out of the soaked breast binder into the tub. She then heard the thump of the cloth as it landed over by the door and a gurgle as Sokka pulled the plug and began to drain the tub.

As she dried herself she felt a great yawn take hold of her and she had to tilt her head back to accommodate it.

The feel of a towel rubbing up and down her leg woke her up though. Sokka now squatting behind her had his hands wrapped in a towel and his long fingers completely encircled her right leg. He shifted over to her left and ran the cloth up and down, drying her and causing her skin to warm with his vigorous touch.

"I'll let you finish." He told her gathering up the wet clothes and towels from the floor.

"Can you unhook my chain?" Toph asked, wrapping the towel on her shoulders around her chest and turning towards where she heard the young man.

"Aaaa… Yeah… Sure…" He answered a little uncertainly.

He tossed the wet bundle over by the door and squatted in front of the just about as naked as you could be without actually being naked beautiful young woman in front of him.

The towel she was wearing actually covered her from the waist up, and he had to raise the hem just to find the belly piercing. But it did not cover the area of her wet, basically see through, essentially the definition of invisible, downright dripping, and next to useless as a barrier to sight, loin cloth. With a tremendous act of will he kept his eyes on her stomach.

"Let me get a light." He told her.

Sokka turned, and using his long arm, pulled a candle from the wash stand behind him. Holding the flame close he examined the ring holding the chain to her naval. He had to spin the ring a couple of times to find the clasp part.

Toph stood shifting from one foot to the other as she felt his warm fingers brushing and touching her stomach. Trying desperately to not rub her legs together to relive the burning, nagging little itch she was suffering somewhere below her stomach, all thoughts of sleep long gone from her mind.

"Ok!" He said in discovery. "This works like the earring Zoltan gave me."

He put the candle back and began to work on the ring. Toph felt his hands on her skin and a little pull on the ring. Then she heard a click and the ring moved and it was gone. Then she felt Sokka's lips cover her naval as he gave her a strong loving kiss.

"All better." He said pulling away.

He stood up, his hand brushing against her cheek, she tilted her head into the touch, her right hand moving out from the towel to brush her fingers across the muscle and bone of his bare chest.

"Kiss." He said in warning.

Then his lips gently touched hers, his hair tickling her face as it fell forward. Her left hand followed her right moving onto his skin, the towel slipping down off of her shoulders, only being caught by the crook of her elbows. Their lips joined opening and closing, pulling and finding, drawing each of their mouths closer.

Far too soon, Sokka pulled back.

"I'll let you finish up." He told her, his voice deep and cloudy.

Toph turned away, pulling the towel up around herself again.

Sokka turned and blew out the candles on the wash stand, dropping the small room into darkness. He knew she would not need the light.

Moving past her he picked up the bundle of wet things and opened the door into the bedroom.

"I put my old water tribe robe on the door knob here." He told her tapping the metal handle. "So you'll have something warm and dry to wear."

"Thanks." She told him.

"You can just drop your loin cloth and towel by the door here and I'll get them later."

"Ok." She replied pulling at the knot holding her loin cloth on.

Sokka moved into the bedroom and closed the door. He took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh.

"Move!" He told himself.

The young man quickly dumped the wet things by the bedroom door, he then pulled off his leggings and the knife holsters strapped to his shins. He stripped out of his loin cloth and toweled himself dry. Pulling out his clean clothes bag from his back pack, he pulled out his second to last clean loin cloth. It was one of his old ones, but it was clean. The only one he had left now was the ink stained one.

The room was cool, the heater in the corner had done some of its job but the room was far from warm. Sokka crossed to it and added a little more wood and closed some of the vents to bank the fire down for the night. He then moved around the room snuffing out the candles leaving just the one on the night stand on the right side of the bed.

A knock on the suite door grabbed his attention, and he opened the door to find Bingwen standing there.

"Oh right!" Sokka said in understanding.

The tribesman pulled up the bundle of wet things and handed them over to the younger teen.

"Breakfast is served till ten." The innkeeper's son said.

"Sokka?"

Both boys turned at the sound of the young woman's voice and saw in the dim light a white arm extending out into the room from the bathroom doorway, at the end of which was a white, wet loin cloth.

