Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender.
A/N: And here it is. At long, long last, this is the final installment of the finale! I hope you guys enjoy.
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Summer's Heat: Part Five, 4
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Sokka had always considered himself a serious, practical sort of guy. He was a realist—a man of science!—and upheld that there was an explanation for anything and everything. He trusted, for the most part, only in what he could see.
So he certainly would have scoffed at the age-old Water Tribe saying that at the moment of death, a warrior would see his entire life passing before his eyes. Yeah right. That was downright impossible. Silly, even, the stuff of stories and fables, but certainly not of real life.
But now that Sokka was facing death himself… he was not so sure he had been right after all.
Everything moved and turned in a slow, almost stilted motion. It was as if Time itself had been trapped in a thick, oozing mud, and could not carry on as it should. Even the sounds seemed muted or badly muffled. And even as Rin turned the crank, and Sokka knew death would follow in mere seconds, he saw…
He saw his life. He swore he did.
His mother, comforting him after a scary nightmare…
"That's my big, brave warrior… See? You are strong, Sokka!"
His father, proud and beaming, giving him Boomerang on that very special birthday…
"Be like that boomerang, son, in all that you do. Fly hard, fly fast, fly high… but always be loyal to those who care for you."
His little, baby sister, crying over being teased by some of the older boys, and he comforting her by the fireside…
"Aw, don't listen to them, Katara! I bet you'll be the best bender that there ever was!"
Aang, the boy he had come to love as a brother, asking him, one cold winter day, to be his best man…
"I wouldn't have anybody else! Sokka… Are you crying…?"
Memory after memory, old and recent, good and bad, flowed past him, and all in rapid succession. He saw himself and Katara finding Aang in the iceberg, watched as he and Yue shared one last kiss, and then he returned to that airship, his leg aching and her fingers clutching his own—slipping, slipping!—as she dangled over smoke and open air.
But, no, he had held on for just long enough. He hadn't lost her…
And, just like that, her face blossomed before him.
Toph…
He saw her and felt her. He remembered…
"I do."
"You may now kiss the bride."
But it was she who grabbed his collar, dragged him down, and kissed him. He only laughed and held her close, nose buried in her hair.
She smelled like lotus blossoms.
"I love you, Sokka," she said, and leaned her cheek against his chest.
Tears welled in his stinging eyes.
I'm so sorry, Toph…
Rin turned the crank. Its loud groan hammered into the stillness of the hot night. Sokka closed his eyes, and held on to that last vision he had had of Toph. Hurt, bloody, and small, but so very strong and brave and beautiful…
He wished he had had one more chance to tell her he loved her.
Sokka tensed, bracing himself for the end.
And…
And nothing happened.
What…?
Sokka opened his eyes, not knowing whether or not to believe what he was hearing. Or not hearing, as the case happened to be.
From what he could tell, neither did Rin.
The Rogue swore and kept turning the crank, and in increasingly violent, jarring turns. But no matter how hard or how fast she rotated the contraption, the gunne did not respond.
It laid silent, dead, in the moonlight.
"What… What is going on!?" Rin screeched. She practically clawed at her weapon. "Why isn't it working!? Why will it not fire!?"
Her girls remained quiet and confused, but Sokka knew immediately what had just happened.
He laughed, both pleased and nigh hysterical after the scare, and pushed himself off the ground. Rin glared at him, furious and looking as if she wanted nothing more than to rip his throat out with her teeth, and he waved a scolding finger at her.
"See now?" he said, grinning. He leaned against a large stone, keeping as much weight as he could off his bad leg. "This is what happens when you keep firing recklessly, my dear Rogue! With that much rapid firing capability, the gunne's going to run out of ammo sooner or later!"
Somehow the woman's face became an even paler shade of white. "You…" Her ghostly eyes widened."You knew, didn't you? Didn't you!? You did this! You tricked me!"
He shrugged. "Maybe… Aren't I clever?"
It wasn't too far from the truth. He had hoped, and planned, on this eventually happening. The gunne was powerful but not invincible, after all, and Rin was hardly conservative with her arsenal once she got into a huff.
He was only glad she had run out of bullets now and not later.
Maybe the spirits don't hate me after all.
Sokka drew in a tight breath. The game wasn't over yet. He still had a chance to keep his promise.
But first things first…
His leg was hurting him, and badly, but Sokka still made himself scramble back into the relative safety of the rock formations and outcroppings of the cliff-face.
He had a feeling Rin would not be very happy with him after this one.
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Rin howled like an enraged dragon.
"You little piece of shit! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"
She could barely breathe, barely think straight. All she felt was heat, the sort of heat that blazed behind her eyes and in her chest. A buzz roared in her ears. An incoherent stream of words, both foul and nonsense, burst from her shuddering lips.
How could she have allowed this to happen? How!? How was it even possible for the little bastard to pull yet another one over her eyes!? She was the Rogue, the Queen of Thieves, the Mouth of Her Goddess! He was nothing—nothing!—but a little boy, an in-bred mutt!
And yet somehow he had managed to trick her. Somehow he had kept her from her purpose! Somehow he had ruined everything!
How could this have happened!? How, Goddess, how!?
She would not let such happen again. Oh, no, she wouldn't. Rin would make sure of that. Never, never again! she railed, fists clenching and eyes burning. No, no, no! She would not underestimate the fool ever again.
Drawing in deep gulps of the hot air, in a struggle to find some sort of peace of mind, her eyes darted to where he had fallen after the grenade blast. The mutt was gone, of course, most likely trying to find a little den to crawl away into.
But, really, how far could he go with that injured leg of his?
Well, that was an easy answer. Not far at all… That knowledge touched her as the breathing did not.
Rin's mind swirled almost drunkenly with a passion, a desire, for action. She could—no, she would, would!—catch him. She would track him down, ferret him out of wherever he was trying to hide, and take care of the annoying piss-ant, personally.
A grim smile danced over her lips. Uneven chortles burst from her heaving chest. Vengeance! She could have her vengeance, here and now, tonight, and once and for all! Yes, yes, she would!
"Nowhere to run, little boy…" she whispered. "Nowhere to hide…"
Sokka would pay for ever daring to stand against her and her will. No more games, no more mercies, no more dawdling. It would all end.
The sooner her was out of the way, the sooner her dreams would come true.
