Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, any of the characters, nor rights. I am a simple, albeit untalented, wordsmith. Neither do I own any of the rights to "Love is Blind".

A/N: This story is based on a rather familiar (to some) story floating around out there (author unknown). Some of y'all may understand. For those who don't, you will, at the end of this expedition into fiction.

A/N: This is set several years post Finale. There may be some OOC for the characters. My apologies.

Through His Eyes

There was one thing that she wished more than anything. That she could see "him". Yes, there were other things she wanted to see....The sunset over Crescent Moon Bay on the solstice, Wu Long forest in the Earth Kingdom (yeah, she had experienced it, but she wanted to truly see it), and the Crystal Catacombs in Bah Sing Se, among other things. But, the one thing she truly wanted to see was "him", the Water Tribe boy that she loved. "Of course", she thought, "he doesn't care for me, not like I care for him." But, just to see him, well, that would be enough to last her for the rest of her life.

Unbeknownst to her, the Water Tribe warrior loved her. She was everything to him. She was his yin and he was her yang. Yes, they were meant to be together. However, there was one catch. She was blind. No, that didn't matter to him, but it did to her.

One day, one glorious day, she was observing him, without being blatant about it. He was practicing with his boomerang. She still didn't really understand what that meant. Sure, she had held it once, when he had laid it down to go swimming. She knew it was important to him. So, she decided it needed to be protected. While listening to the others swimming and splashing around in the water, she felt the boomerang. It was so smooth, so well formed, just as she imagined him to be. Smooth muscles, well formed muscular body. Suddenly she felt him get out of the water and drop down beside her.

"Hey, thanks for watching that for me."

"No problem", she replied. "I hope you don't mind. I picked it up becaue I got bored and wondered what a boomerang was like...."

"Well", replied the warrior, "I want you to know that I don't let just anyone handle my boomerang. In fact, you are the only one other than my dad that I will allow to touch it."

"Oh", she said. "And why is that?"

"A warrior has to depend on his equipment. If just anyone were to handle it, they might dull it or damage it, making it worthless in battle. Only those I thoroughly trust are allowed to handle my equipment."

At this, she bent her head down so her bangs covered her sightless eyes, and gave a shy smile while handing his boomerang back to him. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Snoozles" she said as she punched him lightly on his shoulder.

That evening, the blind Earth Bender went to sleep with a new smile on her face. A smile that seemed to say to the world, should anyone be looking, that someone thought she was trustworthy, that she was special.

From that day on, the blind Earth Bender and the Brave Water Tribe warrior were seldom seen one without the other. No matter what they were doing, be it hunting, or picking berries, even eating dinner, they were inseparable. No matter where they went, he would tell her about what he saw. The sun and clouds, explaining how they appeared in their eternal dance. The way in which the butterfly-hoppers flitted around from flower to flower. Their colors making it seem as if the flowers themselves were actually flying.

With every description, the love the blind Earth Bender felt for this Water Tribe warrior seemed to grow. No one else took the time to explain things to her. To try to make her part of the conversation to help her understand what everyone was talking about.

The thing that she appreciated most was that the Water Tribe warrior never treated her like she was not able to do things. He treated her like he did everyone else. When he described things to her, she could tell it wasn't because he pitied her. No, it was because he wanted to give her a gift. To be able to see the things that he appreciated and loved.

Somewhere, somehow, this friendship seemed to develop into something more. There seemed to be a mutual feeling between the two. The Water Tribe warrior, once the first in line for meals, now waited for the blind Earth Bender before he filled his bowl, and always waited for her to fill hers first. When rations were short, he ensured that she had more than enough, even though it meant that he went without.

None of this happened in a vacuum. It was so out of character that their friends noticed it.

Then, the day came that the Water Tribe warrior made it official. During an evening when everyone had eaten and were just sitting around the campfire telling stories, he placed his arm around her. She could feel everyone's attention seem to focus on them. She felt her cheeks heat up as she blushed, then, wonder of wonders, she felt him give her a slight squeeze. Not a large one, but she felt it nonetheless. It seemed as natural as if they had been doing it forever, and she liked it. She liked the feeling of his arm around her. She liked the feeling of him letting her know that she was important to him.

As time went on, they became inseparable. She began to dream of building a future with him. Dreams of a house, children, and growing old together became her favorite bed time companions. Soon, however, reality set in. She overheard him telling his father how much he missed his home.. He was from the Southern Water Tribe. A world of snow and ice. She would be without her element. Worse, she couldn't see there. Missing her element was one thing, but truly being blind...No, she couldn't take that.

A/N: Sorry this first part is so short. I promise that the second half will be posted as soon as possible.

One thing I do want to do, though, is to thank my Beta, Shinobi Bender. She has led this old dog through the twists and turns of learning to use the tools that are available, and has given me much good advice. Anything good about this story is mostly attributable to her. Anything that is not so good, well, that is what the review button is for. Please review and let me know what you think.