"Oh, thanks!" Sokka said striding over and taking the offering.

"And here's this too." Toph said as the hand pulled back into the crack between the partially opened door and the frame.

It returned with the large towel, which Sokka took from her. All he could see through the small opening was a line of white skin from the floor to the dark mass of hair, and a faint glint of misty green in the lone candle light.

"Got it." He said taking the towel.

Sokka crossed to the door to the suite and placed these last items on top of the bundle in Bingwen's hands.

"Breakfast till ten." The dark teen said in confirmation.

"Yes." The younger boy said. "I'll bring your clean things up around nine if that's alright."

"That's fine." Sokka said.

"Then goodnight." The innkeeper's son replied turning down the hallway.

"Good night." The tribesman answered, closing the door.

.

Newlyweds! Bingwen thought with a grin as he moved down the hall. He was going to have to turn that mattress tomorrow, and maybe tighten the bed as well.

.

Toph had a bit of a struggle figuring out how Sokka's old top went on. She had never worn anything quite like it before; sleeveless with the large side openings. Eventually she thought she had it on right. It was small on Sokka but large on her. She felt rather exposed in it, not having anything on underneath. The side vents went all the way past her waist to her hips, and the front bias was open well below her chest, the hem of the bottom stopping about a third of the way down her thighs.

The robe was old and felt very comfortable on her, the material soft and warm against her skin, though as she moved, it rubbed teasingly against her nipples and breasts. The top also smelled of campfires, and ice, and meat, and blood, and war and peace, and sarcasm. It smelled of Sokka and she loved it, and she inhaled deeply of his scent.

.

Sokka pulled down the quilt, blanket, and top sheet on the bed. He blew out the last candle and went to the window by the bed in the eastern wall of the room. The storm had passed and he opened the curtains to look out into the night. The world was still dripping and cold but clean and new. Just rising above the horizon was a half moon, large and white against the black edge of the world, its white light shining down on the dripping land.

"You are very beautiful tonight." He told Yue.

"What?" Toph asked from the bathroom doorway.

She had not heard what he had said.

Sokka turned and looked at the sound. The moonlight streamed through the window and fell upon the young woman standing on the other side of the room.

Toph's hair was down out of its braid, falling in black waves around her. Her pale green eyes shone in Yue's light, the green stone at her neck matching the hue of her eyes, the silver chain just visible against her fine pale skin. On her arm the black band of metal from the sky. The blue robe she had on revealing and covering her. It showed the soft swell of her small breasts just visible in the open front. Her white strong arms fully reveled; her right casually extended the hand touching the frame of the door way, the swell of her hips just visible. And the white curve of her legs silhouetted against the darkness of the room behind her.

Sokka forgot to breath.

"You are very beautiful tonight." He finally said his voice deep and strong.

Toph lowered her face and her left hand moved from her side to the exposed skin over her breast bone, touching it. With a small motion she pulled the sides of her robe closed a little. Her hand then wandered up to the stone at her throat her thumb stroking the boomerang etched on the back side.

"Ah… The bed is about five or six steps in front of you." Sokka told her, tearing his eyes away.

"Thanks." She told him.

She let her right hand drift along the back wall of the room as she moved with sliding steps towards the bed. She lowered her left hand out in front of her at the level of her hips.

Sokka walked towards the bed from the opposite side. They reached it about the same time and climbed into it. He pulled the covers up over both of them.

He shifted into the middle, lying on his side, propped up on his left elbow, his forearm under Toph's pillow. His right hand moved to her waist and pulled her to him, as she lay on her back. He shifted his right leg over hers and she looped her leg around his, moving her hips into him, until she made contact with his stomach. Her hands moved to his chest and began to explore the bare skin and strong muscles under it. She loved the feel of Sokka's skin.

"Kiss?" He asked.

In answer she sent her hands up his chest to his face and pulled him down to hers. His lips rough, moist and warm, his mouth open came to her lips and their mouths joined, his lips pulling and teasing hers. She answered by following his lead, opening her own mouth to take in more of his lips, pulling his face tighter against her own.