"Milady?" ventured one of her girls. Both stood well away from their Rogue. They knew better than to approach her too soon when she was angry. "What will you have us do?"
Rin growled. "Isn't it obvious? Reload the gunne, and be quick about it! Man it for me from here on. Do not leave your posts for anything! Should any of that idiot's friends come running up here to try and save him, here are your orders. Cut. Them. Down. Cut them down! Understood?"
"As you wish, Milady," said one.
The other was a bit braver. "But what of you, Milady?"
Rin brushed the hilt of the special sword she had taken from her nemesis. She stepped towards the rubble-strewn pathway. It wound down to the small ditch where the Wolf had fallen only moments before. She flashed them a feral grin from over her shoulder.
"Why, I am going hunting, ladies."
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Toph tried to pick herself back up from the floor. Her head pounded, and with each throb a flash of pain shot down her neck and into her shoulders, but deep down she knew she had to get up. Groaning, entire body shaking, she used her elbow as leverage.
Nani promptly stomped—hard—on her injured hand.
Toph screamed and crumpled back to the floor.
Agony like no other flared from her palm up her entire arm. She could both feel and smell the fresh blood pumping through the reopened stumps of her maimed fingers.
She tried fighting, reacting, anything! But Nani wasn't done.
The large woman ground the heel of her boot into Toph's hand. Toph screamed again, mind swirling in and out of consciousness, and, strength gone, crumpled completely to the floor. Hot tears welled, unbidden, in her eyes.
Nani harrumphed. "You really are pathetic, aren't you? I suppose all those tales of your daring are just that after all. Tales…" She harrumphed again, but this one had the definite undertone of someone chuckling. "The Blind Bandit is all talk."
She left off crushing Toph's hand. Toph took a brief breath, only to have the wind driven from her lungs as Nani kicked her squarely in the ribs. Wheezing, shuddering, Toph curled into a near fetal position in an attempt to protect herself from further blows.
It was a good idea. Nani followed up with the first kick with a second, and then a third. She struck Toph in the shoulder and in the stomach, and finally caught her in the face with a fourth attack.
That one broke her nose.
"Grk… Uh…"
"Hmmm, all talk, and no action…"
She could not see Nani's face. Not that it would matter, since from what she heard the woman did not show any emotion whatsoever on her face. She even sounded cool and collected! Even so, Toph was very, very sure that the woman was enjoying herself.
She flushed. Bitch!
"It was stupid of you, coming in here like that." Nani nudged her onto her back. "You can't even defend yourself! How did you expect to defend anyone here, much less the Fire Lady?"
Toph spat off to the side, clearing her mouth of the metallic taste of her own blood. She couldn't bring herself to sit up yet. It hurt too much.
Well, at least the pain's keeping me awake…
"Sorry…" she said, heaving for air. "But I tink I did a pretta good job wiff tat one…"
Nani grabbed hold of her collar and dragged her up off the floor. Toph's toes just brushed the slick tiles. "Think again, half-pint. All you've done is buy a little time for her. Once I finish you off"—she flicked Toph in the forehead—"I'll simply finish the job."
Toph shook her head, regretting it immediately. The quick motion almost knocked her out for good. "Yer crazy! Thas not gonna 'appen! Mai's gonna tell tha guards, and they'll come afta ya…" She glared at where she thought Nani's face might be. "Ye've trapped yersef!"
"Don't think me defeated so quickly. No matter how fast she runs it will take those guards, so harried by what's happening outside, some time to come check up on you. Time's not something you really have. And there is always a backup plan. Perhaps it is too late to go after the Fire Lady for a second time. But…"
Toph swore she felt that woman's slimy smile. It caressed her face, and Toph flinched at its touch.
"What if I planted several bombs beneath the foundations of this palace?" whispered Nani. "What do you think would happen then?"
Horror laced over Toph. "Ye can' do tat!"
"No? I know where weapons are kept in this palace. Zuko did not trust me that much, but I did have full run of this place, remember? And I am no fool. I could get a hold of a few explosives very, very easily."
Toph growled. "Nuh-uh. I won—"
Nani backhanded Toph. "Shut-up, you little brat. Get it through your thick skull. There's nothing you can do about it. I will see through my orders, one way or the other. One little girl won't stop me, especially one who's bleeding like a stuck chicken-pig."
Toph set her jaw as a steely sort of resolve blossomed within her. "Huh… Care ta take a bet on tat 'un, eh?" she said.
Her free toes slid across the tiles. Her bending stretched through her element.
Nani shouted as the undulation knocked her off balance. Toph thudded to the floor along with the woman but rolled away before Nani could grab hold of her again. She slammed her good hand and feet into the ground.
A thick cloud of dust shrouded everything in the room from view.
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Nani sat up, irritated, her back bruised. The thick cloud of dust forced her to fall into a brief coughing fit. She could not see anything beyond her outstretched hands, and she had to squint in order to do that.
Toph was nowhere to be found. She had vanished into the earthly fog.
Nani smiled. She had to give it to the girl. The brat was pretty smart. Toph had to know she couldn't beat her in a straight-up fight, so she was trying a different tactic.
"It won't work, though," she said, aloud. Nani had a feeling the brat had not gone too far away. She would hear these words, easily, with those sensitive ears of hers. "You can't hide from me, or death, forever, half-pint."
Toph wasn't going anywhere, of course. Nani knew the girl would try to stop her from her intended purposes. She would stay, even if it was a suicide mission, and confront Nani to try and save her friends.
But that was all just well and good, because Nani knew she couldn't go anywhere, either. If she was to obey Rin and Rin's orders, the Blind Bandit would have to die first.
And that suited the woman just fine.
Nani stood.
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Sokka settled into his temporary shelter with a low, painful moan. It was incredibly uncomfortable, with odds and ends of stone and turf digging into his legs and sides, but the natural alcove, set into the mountainside, hid him. Anyone coming along the path would be hard-pressed to even know—hopefully—he was even there.
He could not stay here forever. Sokka knew that. But he needed a moment, just a few moments, to catch his breath, to regain his wavering composure…
A stray sound, or what he thought of as a sound, slammed his hearing. Starting, hand gripping his sword, Sokka's eyes darted back and forth.
He saw nothing.
