A/N: First off, I'm sorry it has taken me so long to update. I really appreciate all of you who have reviewed and sent messages, they have been incredibly encouraging. Here is the next chapter, I hope you all enjoy!

Sokka couldn't sleep. He didn't even try, he knew it was worthless. He didn't know how long he had been watching Toph lay there breathing slowly, her chest rhythmically moving up and down, her breath slightly strained from her injury. He sighed, rubbing his face for a moment before pushing himself up off the cot. After having a long mental debate with himself, he ultimately decided he needed to inform Zuko of what had happened earlier that day.

He quietly rummaged through his bag for some paper and ink. He wouldn't be able to send the post until the morning but he needed to kill time. He sat down at the desk and dabbed the brush in the ink and then paused, taking a deep breath. Writing this letter would be harder than he had thought it would be. Every time he began a sentence, he looked back over his shoulder at the small girl in the bed beside him, and it caused his stomach to knot.

His mind flashed from the horrible things he had said to her to her laying limp, burnt, unconscious on the ground. His eyes slammed shut as the vision of cackling golden eyes flooded his thoughts. The brush in his hand snapped as he clenched his fist and he swore quietly to himself. The destroyed utensil had left a splotch of ink on the bottom of the letter that was more or less finished, so he rolled it up, sealed it, and gently placed it on top of his pack.

There was one lone candle that had yet to burn out and it was on the small table that was next to Toph's head. It flickered in the light, cool breeze that came through the large open window of the healer's hut, and the light danced over the girl's face, shadows chasing the light. Her expression was calm and still, it showed no sign of pain or discomfort.

This one's a fighter Kalona's words echoed in his mind and it caused his lips to curl into an unintended smile. He walked over to her and knelt beside her cot. He put his hand over hers and gently caressed the top of it with his thumb as he rested his chin on his arm. He stared up at her and quietly whispered what had to have been his hundredth apology of the night.

The flame of the candle on the nightstand sunk low in the cavern of the wax and cast the room into darkness. As he stood to find another candle, the clouds outside parted, bathing the room in moonlight. It inched slowly over Toph's face and Sokka became distracted from his companion for the first time all night.

He walked to the window, leaning his elbows against the sill, closing his eyes and feeling the cool light on his face. "I need your help, Yue." He whispered as his eyes opened again. It was only a crescent moon tonight, but to him it was like seeing her beautiful smile all over again. "Please help her get better, this is all my fault." He rubbed the back of his neck as his eyes drifted downwards. "You know how stupid I can be sometimes. I say things I don't mean, and I keep things to myself that I should say. I'm such an idiot."

"I think the moon knows that, knucklehead." A raspy voice called from behind him, and he almost jumped out of his skin. He jerked around and dived back towards Toph's bed, toppling over the spare cot in the process. He grabbed her hand and brushed her forehead with his fingers, looking frantically over her face.

Her eyes were still closed but she had a weak smile and her fingers softly brushed against his palm. Sokka's heart was in his throat and he was doing everything he could to keep from smothering her or crying. He was at a loss of words for what could have been the first time in his life. He didn't know whether to apologize or thank her or throw all of that out the window and just kiss her. But his rational side reached his vocal chords first. "How do you feel?"

"Like I got shot in the chest with a giant fireball, how do you feel?" Her eyes peeked open just a sliver before they were closed again, but the smile on her face widened and she linked her fingers with his.

He couldn't help but laugh. He squeezed her hand in his and leaned down closer to her. "You saved me." He breathed. "Thank you." The hand on her forehead drifted down her cheek and came to rest on her neck. She leaned her head upwards, allowing him to wrap his fingers under it.

Conscious thought was flying out the window. He leaned forward, resting his forehead on hers just lightly enough where it made contact, but where he wasn't putting weight on her. He closed his eyes and slowly moved his nose over hers a few times before she she responded. "It was worth it".

