They all clearly remembered the moment; the moment where things changed and they knew in their hearts for the very first time that their world was coming to an end. The moment when the snow stopped and everyone turned their hopeful faces to the sky, eyes bright at the thought that maybe they had reached the end of this terrible period in time. The workers stopped and dropped their tools, and people ran into the streets, yelling in excitement. Inside the Palace faces pressed to the windows, a father running out to the balcony as his daughter followed, her young eyes wide. Though those more familiar with the crackling sensation filling the air around them knew that something wasn't right, for most people all they could do was smile and weep as the wind died down after months of howling. The Firelord sensed the change without even needing to see outside, looking up sharply from his throne as he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. In a flash he leapt to his feet, racing from the throne room and towards the wide entrance of his home, the guards already standing with the doors wide, looking up into the sky. Some smiled, others rubbed their arms to rid them of the goosebumps forming, and those that noticed bowed to their Firelord as he hurried past.

In the stables Xing Ying sat with Yuva, and had been trying to teach the little bison basic commands when her fur bristled and she let out a small moan, turning heal and running to Appa's side. The air acolyte watched in confusion at first as Appa began to growl, pressing himself as far away from the entrance to the stable as he could. She looked to the exit and amazed she saw that the snow was no longer falling, and with a glance back at the bison she inched forward, only to find her progress hindered when Yuva grabbed a mouthful of her robes, pulling her roughly backwards.

Outside in the city below, Toph stood with her feet pressed firmly to the ground. Around her she could hear the cheers and the celebrations, but all she could really sense was the drop in the wind and that feeling ... like something was dancing across her skin. For two glorious minutes the citizens of the Fire Nation Capital danced in the streets, whooping and spinning, and then came the long low rumble of thunder. They froze, eyes wide and fearful, uncertain until a flash illuminated the entire city, a hiss and a crack filled the air as the largest bolt of lightning any of them had ever seen shot into the ocean, and their awed silence turned to screams.

"What's going on?" Toph heard Dekho's voice from her right, before the pressure started to grow, an instant humidity that seemed to press in on her very eardrums. Screams came again as the second bolt of lightning came down, this time over the harbor, and Toph heard, with a sickening feeling in her stomach, the loud cracking of wood as one of the ships was struck, and people began to panic.

"We need to get out of here!" Toph yelled. "Get everyone inside, go!"

Her baby sitters immediately set off, trying to usher the frightened people back into their homes. They were close to the harbor, only half way through their daily rounds and the Palace was a long way away, too far to run, and so Toph stood her ground, fighting to make sense of what was going on around her through the screams and slamming feet.

"Get in your homes!" she yelled. Yet even her loud voice was impossible to hear over the third flash of lightning, and the thunder that followed. Then came the forth, and the fifth, and she realised that lightning was hitting the City, and with each growing sensation of electricity that shot through her limbs she heard more screams, the smell of burning wood and, to her horror, what she could have sworn was flesh. Everyone was far too panicked now to listen to her, and she could no longer sense Dekho or Heishi nearby. Another crack came followed by pained and horrified wails, and she started to panic, unable to see or sense anything besides the lightning, the pressure, and the panic.

The next bolt came close, much too close. She felt her teeth tingle and all her hair stand on it's end and, with no idea what else she could possible do, she ran, holding her hands out in front of her to try and sense where she was going. She ran into several people, but they were all far too preoccupied with the storm to notice her and, as someone large bashed into her side, she found herself thrown across the ground, hitting the stone hard. Panting she lay there, hands digging into the rock, desperate to get some understanding of her surroundings.

"Damn, will you all stop moving so much?"

Another crash came, this time to her right and she immediately felt the heat of it across her face. A loud creaking came, and desperately she curled into a ball, throwing her hands around her head as, shooting fire and shrapnel across the sky, the building she had dropped down next to came crashing down onto her, and all went black.

At the Palace, knuckles white as his hands gripped into fists, eyes wide with horror, the Firelord stood watching as bolt after bolt of lightning struck his City, destroying the homes and defenses they had worked so hard to create through the storm. The guards yelled at him to come back inside, but he was deaf to their pleas, his ears ringing, unable to take his eyes away from the events unfolding in front of him. One of their smaller warships was on fire, people were swarming and trying to take shelter where they could as achingly it dawned on him. He could redirect lightning, he could stop this massacre. Yet even as he took his first step forward it all stopped. A deathly silence followed, his ears popping with the pressure as one last long low grumble of thunder came and the madness ended. The dark clouds above still shimmered with light but, for now, the electric storm raging inside of them seemed content with the damage it had already caused. The muffled sound of the guards calling finally reached Zuko's ears, and slowly he turned his head.