It had been nothing…
He took a brief glance over his injuries. Nothing looked, or felt, good. The whip-welts crisscrossing over his chest had reopened, and he was bleeding through his stolen shirt. It was growing harder to draw a full breath. Stupid busted ribs… Sokka was especially worried about his leg. His ankle was definitely either badly sprained or broken. His calf had nearly been torn to shreds. Several deep cuts bled sluggishly through his pants leg and down into his charred boot.
He was very glad he had "borrowed" several materials from Rin's guards. Sokka had fashioned himself a makeshift splint; it was made from extra bandages, the guard mask, and some dry kindling from the skeletal plants living on the heights. The splint had given him some much needed support. He could stand. But...
He licked his dry lips. Walking would be still difficult. But if he had to, he would.
Weariness pressed down on his shoulders. Sokka was so tired… All he wanted to do was nod off, sleep, forget everything and just rest…
Sokka pinched himself. The slight pain woke him up. He rubbed his heavy eyes in another effort to make it stay that way.
He couldn't fall asleep now. Not yet! He had a job to do.
It was bad. Spirits, it was bad, but his friends, his family, his Toph, were depending on him. Sokka knew better than to think Rin defeated. He had only distracted her, knocked her off schedule. He hadn't won, not by a longshot.
The gunne could still be reloaded. It could still be fired, and upon innocent, defenseless people. There could still be a massacre.
And he was not about to let that happen.
He knew what he had to do: take out that gunne, and take it out as soon as possible.
It sounded simple enough. There was only one problem.
How the hell was he going to be able to do that with a busted chest and a bum leg?
Yeah… things were very, very bad.
Was that gravel being trod upon? Sokka stole up, for a second time, senses heightened even after a brief stupor. His fingers clenched the hilt of his blade. But, as before, nothing came of his frazzled nerves but silence.
Sighing, Sokka leaned up against the rocky outcropping that made the back of the natural alcove. He breathed steadily, slowly, trying desperately to reach that "inner place" Master Piandao had taught him. In that "inner place," he could calm down and, more importantly, he could think, could plan.
Maybe he could sneak up there, like he had before? There were plenty of nooks and crannies he could hide in, if he had to hide, and several little-used pathways that Rin and her girls wouldn't expect him to use. It would be difficult, especially with his leg, but it wouldn't be impossible.
And… And if there was one grenade, and he had experienced that one personally, there had to be others. Using them all together would certainly be enough to blow the gunne to smithereens. Without that gunne, it didn't matter what Rin had or hadn't planned. She would be finished.
It was a plan, then, or at least something resembling a plan. Now all he had to do was—
Scritch-scritch-scritch…
Sokka stiffened, the hairs at the back of his neck standing up on end. He was sure he was not imagining a noise this time. It had come from just over his head. He turned, sword raised.
"Got you!"
Rin jumped from her perch a few feet above and rammed into him. The force of her falling weight forced Sokka to the ground. The Rogue came right with him, and they scrambled for purchase, wrestling and hitting whatever they could, on the loose gravel and dirt.
But as tired as he was, as weak as his leg was, Sokka didn't stand a chance in this sort of close-quarters combat.
Rin slammed an elbow into his gut and slunk out of his grip. Gasping for breath and bent over, Sokka dropped his sword and staggered drunkenly. Rin darted in again, moving so fast his dazed mind could barely comprehend her movements, and backhanded him across the face.
Her weighted glove made it a very painful, stunning hit.
Sokka's weak knees gave out from under him. Rin took advantage of his lack of balance. Her booted foot lashed out and caught him in the chest. The blow knocked him completely off his feet. He landed on the hard, unforgiving ground with a meaty thud.
Ugh…
Rin laughed and stalked closer. "Forget to look up did you, little boy?" she said. Her lips pulled back and she showed her teeth. "Too bad…"
Sokka groaned. I knew I shouldn't have gone all positive thinking! It always ruins everything!
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Toph's breath rattled in her chest.
The sound she made was painfully loud to her ears. She took in short breaths to disguise the tell-tale wheezing. The earth-fog still shrouded—and would until she lost control of it—the reading room in a complete haze, and hid her from view too, but she did not want to take any chances.
This was why she now clung to the ceiling and wall, her back pressed against a small corner. It hurt her maimed hand, and her entire body for that matter, to stay put, but Toph was not about to move.
The little nook was the safest place to take a breather. No one ever seemed to look up. She hoped that tactic would work, now when she really needed it to work.
From her vantage point, Toph "watched" Nani as the woman slunk to and fro in a steady search. The assassin had not spoken, or even made a noise, for some time. Toph felt, even through her battered senses, the woman's controlled focus. Nani's breathing, heartbeat, and movements were steady.
Toph grimaced. A sort of humiliated, stinging pride branded itself onto her. She knew she was no match for Nani in her condition. Sensing that only proved it to her. If she tried to take on the bitch head-on, she would get beat into the ground.
And she was not so keen on having her own special brand of medicine shoved down her own throat.
She had to play this a little differently from other fights. She would have to be smart. "Use your head!" Sokka had once said. "You're no dummy, Toph, so use that sucker once in a while!"
The thing was… Toph wasn't so sure she could do that. She was no planner or strategist, like her husband; her own brand of smarts was of a completely different breed. Conning scammers out of their stolen goods—tricking people!—was nothing akin to the kind of brilliance Sokka had in his big head.
But wait…
She thought of the guard back at the Hold.
No. No… That, too, had been her conning, scammer ways bubbling forth. Sokka had approved, and she had gobbled up his pride in her with something approaching greediness, but would "thinking on her feet" really work with this controlled, emotionless assassin?
Doubt—doubt in herself, doubt in her abilities, doubt in her own intelligence—hurt her worse than her own burning, stinging wounds. Her stomach rolled, her chest tightened, her head ached…
Toph closed her eyes and grit her teeth.
Enough!
It didn't matter if "thinking on her feet" worked. It didn't matter if she won or lost. Her only job was to keep Nani busy, for however long that took, until the guards Mai sent arrived.
I… I can do that…
And if Sokka, with no weapons to speak of, could mastermind an escape from an impenetrable, underground bunker turned Rogue's hideout, surely she could come up with a way to distract this asshole for a few minutes. She was the Blind Bandit, for fuck's sake!
Toph concentrated her senses on Nani again. The woman still prowled the room, slowly and surely. She was closer to Toph's hiding place than she had before, but Toph doubted Nani could see further than her own hands and feet.
The truth slapped her across the face. She had to attack Nani.