The words were so quiet, so faint, so distant that he could hardly believe she had said them. Maybe he had imagined it. Maybe she was delusional from the pain or from the herbs that Kalona had fed her. In that moment, Sokka didn't care. He brought his lips down onto hers, barely brushing them until she tilted her head up, leaning into him.

His eyebrows furled together and he brought his hand back to her cheek, cupping it, kissing her deeper. He fought back tears as he felt her lips move under his. Excitement, happiness, remorse, anger, aggression. It was all coursing through him as he felt her fingers grasp tighter on his hand.

His heart plummeted from his throat to his stomach as she pulled away, turning her head to the side, cringing. She had brought her free hand up to her wrappings and gingerly touched the linen. Blood was soaking through it and Sokka began to panic.

"I-I'm so sorry!" He stammered as he jolted up. Her hand went limp on her chest and her head relaxed onto the pillow. She was out again.

Sokka sat in a chair next to Toph's bed, feet on the table beside it. It was nearly midday now. He was sharpening his sword, trying to keep his hands and mind busy, but he couldn't help stealing glances at the girl in the bed beside him.

Kalona had re-done her wrappings after he had woke her up in a panic the night before. He failed to mention that she had woken up, afraid of being reprimanded for doing anything to cause her too much excitement. She had given Toph another healing session similar to the one he'd seen Katara perform several times, but the earth bender didn't wake up.

The healer moved behind him, working quietly on mixing herbs and ointments. His back was to her but he could hear the grind of her hand mill and the jostling of glass jars. The peaceful silence didn't last long, when another person burst into the hut in a rush.

Sokka didn't turn around but heard a woman's voice speak. It was oddly familiar to him but he couldn't place it. "Kalona! We need you!"

The healer looked up from her work. "What's wrong?"

"We had another incident in training. One of the girls slipped; cut a huge gash in her leg. Should we carry her here?" The woman was calm, but pressing, her voice oddly soft for the severity of her situation.

"I'll come to her." Kalona said, pulling a pouch of water over her shoulder and picking up various supplies. "She's in the training house?" She asked as she was already moving out the door. The other woman simply nodded, and the healer broke into a run, disappearing into the bright sunlight.

Sokka continued to run the stone over his sword, and he felt eyes on the back of his head. He ignored the woman that remained in the hut, slightly irritated that she was still there. He heard her clear her throat a few times and he snapped. "Are you going to gape at us all day or are you going to go help your friend?" He shot over his shoulder, just barely catching a glimpse of her. She was wearing green that was all he caught.

"S-Sokka?" The woman asked, barely a whisper. She took one step forward but stopped. Sokka's shoulders slumped as he rolled his eyes; he stopped working on his sword. Why does everyone in this rotten town know who I am? He asked the ceiling, genuinely annoyed.

He set the weapon and the stone on the table and pushed himself up off the chair to turn around. He was planning a witty, snide comeback to the mention of his name but it was stifled in his throat when he faced the woman straight on.

"Suki?" He was shocked. This was the absolute last thing he had expected. The absolute last thing he needed right now. They hadn't exactly parted on great terms. What was she even doing here? She beat him to the question.

"What are you doing here?" She stepped forward again, and he was at a loss for words. Where should he start? Why was every person he hadn't seen in seven years showing up out of the blue? She saved him from answering the question by asking another as she pointed at the bed. "Who is that?"

He could hear the twinge of jealousy in her voice, and he wasn't sure how to react to it. He did have to fight hard to suppress a smile that was growing inside him at her inability to recognize the blind girl. He decided to take the more charming and bitter route. "It's nice to see you too, Suki, I'm alright, thanks for asking." He saw her face flush under her white face paint, and her hands shot to her hips. "Sorry." He quickly said. "It's Toph, Azula-" The word's escaped him and he sighed and sunk onto her cot.

Suki's face relaxed and she quietly took a seat on the cot across from him, putting a hand on his knee. "We heard the story from the old man that brought you in, but I had no idea it was you two." She ducked her head attempting to make eye contact but he avoided it, instead looking over his shoulder at the earth bender.

