Chapter IXof Trying Circumstances. Don't even ask about the gap... I've been all but dead to the world for a while now.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my words(Trying Circumstances)
Chapter IX (Healing)
Toph scowled at what she thought was the direction of the recently departed flying bison. After a minute of blankly looking into the air, she turned her face back towards the ground again and did a quick check of her surroundings. The only human heartbeats for almost half a mile were Aang's and her own. Aang's heart was still beating with the same irrational, non-rhythmic beat. Toph didn't know how to make him better, but he seemed to have some sort of fever. She could help with that.
I was sick in bed for almost a day after winning my first round of the Earth Rumble VI. My mom didn't know why I was ill, but she still helped me get better. I can fulfill my temporary roll of Avatar-sitter by helping him the best I can.
Toph went over to the group's general drinking water jug, grabbing one of Katara's bandages from her tent on the way. She soaked the fabric and wrung it out a few times, then proceeded over to Aang's tent.
His heartbeat was much more distressing up close. Toph frowned and placed her hand on his chest, then yanked it back sharply. He was soaked in his own sweat, and his bedroll was twisted all around him. Toph sighed and quickly tied the damp bandage around Aang's bald forehead, which was already moist with sweat.
Toph stomped her right foot against the ground and a platform raised up underneath the dreaming airbender, placing him at Toph's waist level. Which was just above knee level for most of the group's other members. Toph briskly ran her hands lightly over his sleeping form, trying to find where the sleeping roll had been twisted around.
Well, this is just so very proper. I'm sure that when my mother found out that I'd run away from home she didn't think that I would be running my hands over sleeping boys before summer's end.
Toph was just straightening out the fabric twisted around Aang's knees when his voice startled her and caused her to jump a bit.
"Katara, help!"
Toph left the blankets and placed her hand over his heart again. His voice hadn't been clear, and she could only half make out the words. A moment after his sudden interjection, Toph felt his arms move inward until they were flush against his sides. Even in his sleep, she could feel that he was holding them there with all his strength.
"Aaaaahhh!"
Toph jumped into the air for the second time in as many minutes. It wasn't just Aang's cry that had startled her, but the vibrations of his heart.
Her hand had been resting over his chest, and for just that slightest of moments she had felt it contract and stop.
"Twinkle-toes… "
Toph bit her lip to keep herself from saying anything else in that tone of voice. That was not how Toph Bei Fong spoke… even if one of her best friends, her first friend, was lying in some terrible nightmare that could kill him. After a pause she gave in to impulse and lay her ear over his heart and her hand on his neck, monitoring his pulse. Toph could hear his heart with her own ears as well as feel it through the earth. His pulse beat erratically against the pads of her fingers. The image was so complete and vivid, she could almost see it before her.
One of Aang's arms twitched outward, bumping against Toph's abdomen as she stood bent over him, and nothing happened. A moment later, Toph's face contorted with fear as the airbender cried out again. His heartbeat jumped up to race at tenfold its previous rate, then stopped. Toph felt it stop through her feet and her hand on his neck. She heard the silence in her ear.
No…
"No! No, no, NO! Aang you stupid empty headed idiot! You are not going to die on me n-!"
She had punctuated her fourth 'No!' by pounding his chest with both her fists. It took a moment longer than usual for her brain to register that his heart had started beating again, faintly, but still beating.
Toph realized that her sightless eyes were brimming with tears unshed. She hurriedly wiped them on Aang's shirt as she laid her head back on his chest. He recoiled from her weight as though she had punched him, and for a moment Toph thought that his heart might fail again. To her surprise, it had started to beat stronger.
A few long moments later, Toph felt his entire body tense up, as though he was trying to stay as still as possible.
"No!"
His body then went limp, then Toph felt his heart skip a beat, as if in surprise. She put her hand back up to feel his pulse at his neck when he exhaled sharply and then gasped. Almost as if he had been underwater and just surfaced, or hit the ground and had the wind knocked out of him.
His heartbeat was almost back to normal, though the rhythm was still irregular. His breathing was slowing back to regular intervals.
"Get up, Twinkle-toes, get up. Come on, get up, Aang."
She smiled as she heard the audible click of his eyelids opening.
A/N: That was pretty much Toph's side of Aang's dreams. If you compare them side by side, you will see how they tie in with each other. I tried to keep it IC, but hey, even Toph is bound to be a bit emotional when the first friend she ever made, her best friend, is dying/almost-dying in her arms. If you review, I might get the next chapter up in less time. I promise in less than two weeks if I get at least 6-7 reviews. Seriously, I promise.
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