If she stayed silent too long, there was a good chance the woman might decide to move on. She didn't want that at all. She couldn't fight her toe to toe, so that meant… that meant attacking from a good distance.
She could pelt her with odds and ends of rock and debris; the room, made of tiles and well-cut stone, had plenty of those. Toph did not have the strength to throw something too heavy, but that wasn't the point. Keeping Nani busy was.
And after attacking the woman, she could just move around in the dust and mist, hiding from view until she decided to attack again. Nani would never see her, but Toph, with her sight based not on her eyes but through the earth, would always "see" Nani.
Well, what do you know? She had come up with a plan after all.
Toph gathered her strength, good hand clenching a fist-full of the wall she clung to. She locked on to Nani and moved ever so slightly into position—
And then Nani moved. Toph did not have a chance to wonder at what was going on. Something hard—a vase?—struck her in the side.
"Ahhh!"
It was only a glancing blow, but it surprised and hurt her enough to knock her off balance. Losing her grip on the wall and ceiling, Toph dropped. She twisted in the air and pushed out with her bending to soften her landing, but she still hit the floor hard and stumbled forward into an undignified heap.
Nani, who had to have seen her by now, charged forward.
Toph rolled to the side to avoid the oncoming blow, whatever it was. She came up on her knees and, grunting, punched out her good hand. A good-sized tile tore up from the ground and smacked the woman in the head.
Nani groaned.
And then she kicked Toph in the shoulder. Toph cried out and fell back to the floor.
The woman was on her within moments. Nani pushed down on her and wrapped something around Toph's neck from behind.
She squeezed it close.
Toph choked, eyes widening. Her air was cut off immediately.
She thrashed around and fought like a mad thing, but Nani was much stronger, far fresher, than she. The woman's grip did not loosen. If anything it tightened. Mind hazy, lungs fiery, Toph could only claw ineffectually, hysterically, at the knotted cord with both hands.
Can't breath… can't breathe… can't breathe…!
She desperately tried to reach out to her element, but it wasn't there anymore. She felt nothing, nothing but a calm, steady heartbeat thumping into her backside. Her feet dangled into nothingness.
Nani's voice, a mere whisper, slid into her ear. "You're not as quiet as you like to think, half-pint." A rare chuckle passed her lips. Toph felt the warm air of the laugh brush her cheek. "And your blood… so easy to see dripping on the floor…"
"Ah-Ah-Ah-Grk…"
"My Lady will be most displeased that she did not have the pleasure of dispatching you herself. But I think she will understand. Say goodnight, Toph."
Toph barely heard the words. Muggy, disjointed… everything was so fuzzy… She couldn't fight… She couldn't breathe… She couldn't think…
She only fell.
Deeper…
…Deeper…
…Deeper.
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He braced an arm against the rock wall and tried to get to his feet.
C'mon, C'mon...
Rin laughed at Sokka's weak attempts to stand. "Having trouble, are we?" she mocked him. "Is that little leg of yours giving you problems, boy? Here, let me help you..."
She darted forward, striking like a poised rat-viper. Sokka leveled a punch at her, but she ducked under the blow, easily avoiding the measly attempt, and knocked her weighted glove into his stomach again.
He gasped, badly winded, and involuntarily bent over. Rin followed through and caught him in the face with a hard knee. A choked sort of pained cry escaped his throat. Chortling like a mad thing, the Rogue shoved Sokka back to the ground.
Dazed, head pounding, mouth full of blood and one eye swelling shut, Sokka lay sprawled on his back. His mind seemed to be floating in warm, dark water.
"So that is all you have to give?" Rin loomed somewhere above him. Her figure swam in and out of focus. "I must admit... I am a little disappointed in you, Sokka."
She spat on him.
"But what else should I have expected from the likes of you? You, the weak link, the annoyance, the worthless nobody? Of course you have failed! And miserably at that!"
The Rogue lifted up her foot and stomped on his chest. A scream ripped from Sokka's dry throat.
"What made you think, even for one second, that you could stop me? That you stood a chance against me?" She stomped harder on his aching chest, and a second agonizing cry left him. A pleasured sort of croon slipped past the woman's pale lips. "Face facts, you little bastard. You never stood a chance in hell."
She brought her booted foot down for a second time. A shuddering whimper crawled out from behind Sokka's clenched teeth. Tears burned in his eyes. He could barely breathe.
The pain was excruciating, but it did not have nearly the effect Rin was hoping for. It actually knocked some sense back into Sokka. He was jolted from his delirious stupor for the moment, and felt light yet clear-headed.
Sokka blinked up at Rin, almost stupidly, and actually found it in him to grin. "Can't blame a guy for trying..." he said.
Her eyes narrowed. "Hm. Always making jokes, aren't you? It's what you do when you can come up with no solution... You must think you are so funny, so witty."
She reached down and grabbed a fistful of his collar. Dragging him up, close and personal, she rested her chin on his shoulder. "What you don't seem to realize, sweetheart, is that no one ever laughs with you. They're always laughing at you."
Her warm breath slipped into his ear, and he shuddered.
"Even your precious wife thinks you are nothing but a joke."
"Yeah... Like I don't know that!" Sokka chuckled weakly. "She insults me worse than you do... Like, a lot worse. And on a daily basis, too. Oh well... At least she gets my jokes. Higher intelligence, and all that, I guess."
He could almost imagine Toph nodding approvingly. Rin didn't understand them, or their love, at all. Sokka wasn't about to let her words make him doubt the love Toph had for him, or he for her.
Rin put an end to his laughter with a punch across the jaw. He groaned, head spinning, and worked a busted lip.
"You really are a sentimental fool," she said. The Rogue flung him back to the ground. "And soon you're about to be a dead one."
She stood and reached behind her back. Her fingers clasped the hilt of a sword. "Oh, and believe me... I am going to very much enjoy this. I am actually glad you survived the gunne. I have you all to myself now."
She drew the sword. Sokka could tell, by the bright light the full moon cast, that it was his space-sword. He was not so much surprised as he was angry. He had expected Rin to take it and use it as her own--since it was a very fine, and rare, blade--but that didn't mean he had to like it.
Rin swiped the sword in the air. The sharp tip came hover just inches away from his nose. Sokka pulled back instinctively. The Rogue noticed his reaction and chortled. Her ghostly eyes locked onto his own.
