Story of The Sword and Toph Beifong

As he waited for the tournament to start, Xiao slept silently in the stands of the arena where it would take place, dreaming about the past.

When he started showing an interest in swords, which happened because Zuko kept bragging about his swordsmanship, Iroh contacted an old friend of his. He was a sword master and smith by the name of Piandao.

Xiao could still remember the first week of his time with him. The man was interesting. More eccentric than Iroh but still very wise, especially in the art of the sword. When Xiao arrived, he spent the whole day sitting in the blazing heat of the summer sun in front of the man's door.

Finally, a Butler had let him in. With him, Xiao had brought a special ore found at the site of a fallen star, as well as various other extremely strong metals. They were gifts from his master.

Piandao had greeted Xiao over a game of Pai Sho.

"Hello. You must be Xiao, Iroh's apprentice?" The man asked. Xiao nodded and sat down across from him. "Yes. He sent me here to learn the way of the sword." Xiao replied.

"And why would you like to wield a sword? For power? Glory? For the love and exhilaration of the fight?" Piandao asked.

Xiao shook his head, causing the sword master to raise an eyebrow. "Than what, pray tell, drives you to wield the sword. "I don't want anyone else that I care about to die. I need to repay a life debt to someone. My friend brags about his sword skills and it frustrates me." Xiao said with a straight face.

Pindao laughed. "Honest! Good! I'd expect nothing less from Iroh's only apprentice!" The man said as he stood up.

"Do you have materials to make a sword?" He suddenly asked as. Xiao nodded and stood up as well. "Follow me. You will make your own sword." Piandao said.

"Yes." Xiao said and started following him. 'Listens intently, has constant vigilance, moves with coordination and confidence, and is not arrogant whatsoever. Iroh, you have chosen a fine apprentice.' Piandao thought, taking note of everything he saw from the first time he laid his eyes on Xiao.

Xiao spent the next four days and nights forging his sword. He reshaped it, bent it, molded it, and hammered it day and night, trying to find something that would fit him. Finally, he ended with the katana. He tied the violet cloth around the hilt, made of the hide of a type of rodent that lives near volcanos in the Fire Nation.

And with that, Xiao started the real training. The last three days of that week and for three months after, Xiao sparred with the sword master every day. Piandao never hold back, always going one hundred percent. On the third and final month Piandao finally removed the blindfold he had been wearing since day one of the sparring.

This is when the true training began.

Every day he would go to sleep with new bruises and cuts along his arms and torso, only to wake up and get beat up again.

Xiao woke up to the sound of people starting to enter the stands. He went down and got ready for the tournament. There were benches walled off from the arena where the contestants could sit.

Xiao sat and watched as many huge men with tons of muscle and fat covering their bodies came in one after another, receiving sneers and threats from them all as he sat patiently, waiting.

Surprisingly, a little girl, looking around three years younger than Xiao himself, entered as well. She was also a little shorter than Xiao, although not by much, which was sad to be honest.

"Hello." Xiao said as the girl sat next to him. "Sup." She replied. Looking closer, Xiao saw that her irises and pupils were clouded.

"You're blind?" He asked the girl. She snorted. "You're short?" She asked.

"Tu Che…" Xiao muttered. After a few moments of silence be continued.

"I know what you're thinking…" the girl said after a moment. Xiao looked at her. "Why is a little blind girl like me participating in a tournament with a bunch of large older men? Or something along those lines. Well I'll beat all their asses. Including yours. Just watch." She said, blowing a puff of air the pushed her hair up.

"Actually I think it's quite cool. That you are doing this I mean." Xiao said, causing the girl to stiffen in surprise. "What? Why?" She finally asked.

"Well, the fact that you're not letting such a disadvantage as blindness discourage you from doing something like this is quite brave. And also who the hell cares that you're a little girl? I don't doubt you could whoop these muscle head's asses without even trying! I could too and I'm almost as short as you!" Xiao said, chuckling.

The girl finally looked at Xiao in the eyes… forehead, and extended her hand, spitting in her palm as she did so.

"The name's Toph. Nice to meet ya!" She said with a smile. Xiao spat in his hand and grasped hers shaking it. "Xiao." He said. They went back to silence and Xiao wiped his hand on the guy next to him's sleeve.

"I call beating that Boulder guy up." Xiao said suddenly. Toph laughed. "Then I call the hippo guy!" She said. They chuckled and started picking who they were going to beat up until the the announcer said the tournament was about to begin.

{A\N}

Gaoling is actually where Toph lives if you didn't know. It's to the west of the south-eastern coast of the Earth Kingdom that borders the Fire Nation.

Next chapter is when I showcase Xiao first and only current signature move. There will be more in the future.