His body shifted, half on top of her own, their chests meeting, his stomach against her hip. His right hand moved through the side vent of her robe, onto her skin, stroking up to the bare skin over her ribs, his thumb on her chest resting just below her small breast.

The kiss continued, Toph wrapping her arms around his neck, her hands moving up to the back of his head, twining through his long hair, pulling him closer, to feel the strong pressure against her mouth. His body followed, his hard chest against her soft breast. His right hand moving down her body, still inside the robe as it shifted from her side to her stomach and then up onto her chest again, stopping just short of her breast.

She didn't want him to stop. The shifting material of the robe had pulled and rubbed against her skin, teasing the hard bud at the end of her breast, and she wanted more, more touching, more kissing, more Sokka. She could never have enough of him.

She began to rub her legs together, shifting one knee up and then the other, to try and relieve the burning inside her. As she moved her right leg she felt her thigh brush up against his groin, and with a sharp movement he pulled his hips back, away from her.

Sokka slowly began to pull back from the kiss, shifting his right hand back down to her waist. Toph held him down for a time but eventually she relented and let him break free. They both lay there panting softly.

"Toph, I love you so much." He finally told her, his voice horse, and foggy, the words drifting across her face with his breath.

Toph's only reply was to send her arms from around his neck to around his chest and pull herself into a fierce hug, trying to pull his body into her own to make one thing out of the two bodies. Sokka's hand and arm moved around to her back still inside the robe and hugged her back with even more strength. She always forgot just how strong he was. He was so gentle with her.

Eventually the hug faded and the two lay there, letting their breathing and their hearts settle. Toph on her back, Sokka suspended half on top of her.

She slid her leg up his again, her foot moving along his calf, her inner thigh moving along his. She felt him shift his hips again, moving away from her.

As he shifted Sokka saw a worrisome thought move across Toph's face.

"You ok?" He asked her.

Toph, who had just realized why he was moving away from her, had remembered a concern she had.

"Yeah…" She told him thinking.

She didn't know how to tell him this, it would probably ruin everything and she had hoped she would at least have a day or two before she had to tell him, so she could have enjoyed having him for at least that time. But it was not something she could hide for long and she had better get it over with.

"Sokka…" She finally said, dropping her hands down onto her chest, nervously pulling the bias of her robe closed. "I… ahhh…"

"What's wrong Toph?" He asked his voice full of concern. "I'm sorry if I came on too strong just now. I just really love you and I got carried away."

"No! Oh no, it's not that!" She told him "It's about me…"

"What?" He asked, afraid that he had hurt her in some way.

"Well… It's just… well…" She was obviously afraid, and nearly in tears by now.

"Toph, I'm so sorry." He began.

"No!, No!" She told him. "You're fine. It's just that… Well… Since I'm… I'm your girlfriend…"

"Yes?" He asked, worry now in his voice. "Don't you want to be?"

"Oh yes! More than anything!" She declared. "But… It's just that… Since I am…"

"Yes?" He prodded.

"Well you're… going to want… to… to shove... your... dickupmypussyanditwon'tfit!" She said the last part all in a rush, and covered her face with her hands at the admission.

"What?" Sokka asked, not quite sure what she had just said.

"It won't fit!" She declared. "I checked. I mean I didn't get a good feel for how big Humongous Sokka is, but from what I could tell he's enormous and little Toph is tiny. I could hardly get my little finger up there, so there is no way that your dick is ever going to fit. I must be deformed. Maybe because I'm blind, I don't know. I just know that Humongous Sokka is never going to fit. So if you want to break up with me that's ok, I'll understand."

Tears welled up in Toph's eyes at this last admission and began to roll down the side of her face.

"Oh Toph!" Sokka said. "I love you. I'll never break up with you."

"Really?" She asked fighting back her tears.

"Yes!" He told her, kissing one of the tears sliding from her eye. "You're amazing and I love you, and there is nothing wrong with you. You're perfectly normal."

"I'm not!" The tears began to well again. "I checked!"

"Wait just let me explain, ok?" He asked her.

She could hear the concern and understanding in his voice, so she relented and let him talk.