"I am going to kill you, Sokka. And I am going to kill you with your own sword." In one smooth motion, she sliced his cheek. Sokka flinched as blood welled from the wound. "Just imagine it, little boy... For you, it would be a most humiliating death..."
He ignored her for the most part. Sokka's eyes darted, quickly, to where his borrowed sword had fallen. He saw it a few feet away. Rin had kindly decided to not get rid of it for him. His eyes returned to her face.
And Rin was none the wiser.
"It is over, Sokka" she whispered. She gripped the hilt with both hands. A crazed smile, bigger and more disturbing than anything to have come over her beforehand, crept over her flushed face. "Once you are gone, I will complete my plans. Vengeance will be mine. And I will have done it for her!"
She swung the space-sword at his head.
But Rin was not a master swordsman. Sokka had both expected and seen the attack coming. He moved his head to the side at just the right moment. He felt his stolen blade just graze his ear. The attack thudded into the ground, and before Rin had a chance to pull back and attack him again, he swiped her feet out from under her with his good leg.
Sokka did not take a chance or press his luck with Rin. He might have been a fool, but he wasn't stupid. He didn't stand a chance against her without a weapon of some sort. He crawled to his knees and vaulted over her body, and scrambled after his fallen sword.
He heard her scream behind him. He heard her get up and chase after him.
Sokka lunged for the sword. His fingers brushed the hilt...
And then he was pivoting around, sword upraised. The space-sword crashed into it. Sokka growled, his arms shaking and back pressed against the rear of the natural alcove.
"You know what, Rin...? You talk way too much."
Surprise fluttered across the Rogue's face. "Well, well..." she said at last. A small grin puckered her lips. "Perhaps you have a few remaining tricks up your sleeve after all, Sokka."
"I'm not about to lose to you, Rin," he said. His injured leg almost buckled beneath him. Sokka quickly settled most of his weight on his good leg. "Not ever!"
He tried to push her back and away from him, but the woman held firm. He knew he was the better swordsman, and any other time probably stronger physically too, but she was healthier than he happened to be at the moment.
Rin sneered at his efforts. She pulled back herself but followed through with a second side-swipe. It came around towards his stomach. Sokka brought down his sword and blocked it too. The ricochet reverberated up his arm.
"Do you honestly think you can beat me?" said Rin. "You actually think you are going to see little baby Toph again? Or are you simply in denial? You may think it bravery, Sokka, to fight and rail until the very end. But do you know what I see?"
She thrust at his throat. Sokka used both hands--one on the hilt, the other on the flat end of the blade--to push the attack up and over his head.
He did not have a chance to get in an attack of his own. Rin tried tried to cut into his shoulder. He caught the sword with his own. They fought against one another, faces close and swords trembling, shaking, in their sweaty hands.
"I'll tell you..." she whispered. "I'll tell you what I see. All I see is a scared little boy... A scared little boy who knows what is coming to him, and can't do anything about it!"
He shoved her back. Rin charged back at him, the space-sword pointed at his chest. The amusement had long since left her. Only a wild passion, a feral brutality that was inhuman, blazed in her eyes.
Sokka settled his weight on his uninjured leg and lowered his own weapon. The hilt brushed his hip. Just before the Rogue had a chance to make good on her hopeful blow, he pushed off his good leg and lunged forward in a stab of his own.
Rin growled and, forced to abandon her attack, twisted to the side. Now off balance, she hit the left side of the rock wall.
He quickly saw that her back was temporarily exposed. Sokka took advantage of the opportunity--he knew he probably would not get many of those in this fight--and slashed downwards.
But what Rin lacked in actual expertise she more than made up for in speed. She whipped around and only just managed to block his sword. Rage and shock flashed over her face, but Sokka inwardly swore.
Damn! He had needed that blow!
He hobbled backwards, almost stumbling on his bum leg, as she pushed him away. Rin stepped away from the rock wall and, slinking forward, chased after him. He blocked another attack, and just like that the two were back to square one.
They traded a few more hard-hitting swipes and slashes. The sound of metal striking and clanging against metal rang in both their ears. The brutal conflict transformed into a sort of perverse dance. The tight quarters of the natural alcove hampered both of them. Sokka took advantage of it, however, by using the rock walls as a sort of brace whenever he needed it.
And it was working, because so far he had been able to keep the mad Rogue at bay. She could only come at him one way--straight forward--and that was a relief to his bad leg. He didn't have to move around too much.
But as sweat began to bead along his forehead and his movements became increasingly sluggish and uncoordinated, Sokka quickly realized something that made his stomach turn.
He was weakening.
I can't... I can't keep this up for to much longer!
But that knowledge did not keep him from fighting one anyway.
Rin slashed at his arm. With no room to dodge, and he didn't think he'd even be able to with his leg, Sokka brought up his sword. He blocked the attack, pretty easily too, but the borrowed blade had taken more than enough abuse from the superior space-sword.
The blade shuddered and snapped in two.
Sokka stared at what remained of his weapon. Crap... Only a piece of jagged metal, no more than an inch if that, rose up from the hilt. The broken piece of steel lay useless at his feet.
The Queen of Thieves was beaming. Crowing and panting all at once, she glanced at the space-sword and cooed.
"My, my... It really is a fine sword, isn't it? No wonder you were so fond of it. Your pathetic excuse of a replacement didn't stand a chance against it."
She leered at Sokka, her sneer ugly and taunting. She stalked closer, forcing him to backtrack until his back was up against the wall again.
"It really is a shame," she said. "Now what Sokka? Now what will you do, now that I've beaten the great sword-master, the revered Southern Wolf, in a sword fight?"
Sokka did not say a word. He only held out his sword, which was now only a foot long and more hilt than blade, in front of him.
"Speechless! Oh my, what a rare moment! Too bad your friends and family will never have a chance to experience this blessing!" Rin pulled back the blade in a striking position. "Looks like you're finally out of ideas. Farewell, Sokka..."
She yelled and lunged into a powerful thrust.
Sokka was ready for her.
He watched the oncoming sword, instead of her, very carefully. A mere moment before it would have touched him, he bent his knees and ducked.
Now on the ground, he saw his target and smiled. Sokka gathered his strength and pushed off with his good leg. He surged forward, aiming for his opponent's leg. He smashed the hilt of his broken sword against Rin's right knee.
