The gang had decided to camp out close to a small town with a low creek close to it. They waited out through the day and finally relaxed when the sun had set.
"Wow. This is amazing to watch." Katara awes at the beautiful meteor shower passing through the dark night sky filled with stars.
"Kind of makes you realize how insignificant we are." Sokka adds.
"Meh, you've seen nothing once, you've seen it a thousand times." Toph comments with a shrug. Right, she's blind. Suddenly, a bright spot in a sky aluminate everyone, urging them to sit up.
"Oh, man. You've never not seen anything like this." Sokka implies as the meteor soars above their heads and crashing in the valley below. Toph quickly stands up to the powerful vibrations that were given off. A fire burning bright in the middle of the pitch-black night, sort of beautiful. They react rapidly getting on Appa and flying over the fire.
"The fire is gonna destroy that town!" Katara exclaims.
"Not if we can stop it!" Aang replies.
As the gang moves quickly to get off Appa, Katara hops onto Appa's head and grabs the reins. "There's a creek over her. I'll bend the water on to the fire." She tells her friends. With a flick of her wrist on the reins, she is flying over the fire.
"Toph, let's make a trench to keep the fire from coming any closer." Aang informs his young teacher. Toph starts to run off in the direction of the fire but is stopped by Sokka's question. "What should I do?"
Aang is also pauses at his sudden question and then notices Momo flying around. "Keep an eye on Momo." He points.
"So, what, I'm just a lemur-sitter?" Sokka asks annoyingly as Momo lands on his head. "There, there. Feel better?" He pats the lemur's small head.
Toph and Aang make a small ravine cutting off the fire's path to destroy more land, making five small pieces of ash fall close to Sokka and catching on fire. Momo and Sokka franticly trying to extinguish the flames. Sokka was only successful with one because he was using a machete. On the other hand, Momo quickly put out the other four flames and getting a funny look from Sokka before sitting down again. Sokka watches the other benders, Toph bending a layer of earth over the edge of the fire, Katara bending a humongous bubble of water and raining it on the flames, then finally passing it over to Aang.
"Sokka, stand clear." Aang notifies Sokka.
"Right, stand clear." Sokka glumly says. Picking up the tiny animal and walking away. Aang fills his lungs with air and blows it out with the water making an explosion-like with the water and changing it to snow, throwing Sokka over.
"Good work, everybody." Aang praises. Not noticing a Sokka popping his head over the snow that was made and Momo 'skating' over the frosted ground.
----------
The young group decide to go off into the town to get something to eat. They stop to a small shop and order their food.
"These people have no idea how close they were to getting toasted last night." Aang states as he sits down in the middle of Toph and Katara with a tray of food in his hand.
"Yeah, the worst thing about being in disguise is that we don't get the hero worship anymore. I miss the love." Toph pouts.
"Boo-hoo, poor heroes." Aang, Toph, and Katara turn their heads towards the voice, seeing Sokka who is sitting on the small stairs gloomy looking out to sea.
"What's your problem?" Katara questions. "You haven't even touched your smoked sea slug." She points out.
"It's just, all you guys can do this awesome bending stuff, like putting out forest fires, and flying around, and making other stuff fly around." Sokka twirls his fingers in the air. "I can't fly around, okay? I can't do anything." AS he slumps over his shoulders.
"That's not true." His sister denies. "No can read a map like you."
"I can't read at all." Toph brightens the mood, a little.
"Yeah, and who keeps us laughing with sarcastic comments all the time?" Aang remarks. "I mean look at Toph's hair, right? What's up with that?" As the young airbender picks up a strand of hair out of the Toph's face.
"What?" Toph swats Aang's hand away. "Katara, what's wrong with it?" As she asks the person in front of her.
"Nothing is wrong with your hair, Toph." Katara tells her. "It's really gorgeous, actually."
"Ha! See my hair is gorgeous!" Toph cheers and raises her fists in accomplishment. As she shouts, they group gets glares from the people, who were trying to eat peacefully, that backfired.
"S-sorry for the noise." Aang timidly bows at the small crowd of glares.
"Keep it down, Toph." Katara shushes.
"Sorry, Mom." Toph sarcastically 'apologizes.' Also getting another angry glare form Katara.
"Look it appreciate the effort," Sokka butts in, "but the fact is each of you is so amazing and so special, and I'm not. I'm just the guy in the group who's regular." As he finishes, Katara goes down and sits down to her older brother.
"I'm sorry you're feeling so down, but I hope you know none of us see you that way." She reassures him. "I know something that's gonna make you feel better." Katara puts a hand over his shoulder.
"You do?" He asks hopeful.
----------
"SHOPPING!" Sokka joyfully claps before dashing inside. Katara follows her over-joyed brother while Aang and Toph head off in the other direction. Toph goes and starts feeling the items around. She comes to a couple of jet-black fingerless gloves.