"Ok, first you're perfectly normal, except for being the most awesome person in the world which is not normal in the least." He told her with a smile in his voice. "And your being blind has nothing to do with Teeny Tiny Toph. Ok?"

"It's not teeny tiny." She defended herself.

"Alright, fine." He agreed. "I just like the sound of it, ok?"

"Ok." She agreed sniffing back her tears.

"Alright, number two…" He began.

"This is one of your puzzles you're solving!" She told him a little grumpily.

"Yeah… kinda… let me finish. It will all make sense by the end." He replied.

"Ok." She allowed.

"Two. We're just kids Toph, both of us. We're too young to be having sex. We have plenty of time, years even." He explained.

"Years?" She asked surprise and disappointment warring with each other in her voice.

"Yes, years. We're not even fully grown yet." He told her.

That seemed to comfort her.

"Do you really think I'm going to change so much that Humongous Sokka will someday fit inside me." She asked, then she thought. "But won't humongous Sokka keep growing too and become even bigger. I'll never catch up."

"Toph, we're both going to stop growing at some point, so yes you will catch up. But that's not the point I'm trying to make here." He explained.

Sokka rolled off of his girlfriend and scooted up the bed to prop his back against the head board as he continued to explain what he meant. Toph pushed herself up the bed until she was sitting beside him against the headboard.

"What I'm saying is that we could have sex now if we wanted to but we shouldn't. We've got lots of time. Who knows, tomorrow you may wake up and decide that you can't stand me and never want to see… well not see… feel me near you ever again. People change, and we've just gotten together. We should take our time."

"But I won't change, not in the way I feel about you." She told him.

He reached down and took her hand, interlacing his fingers with hers and pulling it up to his chest. She could feel his heart thumping against the back of her hand as he held it there.

"And I'll always love you. But people do change, so it's best to give it some time." He told her.

"Ok." She agreed. "But I thought you had shoved… had sex with Suki? You didn't wait with her."

"No Toph and that was a mistake. We were not ready for that. We thought we were in love and we were scared that we wouldn't have any tomorrows and so we had sex and eventually it ruined what we had. I don't want that to happen to us."

"So you don't want to have sex with me?" She asked striving to keep the hurt out of her voice.

He shifted again, still holding her hand to his chest but he was now sitting cross legged on the bed facing her.

"Toph, I love you. And because I love you I want to have sex with you. I want to have sex with you right now." Then in a silly voice he told her. "You're being beautiful helps a lot." Then in a more serious voice he went on. "But it's because I love you that I want to have sex, not because I want to have sex that I love you."

He dropped his head for a moment, thinking.

"I think that sex is important, I didn't always but I've changed I guess." He finally tried to explain. "To some people sex doesn't mean anything, it just feels good. To others it's just some sort of game to play. To me it's all about how much you love someone."

He pulled her hand tighter to his chest as he leaned forward becoming very serious with her.

"When you have sex with someone it should mean something. That you are serious, that you want to be with that person, hopefully for the rest of your life. That you want to make a family with that person. Because that's what happens. You have sex, eventually you are going to make a baby, and that really changes everything. And you better be ready for that. You should want that."

"I want that with you. I want us to be a family and have children and grow up and old together. But there are still things I want to do, and I know there are things that you want, that neither of us will be able to do if we are raising a child. So until we are ready, which will be years from now, I don't think we should have sex. Even though I really want to. So now, if you want to break up with me I'll understand."

Toph reached out with her free hand finding his face, and shifting onto her knees leaned forward and kissed him.

"I'll always want to be with you." She told him, and kissed him again as proof.

"Good, because you'll have a hard time getting rid of me now." He told her, joy and love filling his voice.

"So…" She said leaning back on the headboard. "If you're not going to shove Humongous Sokka up Teeny Tiny Toph, what's the point of being boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"Well it means we get to hang out together." He explained.

"We've been doing that for almost a year." She replied.

"Yeah… I guess… but it also means that I can do this." He told her releasing her hand and reaching out holding her chin and bringimg his lips to hers."

"Well that's ok then." She said with a smile after he broke the kiss. "I guess it's worth it then."