"Zuko sent us to track Azula down after the news came that she'd escaped and-" He was interrupted.

"Sokka I live with Ty Lee. I know what happened at the wedding. I guess I just didn't expect you to be here. The few days I'm here to train some warriors you show up." He saw the blush creep onto her face again out of the corner of his eye as she looked down at her hands. "I haven't seen you in so long."

They sat in an awkward silence for what felt like an eternity. He could feel her eyes on him but he couldn't look at her. It still pained him to think of the day he left her and the things he had said. How it would be best if they never spoke again and went on with their lives. He felt her hand move from his knee to his arm and when he looked back she was no longer across from him, but next to him.

He couldn't look away from her and for some reason he completely forgot why he was there and what was going on. She had his eyes locked to hers, with a look that asked Did you miss me like I missed you? She had scooted close to him and he could feel the heat from her body radiating onto his own and suddenly he had trouble breathing. Being this close to her made him feel like he was fifteen again.

The sound of Kalona rushing back into the hut and running to a cabinet made the two jolt apart, and Sokka let go of a breath he hadn't realized he was holding onto. His head shot back to Toph and he grabbed hold of her hand, suddenly feeling a wave of guilt wash over him like he was being doused with a bucket of cold water. He felt Suki get up, her eyes burning a hole in the back of his skull but he didn't dare look at her.

"Suki, your girl should be alright, but I've told her to stay off the leg for at least a week, and to put this on it daily." The healer put a small bottle in Suki's gloved hand. "And that if she has any trouble or discomfort to call for me immediately." Sokka heard Suki mumble her thanks but she didn't move. "Is there something else you need, dear?"

Suki cleared her throat. "No. Thanks so much Kalona, I really appreciate it. I promise we'll be more careful."

"You should be!" Kalona said a smile in her voice. "That's the third girl this week! You're supposed to be training them to injure the rebels, not themselves!" Suki nodded and then turned and disappeared out into the sunlight, but not before she stole one more glance at Sokka, which he noticed out of the corner of his eye.

"What a lovely girl." Kalona noted absentmindedly, picking up the herbs she was griding before she had been called away. "She travels around to different villages, training the young people how to defend themselves. She never asks for compensation, she's so generous and sweet. She really cares about people."

"Yeah." Sokka muttered under his breath. "She does."

The rest of the day passed by without Toph waking up. Kalona sounded optimistic, saying the burn was healing fine and that Toph's body was just drained from trying to fix itself.

Sokka paced the room at the foot of her bed, walking from the door to the window. The sun was setting and it was flooding the room with pinks and oranges, making the sheets on the blind girl's bed glow. His mind was bouncing back and forth between Toph and Suki, and the odd feelings he was having.

Not even a month ago he was home in the South Pole where the most important decision he had to make was which tiger-seal he wanted to kill for dinner that night. Now all of a sudden he was thrust into a world with earth bending girls, and psychotic, abusive girls, and warrior girls. Damn my sister and her crazy husband, this is their entire fault. He kicked the chair lightly as he passed by it and tripped. Damnit!

He heard a giggle in the doorway. Suki's frame was silhouetted by the setting sun as she leaned against the jamb watching him. Her face paint was gone and she was wearing a plain dress. As she uncrossed her arms and walked towards him, he noticed a scroll in her hand with a Fire Nation seal on it. She handed it to him. "A messenger hawk just brought this to town; I thought I'd drop it off."

He grabbed it from her hastily and ripped it open. Scanning it quickly he saw it contained the response from the Fire Lord he had expected. First a raging rant about Azula, containing some colorful words he didn't even realize Zuko knew, and then followed by sincere concern for Toph. He also stated that he wasn't sure which was more dangerous, hunting Azula or dealing with a pregnant Katara.

That actually got him to laugh for the first time in three days. Zuko was right; Katara was bossy and whiney enough as it was without the extra dose of hormones and mood swings.

"What's so funny?" Suki's voice broke the image of his sister screaming at Zuko for some random, stupid thing that wasn't just right. He had almost forgotten she was still standing there.