Even he heard the sickening crack. Sokka pulled back with a grimace.
Rin screeched in agony and, stumbling forwards and then backwards, crumpled to the ground. Her weapon clattered from her grip. Moaning, swearing, she tried to pull herself up, tried to stand again.
She came face to face with the dark blade of the space-sword.
It was in Sokka's hands again.
"W-What..." she said. "How did you...!?"
"Heh." Sokka chuckled. "My master taught me that sweet move. Maybe I'm not quite out of those ideas just yet, huh?"
Rin, though she shook and her face darkened to an interesting shade of crimson, for once was the speechless one.
"Oh, I wouldn't move around too much if I were you." He leaned a shoulder against the rock wall. "That knee of yours is probably busted."
She hissed. "Damn you..."
The woman shuffled forward, ignoring his advice, but quickly found the tip of the space-sword resting against her throat. Rin stiffed, eyes wide and breathing raspy, and did not move again.
They both knew that if she did, Sokka could, and would, slit her throat.
"You know, if you were a swordsman, Rin, a real swordsman, you might have known..." said Sokka. He hefted the hilt of the broken sword. "It's not the blade that makes a warrior, but the guy behind the sword that makes all the difference in the world..."
He felt as if Appa had sat on him several times. His head was pounding, his bum leg throbbed, and his chest ached. And yet... And yet he could not help but feel great, wonderful even.
For the first time in a while, he was able to take what was approaching a full breath.
"Sorry, Rin... But it's over for you." He smiled. "As Toph would say... Game. Set. And match."
OoOoOoO
Toph, in the back of her dull, foggy mind, felt like she was the object of a tug-of-war game. Two powerful forces dragged back and forth on her weary body. Unconsciousness lulled her to sleep, but to need, the wish, to stay awake always pulled her back.
She couldn't breathe...
Her fiery lungs screamed...
Her head pounded...
"Stop fighting it... die..." said a soft, soothing voice from far away.
The course grip on her neck tightened.
"Just go to sleep..."
She swooned.
All her strength seemed to flow right out of her. Her senses faded in and out, each time longer, more crawling, than the last. Toph fought back with all her strength, holding on to nothing but her own stubborn will.
But she was falling, falling, falling...
Her movements slowed. Even her thoughts came to her at a crawl. Her ears rang with a loud, buzzing sound, and she heard nothing else.
Was this it? Was this what death felt like? It was almost... gentle... She could just--
No! No, I can't! I have to... Wait! That's it...
She choked and went limp.
OoOoOoO
Nani let loose a low sigh. It had taken longer than she had thought, but the result had come regardless. The girl had finally died.
"So much for the famed Bandit..." she said. She smiled, albeit faintly, and shook her defeated, dead, opponent for good measure. "Your boy won't like that."
The deadweight pulled at her arms. Flinging the makeshift garrote to the side, the woman slowly lowered Bei Fong back to the floor. The corpse's dangling feet touched the blood-stained tiles.
And a pillar erupted from the ground and slammed into her gut.
OoOoOoO
As soon as Toph felt her feet touch the floor again, she made her move.
Nani cried out the moment the pillar slammed into her stomach and shoved her away from Toph.
Now free to use her arms, Toph turned and attacked the woman again. Sliding one dusty foot forward, she shoved both arms out and away from her, her elbows locked. A second pillar burst out from the tiles and struck Nani.
This blow had enough force behind it to knock the woman into the far wall.
Toph felt Nani try to rise and, raising up her arms above her shoulders, clenched her fists. She ignored the pain in her right hand. The tiles shifted, formed, and rose, and clamped down on Nani's wrists and feet. She sensed the woman struggle uselessly against the manacles.
But Toph knew Nani was trapped.
Nani soon came to realize this too. She stopped fighting and only lay on the floor. Toph felt the enemy's heavy stare pin itself on her.
"You tricked me..." said Nani. It was not a question, but Toph heard the definite note of disbelief. "You never did..."
"Nah." Toph hate how raspy, how ugly, her voice sounded. She guessed that was what she got for almost letting herself get strangled to death. "I... I played dead. It's, like, the... the oldes' trick... in the... book. And I don' even.... know... 'ow to read...!"
And maybe... maybe being a scammer instead of a strategist ain't so bad after all.
"Heh... It's, it's... game... set... " Toph knelt to the floor. Her chin touched her chest. "An' match..." Her cheek touched the cool tiles. It felt so nice... "You bitch... I win..."
She barely heard or felt the approach of several feet rushing into the room--was that Mai calling her name?--before she finally, blessedly, fell asleep.
OoOoOoO
Rin drew back her shoulders and tilted her chin. "I suppose now you wish to kill me," she said.
Sokka sighed. "If you had said that about an hour ago, I would gladly agreed with you. But as things stand now... No. No, I'm not going to kill you." Her eyes widened. "I'm not like you, Rin. I'm no murderer. I stand for justice, not vengeance. It just took a few knocks to the head for me to remember that.
"Besides," he laughed, feeling almost giddy, "there's somebody who I think would very much like to talk to you. I'm sure Zuko will be very glad to have you as his guest, my fine lady!"
"You are a fool!" snarled the Rogue. "You think you beating me in a fight changes anything? The gunne is still up and running! My girls will have reloaded it, and anyone who tries to come up here will be killed! And soon the rest of your pathetic family will die and--"
"Whoa, whoa, hold it right there!" Sokka waved his sword in her face to catch her attention. "First off, don't insult the family. Not a good idea for someone in your... um, positon. They've probably already won down there, anyway. And second of all, assuming only makes an ass out of you and me."
Rin's ghostly eyes blazed. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
He flashed what he imagined had to be a very charming smile. "It means, Queenie, that I haven't forgotten about that big, bad gunne. In fact, you're going to help me with it!"
"I will do no such thing."
"Aw, don't be liked that." He frowned and, in a quick motion, cut a piece of her collar away. Rin flinched. "Go on and get up for me, please. We're taking a little walk."
The Rogue paled, and she met Sokka's glare with one of her own. "My kneecap is busted, thanks to you! I can't walk, you little bastard!"
"Excuses, excuses," he said. "I had to fight you with this bum leg. This isn't gonna be a walk in the park for me either. We might as well get it over with." Sokka edged the blade closer. "Come on, Rin. Be a team player."
