~~ Toph's earthen wall couldn't hold much longer. She dug her feet deeper into the stone floor of the Western Air Temple as blasts of fire continued to bombard her.

"Sokka, if you've got a plan, now would be the time to tell us!" she growled between gritted teeth.

Sokka was standing above Suki, whom Katara was healing with what little water she had left. The wound in the warrior's shoulder was still fresh, and Katara was unsure if she could heal it. If it was possible, Suki was sweating more than Toph. Sokka's mind was completely focused on his injured love. He couldn't bring himself to think of another plan. His original plan had gotten Suki wounded after all.

"Where the hell are Aang and Zuko?" he exclaimed. "They should have been here ages ago!"

"They're not coming back!" Toph shouted as she slid another few inches backwards. "They either bailed or they're dead!"

At this point, Katara could take no more. While still healing Suki, she turned her head to the young girl.

"How dare you! After everything Aang's done for us you just automatically assume that he's abandoned us or he's been killed? What is wrong with you Toph?"

"Maybe I'm just being realistic sugar queen! Your boyfriend isn't here! Where is he Katara? Where?"

"I don't know!" Katara cried, tears streaming down her face. The water she was bending splashed all over the floor and she slumped against the wall. Suki managed to sit up against the wall and took Katara's hand in hers. Katara gasped and tried to re-gather the water from the floor. "I-I'm sorry Suki."

Suki laughed weakly.

"It's fine Katara. We're going to have to get out of here anyways, right Sokka?"

Sokka was biting his nails, lost in thought, he barely heard her, simply grunting and shaking his head. Then he looked up and said something under his breath. When Katara questioned him, he repeated it.

"Appa! Momo! They're out there with the Fire Nation!"

The three girls all thought about the animals that were trapped outside the relative safety of the tiny room. Toph momentarily let her guard down, and that was all it took. One more blast from outside shattered what was left of her wall and she slammed against the wall behind her, hard. From the combination of holding the wall and the final blast, she finally fell into unconsciousness. Fire Nation soldiers streamed into the room, with firebenders following close behind. Sokka stood alone in the room, brandishing his boomerang in one hand and his sword in the other.

"Bring it on." he grunted.

The enemies attacked, and Sokka threw his boomerang. It arched around the guards and struck three soldiers in the back of the skull before being caught by a fourth and thrown to the floor. Sokka's sword clashed with another soldier, but a knee to his stomach brought the water tribe boy to his knees. A familiar voice got down in front of him. As Sokka's vision blurred, the man started to speak.

"I know you helped your sister and your girlfriend escape Sokka. I'm going to do unspeakable things to you and your friend until you tell me where they went. The Fire Lord doesn't want any chance of interference with his final plan."

Someone struck him on the back of the head with the hilt of his sword and he finally collapsed.

~~ A group of six carried a gilded rectangular box up the isle to the throne of the Fire Lord. Surrounded by a wall of flames, Ozai stepped down the long series of steps and reached the floor. He nodded and the six robed figures placed it on the ground and bowed, stepping backwards. The most powerful firebender in the world stepped forward and slowly opened the box. He got a glimpse of the inside and his eyes opened wide. His fists clenched in rage and an enormous tower of flame bellowed out of his mouth.

"What is the meaning of this atrocity?" he screamed.

One of the figures timidly stepped forward to offer an explination.

"I-I'm so sorry for your loss your lordship. We f-found her b-body in a canyon along with her war balloon."

"My daughter, my only child, is dead. How do you think I feel about this?"

Another one of the robed figures spoke up.

"My lord, what about your son, Zuko?"

The room was silent, and the tension was thick in the air. The Fire Lord approached him and got face to face with the elderly man, whose eyes were clenched with fear.

"I have no son." Ozai calmly replied. He cracked his knuckles and blasted him with an enormous fireball that quickly consumed him. In seconds the old man had been reduced to a pile of ashes. "Clean this up! I need to mourn the loss of my child!"

The five remaining men bowed again and quickly cleaned up the remains of the sixth, exiting the throne room.

"My dear sweet Azula…you shall be avenged! I swear that whoever did this to you will suffer a horrible agonizing-" Ozai stopped as he noticed something clutched in Azula's left hand. After picking it up and examining it, he realized it was a lock of raven black hair that could have only come from one person. "Zuko."

Author's Note: Hey I'm back…again! Hurray? After another year hiatus the fans of this series have probably moved on but hey whatever. Anyways, if you didn't understand this, you should probably read the first two parts of the story. More chapters coming soon!