A/N

Hey! IM here! So, yeah... This is my first Avatar fanfic, and I was feeling a little down, so it came out a bit angsty... Sooo, a little background that I was too lazy to add to the actual story:
This is post-war. Ozai still has his supporters, and they have little groups of themselves posted all around the Four Nations (this is a bit before Republic City was made). Anyways, as the Avatar, Aang has had to go and find these little groups and stop them. Sokka (he has his space sword in this fic), Katara, and Toph decide to come along, but when they split up (Aang and Katara, and Sokka and Toph), things don't go exactly as they had hoped...

Disclaimer: The only thing I own is the story idea...

ON WITH THE STORY!

The boomerang flew with an amazing speed, hitting the rebel in the head. The man fell to the ground with a thud and a cry. The Water Tribe warrior ran toward him with a fierce battle cry, all his fury pouring out into the wordless, inhuman scream. The last thing the rebel saw was a pitch black blade rushing toward him...

Sokka pulled his space sword out of the man's chest. With one last angry glance at the corpse, he ran back to the clearing where Toph lay bleeding.

The warrior's stomach seemed to have turned inside-out, tangled in his intestines, and caught a violently flapping bat when he saw the blind Earth Bender lying there on her side, unmoving. Her face was pale, her milky-green eyes squeezed shut tight. Her fingers were wrapped around the arrow embedded in her stomach, staining her small hands scarlet. Her long black hair had come slightly undone from it's usual bun and her breath came in shallow, ragged gasps.

"KATARA!" Sokka called his sister several times before kneeling beside Toph and gently brushed the girl's bangs from her face. Her sightless eyes opened a bit.

"Sokka?" Toph's voice was weak and faint.

"Yeah?" Sokka replied softly.

The blind girl swallowed and smiled, "You know what? I think I've been shot." She laughed a little, which turned into a bloody cough.

Sokka placed a hand on her head and shushed her gently, "Don't talk. I'm gonna get this arrow out of you." He tried to keep his voice calm and steady. "It... doesn't look too bad..." He started to reach for his knife to cut the head of the arrow off (it had gone all the way through) but he was stopped when a small, bloodied hand caught his arm.

"I'm going to die, aren't I..." The resignation in Toph's voice was clear.

"N-no... Of course you aren't going to die!" Sokka's voice shook slightly.

Toph sighed, "I can still tell that you're lying, Snoozles."

Sokka took a deep breath. "Toph, you are not going to die. Don't worry, Katara and Aang should be back soon." He yelled for them again.

Toph shook her head, her hand slipping from his arm. She closed her eyes and swallowed painfully. "Don't bother, Snoozles... it's too late..."

Sokka shook his head in denial, "No! You are not going to die, do you hear me?" He yelled desperately for Katara and Aang.

He looked back down and grabbed his knife, slicing the head of the arrow off. He gritted his teeth and gripped the feathered end firmly. "This is going to hurt..."

Toph didn't answer, gust grimmaced.

Sokka pulled the bloodied shaft out of the girl's stomach, trying not to damage anything else. Toph turned even paler from the pain, her body tensing. Sokka immediately pulled her to his chest and pressed a hand to her back to staunch the blood flow.

"Sokka..." her voice was so faint that if her head hadn't been next to his ear, he wouldn't have heard it. "I have to tell you something..." Her breath was labored and hot against his neck.

"Shh. Don't talk." He pressed her closer. He could still feel the blood leaking out of her wounds. "Tell me when you're healed."

"You're my best friend, you know," she continued, ignoring him. "But sometimes I wished we were more than that..."

Sokka could detect a guilty note in her voice.

"I used to wish that you had never even met Suki... but then I would see how happy you were with her... I don't care anymore. I've always loved you, but I guess we were just never... never meant to be..." she coughed hard. He could feel a warm, sticky wetness on his neck.

"Katara!" he screamed loudly. "Katara! Aang! Somebody help!

"Goodbye, Sokka..."

"No... no, Toph! Hang on! Please, don't leave me! KATARA!" He buried his face in her raven black hair, her usual earthy scent mingled with the iron-salty smell of blood. "Toph... please..."

It was Yue all over again, only this time it was a hundred times more terrible. Not because of the blood, but because he was loosing someone he knew he loved with everything he had. He'd loved Yue too, of course, but with Toph it was more than that. They were best friends, had traveled together, shared good times and bad times. They had been there for one another through thick and thin, and now that he was loosing her, it was like loosing a part of himself. He lifted his head to the heavens, screaming for his sister for all he was worth. "KATARAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Sokka could hear Katara's voice calling his name, and he felt a flood of relief. He pulled Toph closer, "You're gonna be fine now. Just hang on."

The blind Earth Bender didn't respond.

"Toph?" Sokka shifted a little. Toph slid limply in his arms. She wasn't breathing. Her pale-green eyes ere blank and lifeless.

Katara ran into the clearing, Aang following close behind. "Sokka, are you alri-" She stopped in her tracks when she saw her brother. He was cradling Toph in his arms, sobbing. They were both covered in blood.

Sokka looked up at Katara, his cheeks wet from tears. His eyes seemed to hold an endless sorrow. "She's gone... It's too late-" His voice cracked and the miniature rivers grew as great as his grief until it seemed he would drown in them both...

A/N

So here it is! I hope I didn't depress you guys too much...

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Disclaimer: Ehem. Island Mirage (IM for short) does not, nor will ever in any way shape or form own the Avatar series... Sad day...