"Cocky son of a bitch..." she hissed through clenched teeth. She clutched at the rock wall and slowly pulled herself up, her back to him. "I swear to you, Sokka, you'll get yours. I'll find a way out of this, and when I do--!"
Sokka grabbed her from behind and rested the space-sword against her throat.
"You bad guys really monologue too much. It's a little cliche. And, frankly, Queenie, this worthless nobody is a little tired of hearing you threaten and insult him. You could at least be grateful I didn't kill you!
"Now..." He pushed her a little. Rin growled, but Sokka ignored her hateful glare. "Let's get going, shall we?"
"As you wish..." she whispered.
They made their way up the path towards the sloped area where the gunne lay in waiting. Sokka opted to go for the "round-the-back" approach, as he had planned to do before Rin jumped him. It was also an easier walk for both him and his prisoner. They were slow to climb, and limped badly, because of their individual leg injuries.
Sokka kept Rin a little in front of him. He was not too worried about her trying anything. He was the one with the weapon now. All the same, he kept his eyes on her, watched her movements when he was not watching where he was going, and tapped her with the flat of his sword to remind her who was in charge.
The Rogue remained strangely quiet.
They finally reached the place where Rin's cohorts waited beside the monstrous weapon. The two girls turned when they heard Sokka and Rin, and turned with drawn weapons.
Sokka immediately dragged Rin back towards him and used her as his shield. He placed his sword near her neck.
"No sudden movements," he said, "or your precious Rogue gets her throat cut." The women paled but otherwise did as he said. "Okay, good. Now let go of those knives and step away from the gunne, and all of this will be over."
"Ladies..." said Rin. She flicked her hand, fingers dancing oddly. "Do it."
The female thieves nodded. They dropped their weapons but, instead of moving away from the weapon as Sokka had fully expected them to, they turned the gunne around on its pivot-system. The many-barreled monstrosity was now leveled at him.
"What are you doing?" he said. "Don't you get it? I have the Rogue! If you shoot, you'll kill her as well as me!"
Rin's sultry laugh scraped across his nerves. "Oh, but that's the point, you see, my dear little Sokka," she said. "I am not about to let my mission come to an end because of you. No, no... If it means sacrificing myself, to bring glory to the Goddess' name, then I shall gladly do it. My girls know this quite well."
Sokka licked his dry lips. This could not be happening... It couldn't, not after all that had happened, not after he had promised Toph...
"You're insane."
"No. I have been chosen by her. You, however, are as much a fool as you always have been." Rin craned her head over her shoulder so that her eyes met his. "You've walked right to your death, little boy. You should have run when you had the chance."
He swallowed back the hard lump in the back of his throat.
"Face it, Sokka," simpered the Rogue. "For all your delay tactics and plans, you have, in the end, accomplished nothing. It was all meaningless."
"I wouldn't say that at all, Rin," came a new voice. Sokka recognized it and, unable to help himself, grinned with relief. "It wasn't meaningless. It may very well have meant everything in the world."
Fire Lord Zuko revealed himself. He stepped out from behind a rocky outcropping just behind the gunne. Robes dusty and stained by blood and ash, his hair having long since fallen out of the topknot, he held his dao swords in his hands. He nodded at Sokka and smiled.
"He certainly kept your attention long enough for us to get here."
The Rogue sputtered and swore madly "Kill him!" shrieked Rin. "Kill him now!"
But it was too late. Streams of flame slammed into the turf near Rin's girls, forcing them to abandon their position or get severely burned. Men and women, adorned in the uniforms of the Fire Palace Guard, slunk out of the shadows to take control over the situation.
Within seconds, both Rin--who kept screaming "No, no, no, I have to, for her, for my Goddess! My Goddess! No!" as she twisted and convulsed on the ground, face pale and eyes wide--and the female thieves were bound and sitting within a watchful knot of guards.
It was over so quickly Sokka almost didn't believe it.
Until he tasted water and choked. Zuko, who had helped him to a seat a few feet away from the prisoners, took back the water-skin and thumped him on the back. The Fire Lord held Sokka steady until he could breathe easy again.
Sokka leaned against a large boulder and sighed.
"Thanks..." he said. "You saved my sorry ass, buddy. Though you cut it kind of close, don't you think?"
"Hmph." Zuko snorted. "Ingrate. We had to take care of those guards she had stationed further down the Rim first! But I think you probably already knew that."
"Yeah." Sokka closed his eyes. He was so very tired... "Kind of guessed..."
Zuko spoke again, but he sounded as if he were talking through water. Sokka didn't catch half the words he was saying.
"Rest, but... sleep... Stay with... Sokka, listen... We'll take care... back to the Palace..."
Sokka's head lolled against his shoulder. Weak, weak, weak... So weak... And hot, but cold too. His heavy head pounded. Lights flashed at the edges of his vision. He touched his lips and shivered.
"Toph..." he whispered. "Can I see Toph, please...?"
He needed her. Spirits, he needed her... He needed her with him now!
Someone--Zuko, maybe, or even Aang? He wasn't so sure anymore--lugged him up. "Yes... Yes, you can. You'll see her. I promise," said that same someone. He felt as if he were hovering. Odd jolts made him wince and moan. "Just stay with us, Sokka. Just stay with us..."
But Sokka did not hear him.
OoOoOoO
He came to with a start, but he was confused and disoriented. He felt a little feverish as well. Sokka moaned and tried to sit up, but his muscles refused to cooperate with him. He flopped back into soft pillows and warm sheets.
"Ahhh..."
He was so sore and stiff. The room spun all around him.
His eyelids fluttered and his chin fell.
OoOoOoO
When he woke up again, Sokka was a little more clear-headed if very weak. He took in his surroundings and was surprised to find himself in his own quarters in the Fire Palace. It smelled a lot cleaner than what he was used to, but he recognized the furniture, the walls, and the window that looked over a rear-facing courtyard.
He tried to sit up again.
This time he had a little help. Sure hands guided and supported him, until he was leaning against the headboard of his bed. Sokka closed his eyes, breathing deeply and hating the wave of nausea that passed through his gut.
He heard a throat being cleared. He opened his eyes, turned his head, and saw Zuko. The Fire Lord nodded.
Sokka opened his mouth but no words came out.
Zuko waved at him to be quiet.
"The healers said you had woken up during the night, but went right back to sleep a few seconds later. We thought you would be coming around not long after that, so I came as soon as I could."