"I'm glad you think so." He told her shifting so that he was sitting beside her against the head board again. "There are other things we get to do too, but we can wait a little while and figure them out for ourselves."

"That sounds like fun." She grinned, taking his hand again. "What sort of things?"

He switched hands, and swung his left arm over her shoulder pulling her close against his side. She leaned in, resting her head in the hollow of his shoulder and adding her other hand to the one holding his against her thigh.

"Well like playing healer." He told her

"I thought we were too old to play healer." She told him

"Well there are more advanced forms of the game that you have to be old enough to play." He explained. "And if we get good enough we could even give each other oral exams."

"What's that?" She asked curious now.

"I'll give you an example in a year or so." He told her with a grin.

"Can't wait." She said with a nasty little laugh.

"So I'm normal?" She eventually asked.

"In regard to Teeny Tiny Toph, yes. It's everything else about you that is amazing." He told her.

"I still don't see how I can ever grow big enough for you to fit in me." She told him. "Of course I would have a better idea if I could actually use my hand to see just how big Humongous Sokka is."

"No!" He declared. "Maybe when we're older."

"Seriously I'm going to have to grow like a hundred times if you're ever going to fit." She told him, worry starting to enter her voice again.

Sokka thought for a minute. Did he really want to have this conversation. He knew he would have to explain all this sometime.

Yeah in like four or five years. He told himself. And maybe by then her mother will have finally explained it to her.

Sokka didn't think there was much chance of that. Finally he made his decision, took a deep breath and started a conversation he never thought he would have.

"Toph, do you know what a virgin is?" He asked her.

"Hmmm? No. I think I've heard that word before but I'm not sure where." She answered.

"Ok… Well a virgin, or someone who is virgin, is someone who has never done something before." He explained. "Usually it is used in regard to sex. So since you have never had sex you are a virgin."

"Ok." She said thinking about what he had just said. "Is that important."

"No not really." He told her. "Except for one thing."

"What?" She asked becoming suspicious of where this was going.

"Well since you're virgin…" He paused to clear his throat. "And since you're a girl…"

"Of course!" She interrupted suspicion being replaced by anger.

"You still have the Hand of Tui on you." He finished.

"Ahhh fuck!" She cursed, pushing herself off of him and sitting up to face him. "What has that bitch done this time. I bet it involves pain and blood again, doesn't it?"

"Well…" He said in a wheedly little voice. "Yes, but it's only once this time."

"Shit!" She said in resignation. "And boys don't have anything like this, do they?"

"Well… No, they have the hand of La holding their balls up but he lets them go when you get to a certain age, and it doesn't hurt." He explained.

"Great! You get away with everything." She said hitting him on the chest. "So what's this Hand of Tui?"

"Ok, so this is how my Gran Gran explained it." He told her holding up his hand and guiding her fingers to it.

"So this is Tui's hand." He told her, letting her fingers explore his hand.

He had his hand cupped as if he was holding something with all his fingers closed. He then opened a small space between his thumb and his forefinger.

"And this is your… opening. You know down there." He told her.

"Ok…" She responded, suspicion coming back into her voice, as her fingers felt the opening. "Hand puppets, I'm getting hand puppets."

"Hey, this is how my Gran Gran explained it to me." He told her defensively. "So any way the entrance to your baby home..."

"My what?" She asked skeptically.

"Your baby home. You know where the baby will grow inside you." He told her, fighting to not wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

"Ok…" She finally relented.

"That's down here, at the bottom between the thumb and the rest of the hand." He explained guiding her fingers to where he was indicating.

"Ok." She was starting to get a little tired of this explanation.

"Now... ok, can you feel the piece of skin between my thumb and the rest of the fingers?" He asked.

"What? This?" She asked rubbing the flap of skin in the hollow of his thumb.

"Yeah that." He told her. "Except on Tui's hand it's a lot bigger and almost covers the whole entrance to your baby home."

Toph thought back to when she had checked to see if Humongous Sokka would fit inside her, and what he was saying was starting to make some sense.

"Ok…" She finally agreed.

"So when a girl has sex for the first time." He lowered his hand. "The boy…"

"You" She corrected.

"Ok me. Well when we have sex…"

"When you shove your dick up my pussy."