Sokka cleared his throat and rolled up the scroll. "Just a letter from Zuko, I had to tell him what happened." She looked at him, obviously confused at what part of Azula hurting Toph and then escaping was funny. So he quickly added on, "Aang and Katara are staying at the palace until she gives birth and he's confused on how I lived with her for so long without killing myself."

He smirked as she giggled and nodded her head. "Oh yeah, I could only imagine how much worse Katara is right now. I love that girl but she can sure be a handful." Her happy expression melted off her face. "I really miss her. She still writes a lot, but it's not the same."

Sokka felt guilty, he didn't know what to say. He liked being around Suki again, he truly had missed her, but almost everything she said to him just made him feel like a complete jerk.

Kalona emerged from her room, and for the second time today Sokka was grateful she was there. She nodded at them both as she walked past them, placing a bowl of water on the table beside Toph's head and pulling up her stool. She began to undo Toph's wrappings, and Sokka stood transfixed staring at the red and brown stained linens that fell to the ground.

A mixture of anger and nausea boiled inside of him and he slammed the letter down on a desk near him and stalked outside onto the porch of the hut, leaning against its railing, gripping it so hard his knuckles were white. Both women had stared at his commotion but only one followed.

Suki walked next to him and placed over his. He relaxed his grip and pulled his hand away. He scowled at her as she questioned him. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Do I look okay?" He snapped at her, a little harsher than he had intended. She stepped back frowning and he continued. "What happened to her is my fault! She did that to save me! She didn't even want me on this mission but I forced myself on her and now look! And after everything I said..." His thoughts drifted off as he slammed his fist down on the railing.

"Sokka…I don't know what to say." She put her hand on his shoulder, and he didn't know why it made him angry but it did, so he pushed her away.

"Then don't say anything! Why are you even here? Why do you care?" The words were coming from nowhere; they were just spewing out uncontrollably. "I haven't heard from you in years and you think you can just pop in and be all caring and sentimental and act like you missed me? What, is it because you found me here with Toph? Is that it?"

Her calm demeanor drifted away and anger spread across her face as she stepped backwards and crossed her arms. It looked like she was thinking of how to respond as they stared at each other in silence for a few moments.

"You think I'm jealous?" Her words oozed out like poison from a wound.

"Well why else are you acting this way?" His voice was raised and he was doing the best he could not to shatter the railing he was squeezing.

Kalona's head appeared from around the door behind Suki, and Sokka immediately jerked his head back to look out towards the trees. "I don't mean to intrude, but I really need you guys to keep it down. It's very hard to focus on a burn this severe if you're screaming." She looked back and forth between the two, only Suki returned the gaze before the healer ducked back inside.

"I'm going to leave. It's late." Suki said shortly and turned to go, walking down the steps of the porch out onto the grass. She paused and glanced over her shoulder but didn't fully turn around. "Just because you left doesn't mean I stopped loving you. You shut me out of your life, not the other way around." She turned around to face him but he purposely avoided meeting her eyes. "I don't care whether or not you're with Toph, what I care about is that you don't treat me like dirt after not talking to me for seven years. I don't know how long you'll be here for, but I'll be leaving tomorrow, so if you have anything else to say to me I'll be in the training house until midday."

With that she disappeared behind a few trees that lined the path into the village. Sokka sunk to the ground and slammed his head back against the wall of the house. His thoughts were swimming, he felt like nothing he could do was right. He wished more than anything he was back home on the ice with a spear in his hand. He closed his eyes, rubbing them his hands and he sighed. How many times could he possibly screw up this week?

"Sokka?" Kalona's head peered out again from the open doorway, she was smiling. "Toph is awake, and she's asking for you." He leapt to his feet and ran inside. Suddenly nothing else seemed to matter.

A/N: There you are. I gave a little taste of Tokka-love, you all deserved it. Please read & review to find out what happens next! What's going to happen now that Suki's back *queue dramatic music*. Hope you all enjoyed! 3