"I..." Sokka rasped. His chest and leg ached. He screwed up his face and chewed the inside of his cheek. "How... long...?"
"A couple of days, actually. You were pretty much out of it, Sokka. No surprise, after all..." Zuko frowned and stared at the floor. "After all you went through," he finished. "The healers have been working around the clock to get you back into a stable condition."
Sokka lifted a brow, touching the bandages around his chest. Had he really been in that bad a way?
Zuko seemed to have read his mind. "Yes, it was bad. Several broken ribs, a badly sprained ankle, and a few infected gashes. You didn't help matters by exhausting yourself either. Katara has headed the team healing you. She will be... She will want to know you are awake."
He stood and made his way for the door, but Sokka hissed, "Wait... Zuko..."
The young leader turned around. "Yes? What is it? Make it quick. I really shouldn't be talking to you. Your sister will kill me for sure this time if I tire you out."
"Not gonna... tire out..." Sokka spared a silly grin. "At least not... not yet..."
Zuko sighed and walked back to Sokka's bedside. "What is it then?"
"What's... happened...?"
"Since the banquet? We fought them back, obviously. Most of Rin's followers were rounded up that very night. A few escaped, but I have units chasing after them. Don't worry, Sokka. None of them will escape."
He half-smiled. "You did manage to tell me, when you were half-consciousness, where the Hold was, too. It's now been taken over by my Guard."
Sokka nodded. The motion made his head pound. He groaned, deciding not to do that again. No quick movements... "Good."
He reached out, unconsciously, for the other half of his bed. He touched nothing but cold sheets. A sort of frantic hysteria washed over him. Sokka swore he heard himself whimper. The comfort was gone, gone... How could he have just...!
"Where is she?" he whispered.
"Rin? Sokka, she's in custody. You know--"
"Not her, you idiot!" Spirits, spirits, he was burning up. "I don't give a flying fuck in space about her! No, no... Where is she? Where's Toph?" When the Fire Lord looked away from him, he actually shouted, "Where's my wife!?"
Zuko blanched. "Your wife?" His face darkened. "Sokka, what are you--?"
"Where's Toph, Zuko? Don't make me ask again! Tell where she is, please!" He paled, his eyes stinging. "She's not... Don't tell me she's not..."
His friend held up a hand. "Calm down, Sokka. Toph isn't... She's isn't dead. She's in her room."
"What the hell is she doing in there for?" Sokka desperately patted his bed. "She should be right here, with me! Zuko!"
He was quiet, but not for long. "She saved Mai," said Zuko. He wet his lips, and added, "And my unborn child."
Sokka's heart thumped in his throat. "She...?"
"Yes. Nani pulled Mai away, in an attempt to assassinate her. Toph overheard and followed them. She distracted Nani while Mai went after the guards." Zuko's eyes narrowed and his fists clenched. "Mai and my baby are okay, thanks to Toph. But she... She took a beating, Sokka."
Sokka mentally swore. "How bad... How bad is she?" A dozen terrible images painted a nightmarish picture in his thoughts.
"About as bad, if not worse, than you were," said Zuko. "The healers have been seeing to her, though, and she is recovering. But she's very weak, and has slept, for the most part, since we brought her to her room."
He looked Sokka in the eyes.
"She lost a lot of blood, Sokka. And some of the healers think we may have to amputate her hand in the end, if the swelling and infection doesn't go down."
"Toph's tough," said Sokka, with an obstinate tilt of his chin. "She'll be..." He swallowed back the hard lump that had taken up residence in the back of his throat. "She'll be fine. I know it."
He was quiet for a moment, but then he spoke again. "Can I see her?"
Zuko hesitated. Sokka hated him at that moment, though in the back of his mind he knew it was an irrational feeling.
"I don't know," said his brother-by-bond. "Katara has asked that no one but she and the healers come visit her, so that she can rest."
"Well, screw those orders. I want to see my wife, and right now."
Zuko frowned again. "You are lucky you are injured, peasant, or I would dig the truth about that out of you right now." Sokka only stuck his tongue out at him. The other man groaned. "Well... I am already in trouble with your darling sister. This won't change anything."
"Thanks, pal."
Zuko helped Sokka out of bed and offered his shoulder. Sokka leaned on him, and was almost carried by him, as they walked down the hallway to Toph's quarters. Hers was not too far from Sokka's own room.
They had made sure of that little detail a long time ago.
The room was dark and empty. Zuko guided Sokka towards the bed and into a chair that was already pulled up there.
Sokka had his first look at Toph since she had vanished into darkness at the foot of the volcano.
She looked pale, paler than usual, and small in the overly large bedclothes the healers had given her. Her hair was down. Her face was badly bruised, especially around the bridge of her nose. Sokka knew the look of a realigned broken nose well enough, and could guess at what had happened. Her right arm was wrapped from her elbow up to her hand. She was quiet, not even snoring, and so very still.
Sokka did not feel sick or guilty as he looked at her sleeping, bandaged form. Instead, he could not remember the last time he had felt so unaccountably proud of her as he did now.
His little warrior Toph.
Zuko slipped out of the room, but Sokka barely noticed. His attention was solely on her.
Her and only her...
He took up her uninjured hand. He rubbed her forearm with gentle, soothing fingers. He leaned forward to kiss her on her knuckles, one by one, before turning her little hand around to press his lips to her palm.
Toph stirred a little.
Sokka smiled. Ignoring the pain in his chest and leg, he knelt beside her. He peppered her face and neck with kisses, and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand.
She moved, moaning, and slowly opened her eyes. She must have felt his heartbeat through his hand, because she smiled--and it was so beautiful Sokka thought he might melt--and nuzzled his palm.
"Hey... Snoozles..."
"Hey, babe." He gently kissed her lips. "I told you I'd be back."
She laughed weakly. "Took you long enough."
OoOoOoO
A/N: I think I stink at fight scenes. I spent hours on Sokka's, and I still don't know if it turned out okay or not. I thank my own brief experience in kendo and Superbleh's "Redemption" for whatever good came out of it.
The final attack Sokka used on Rin is based on one from Rurouni Kenshin called Tsuka no Gedan--Hiza Hijiki. It is a part of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu Style. Kaoru used it against Kamatari, in the fight at Aoiya during the Kyoto Arc.
Well, that concludes our finale. All that's left is an epilogue!