"Yeah…" He sighed. "I'll have to tear through that flap of skin."

Sokka was surprised that she let him finish.

"Tear?!" She asked in a dark dangerous voice.

"Yeah…" He affirmed.

"As in rip?!" She asked.

"Yes." He answered.

"So to have sex you have to rip a hole in me?" She demanded.

"Well… yes." He admitted.

"Does it hurt?" She demanded.

"The girl?" He asked.

"Of course the girl." She shot back angrily.

"Yes." He confirmed.

"I'll bet there's blood and bleeding too, isn't there?" She asked.

"Yeah, there's blood too." He answered.

"What a bitch!" She proclaimed.

"Tui is a loving and generous spirit." Sokka answered back coming to the moon's defense. "She sacrificed herself for the entire world!"

"This is because she's your ex-girlfriend isn't it? She hates me because you two broke up." Toph said in understanding.

"We didn't break up. We were never together." He told her.

"That's even worse." She fired back.

"Besides it's not just you, Toph." He tried to mollify her. "Every girl has to go through this."

"Yeah right!" She replied skeptically.

"And it's no fun for the guy either." He said. "It hurts doing that to someone you love emotionally and physically."

He remembered back to his first time with Suki. He had tried to be gentle with her which had been a disaster, and it had taken him three times to finally break through. It had been a miserable experience for both of them, and he had caused her needless pain, though the Kyoshi warrior had never admitted it, or gave any outward show of suffering.

"Oh well so sorry." Toph responded thick with sarcasm. "So do I get to rip a hole in you?"

"No." Sokka said in defeat.

"Nooooo!" She mimicked him. "So what else?"

"What?" He asked confused.

"There have to be even more gifts from Tui for me." She told him, anger very evident in her tone. "So what else?"

"No, that's it. The skin doesn't grow back, it's just the first time that is really bad." He told her trying to placate her. "Unless you get pregnant of course. That starts a whole n'other series of gifts."

"I don't want to hear it!" She told him.

She shifted around on the bed, scooting down under the covers, which caused the bottom of her robe to ride up around her waist. She hurriedly pulled it down to cover herself. She lay there for some time thinking.

"Being a girl really sucks." She finally said. "I wish I had been born a guy."

"I'm glad you're a girl." Sokka said lying down next to her. "If you were a guy you'd just be like Aang or Zuko. Since you're a girl you are who you are. Toph Bei Fong, the most amazing, powerful, beautiful girl in the world, and I love you."

Toph thought about that for a moment. She eventually rolled over towards Sokka and pulled herself up onto his chest. She found his face with her hands and kissed him.

"Well I guess there are some good parts to being a girl." She finally relented. "So... when can we play healer?"

XXX

To be continued:

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Disclaimer: "Avatar the Last Airbender" the characters and the world were created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and owned by Nickelodeon and Viacom or Paramount or some huge corporation. This is purely a work of fan fiction because I wanted to play in their world and I love the characters that they created.

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Author's notes:

Hi All,

Sorry for another long wait for the chapter, but at least this was a long chapter for you. Not very exciting but it had some fluff in it and I felt that Toph and Sokka deserved some fluff.

I really felt the last scene was important for the story and the characters I only hope that I did them justice.

Thanks so much for reading.

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Fanart; There is fanart for the story on DeviantArt; Totalfanboy21 has a great picture of an older Toph and Sokka inspired by the story and Abi-chan14 and Cutubulla as well as Kawayui-Kage have created Fanart for the story. I am really honored that talented artists have liked the story so much that they have actually made art based on it. Please check them out.

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Thank you all so much for sticking with my story.

I have to thank everyone for the really generous and kind reviews. You guys keep me going and I really appreciate all the support. I always try to answer all reviews. If I missed any one please forgive me.

I'd like to thank all the guest reviewers for their criticism and support. I really am trying to get better at this and need all the help I can get.

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Once again thank you to all those who have added this story to their alerts and especially their favorites, and a very special thank you to all who have added me to your author alerts and favorites. That is a real honor for me. I hope I have not disappointed you with this chapter.

Thank you to all for reading

All comments and/or criticisms are more than welcome.