"Twinkle Toes?"
"Huh?" Aang turns his head toward the earthbender.
"What do these look like?" As she holds up the pair of gloves.
{This is what they look like}
"Black, fingerless, and small." He tells her observing the black gloves. "I think they would fit you."
"Mm... okay. Can you help me put them on?" She asks.
"Ya, sure." He comes next to her and grabs it out of her hands. "Here, put them like this." As he grabs her left hand and slips it into the glove. A light scarlet red spread over the faces of the young benders. What is this? I have always been close to Toph. So, what, or why, am I feeling like this? Aang thought. A cough brought him back to reality.
"O-ok. You can let go of my hand and do the other side, Twinkle Toes." Toph looks away hiding the light shade of pink on her cheeks.
"Oh, right." He scratches the back side of his neck. He quickly does the other side.
"Thanks." Toph tells Aang as she lifts her hands and moves them for a better fit. "These feel nice. I'm buying these."
"With what money?" Aang questions.
"I have some money left over since Ba Sing Se. Actually, a lot." She reveals with a grin. Aang makes an 'o' with his mouth. They both walk over to shopkeeper who is wearing an apron and holding a broom.
"Excuse me. How much are these gloves?" Aang asks.
"Those gloves are six silver pieces." The shopkeeper responds.
"I'll do it for five." Toph bids.
"Very well." The shopkeeper nods his head. Toph reaches into her pocket and pulls out five silver pieces, placing them on the counter.
"Ooh. That's what Sokka's talking about." They turn around to look, well at least Aang can see, at Sokka running up to a sword display and sliding his hand across the item. Katara, Aang, and Toph walk around him.
"You have a good eye. That's an original from Piandao." The shopkeeper wanders up to them. "The greatest sword master and sword maker in Fire Nation history. He lives in the big castle up the road from here. Intelligent man." The shopkeeper informs them before walking off.
"That's it!" Katara clicks her hands together. "That's what you needed all along, Sokka."
"A sword?" Aang asks.
"Intelligence?" Toph adds with her mocking grin.
"Not a sword. A master." Katara explains.
"We've all had masters to help us get better. You should see if you could study with Piandao." Aang continues.
"I could've never gotten to where I am now without Master Pakku. Everyone needs a teacher." Katara emphasizes.
"I learned from badger moles. They don't talk, but they're great teachers." Toph sums in.
"It would be nice to be a master swordfighter." Sokka picks up the sword and examines it. "All right, I'll talk to him." He announces. All of them cheer.
As they walk off, Katara notices the black gloves on Toph's hands. "Hey, Toph?"
"Ya?"
"Where'd you get the gloves?"
"Ah, so you noticed? I bought them."
"Nice, they fit you well." Katara finishes before walking off.
AUTHOR'S POV
"Master, my name is Sokka, and I wish to be instructed in the way of the sword." He bows his head in respect.
Long story, short. Sokka finally went to Piando to become a swordsman. Knocked on the door, knocked again, still no answer. Sokka, being Sokka, continues to rapidly knock on the door over and over again until the butler opened the door. Butler takes him inside where he meets Piando.
"Sokka? That's an unusual name." The man abruptly comments.
"Oh, uh, really?" He scratches his chin. "Uh, where I come from, the Fire Nation Colonies, it's a pretty normal name, for Fire Nation colonials." Sokka rambles, before mentally scolding himself for not covering up his name with a better one.
"Let me guess." Piando starts. "You've come hundreds of miles from your little village," The master continues to move his brush across the sheet of parchment, "where you're the best swords man in town and you think you deserve to learn from the master." The man still not turning to face the 17-year-old.
"Well, actually, I've been all over the world." The young non-bender adds.
"Yep, here we go." Piando says, popping the 'p.'
"And I know one thing for sure: I have a lot to learn." Sokka kneels down, with his head down.
"You're not doing a very good job of selling yourself."
"I know. Your butler told me that when I met you, I would have to prove my worth. Bu the truth is, I don't know if I am worthy."
"Hm, I see. Well, then, let's find out together how worthy you are. I will train you."
I'M BACK!!!!!!!! Wah! I Hate WRITERS BLOCK!
I'M SORRY FOR DISSAPEARING FOR THREE MONTHS. GOMEN! I WAS READING MORE FANFICS ON THIS GREAT APP THAT I FORGOT TO UPDATE THIS ONE!
I AM SO SORRY!
What did you think about the small Taang moment??? Any opinions? Nah? Yes? Well, sorry for not uploading, had author's block and some MAPS testing going on. Well either way, here's your weekly quote.
"Go on your path, even if you live for a day."
-Park Jimin
BYE~ BYE~