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Feet
Aang showed up as soon as he could, but it had been a couple of days. He froze off the lock of the cell and swung open the door. "Toph?"
She sat silently, giving no indication that she had heard him.
He peered into the darkness of the cell. "Toph, we have to hurry. Sokka and Katara can't distract the guards for much longer."
Finally she turned her head, and her sightless eyes were so bleak that he took an involuntary step back. "I can't," Toph said quietly.
He went closer, and gasped as he saw what was keeping her back. Aang knelt down and took one cracked, bloody foot gently in his hands. Then he stood and, in one determined motion, lifted her into his arms. She didn't resist, and he stepped out of the cell, walking slowly in an attempt to keep his balance.
Sokka and Katara swooped down on Appa, looking disheveled but triumphant. Aang lifted himself and Toph to the saddle, laying her on her back gently.
Katara's eyes widened when she saw Toph's injuries, and she reached for her water skin.
"They burned her feet, Katara," Aang said, his voice tight with barely restrained outrage. "They burned her feet!" He paced back and forth, then stopped and turned toward Appa's reigns. "I'm turning us around, and we're going to go back and get those guys."
Sokka gently turned Aang around and steered him toward the back of the saddle, ignoring his protests. "Calm down, Aang. Katara and I are both worn out, she's using the last of her energy to try and heal Toph, and Toph herself is in no condition to fight. Attacking them now would be suicide. We will get them, I promise, but not yet."
By now Aang's anger had receded enough for him to see that Sokka was right. He moved over to where Katara was kneeling beside Toph. The younger girl had lapsed into unconsciousness, and Katara's face was creased with worry.
"I've done all I can do," she said. "She's very strong, and her feet were already tough from being barefoot for so long, but the wound's gone without treatment for a while . . ." she trailed off uncertainly. "It all depends, now."
Aang put his hands on Toph's chest and felt the steady rise and fall of her breathing. "I'm so sorry, Toph," he whispered.
The End
A/N: So I had a dream that the Fire Nation attacked them and Toph's feet got burned, and it made me so sad that I just knew I had to write it. I hope it makes sense and stuff. It isn't actually anything like my dream, just the main idea. The title isn't that good, but I couldn't think of a better one. Hope you like it!
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