"Firelord Zuko, you must get back inside!" General Mamoru was there now, her stoic facade long gone as an expression of fear marred her otherwise stern features. Pale and shaking Zuko stared blankly back at her, before a wail from the City finally shook him.

"General, get Sokka, Toph, Hakoda, Dekho, get everyone and get them to meet me in the throne room at once. This is a state of emergency and we need everyone out there coordinating a rescue response. Go!"

Mamoru bowed her head as she and two guards rushed off, and Zuko turned on his heel, hurrying back to the throne room where he ran into Sokka and Suki, alarmed and confused.

"What the spirits just happened?" Sokka asked. "Zuko, what was that?"

"If I had to hazard a guess," Zuko breathed, still trying to steady himself, "I would say it's the next stage of our worlds colliding. Get to the throne room, we need everyone there as soon as possible so we can coordinate a rescue. There are people trapped out there and fires to put out."

The pair nodded.

Before long the throne room was buzzing with activity, people shaking and confused as to what had actually happened, looking to each other and asking for reassurance and answers, and up at Zuko for hope. Zuko's mind was racing. There were people out there, his people. They were hurt, trapped, some even worse, and he couldn't stop himself from wondering how far the electric storm had spread ... was Mai? ... He grit his teeth. How could things have changed so suddenly? They were prepared for an attack from the North, they had started to learn how to manage the blizzard, they were making progress. Then the heaven's opened and attacked them, and it felt like a very deliberate effort to break their spirits. His hands shook visibly, and try as he might he just couldn't stop them. His mother sat at his side, and he felt her hand on his arm. He nodded at her, before taking a deep breath. Taking strength from her, he stood and everyone silenced.

"Is everyone here?" he asked. "Are we missing anybody?"

Necks craned as they all got a good look at one another. In the crowd, Sokka felt his heart sink as he searched, a familiar face somehow not so obvious in the crowd.

"Good," Zuko continued, "Let's get straight to the po-"

"Wait!" Sokka interrupted suddenly, drawing all focus to him. "Toph. Where's Toph?"

Zuko felt his stomach drop as he looked wildly around at the crown, and sure enough her big black bob was no where to be seen, and neither was the familiar dark auburn hair of one of his most trusted.

"She and Dekho were on their daily patrol," piped up Yee-Li, her voice frail with fear. "There were out there!"

"Go," Zuko said, as Sokka looked back at him.

"Sokka-" Suki started, but he placed a hand on her arm.

"It's ok, help Zuko, I'll meet you out there"

"I'm coming too." Xing Ying pushed forward into the crowd to stand beside Yee-Li who was quick to nod her agreement.

"And me," Hakoda stepped forward from the back of the crowd, raising his hand.

"Find them," Zuko said, as the foursome hurried from the room. He tried to fight that sickening feeling in his stomach, he'd watched it all happen ... the panic, the noise. Dekho and Heishi may have made it out ok, but Toph? She was incredible, but she was still blind and in all that commotion ... He shut his eyes and swallowed, trying not to think of the cutting last words he had said to her.

"We need to be quick about this," he continued, forcing a strength to his voice. "All firebenders, regardless of rank, I need you to gain control of these fires. General Mamoru, you and non-benders are responsible for search and rescue, there are people trapped in buildings out there. Arnaq, Sansa, there are likely going to be lots in need of medical help, and it'll take far too long to get everyone up here to the Palace. The infirmary in the northern region seemed intact, so you and your best medics set up a base there. Everyone else, the injured will need carrying to the infirmary. Any questions?"

The crowd shook their heads.

"Good, go." Immediately the people in the room jumped to their feet, Mamoru calling over their head for her soldiers to join her, one of the firebending lieutenants calling across for the firebenders. Zuko gestured for Suki and Ty-Lee, who hurried over to him.

"Suki, I need you to be absolutely honest with me," he said urgently. "If you're not healthy enough for this you have to tell me-"

"I'm good, Zuko," Suki replied resolutely. "Just tell me what you need us to do."

"I need people to help get supplies to the infirmary, water is most crucial, can you both go with Arnaq and Sansa?"

"You can count on us, Zuko!" Ty-Lee replied, pounding her fist into her hand, as Suki nodded.

"What can I do?"

A little voice piped up, and Zuko looked down to see Kiyi standing beside him, her face determined.

"Kiyi, I need you to stay here with mum," he replied, crouching down to her level. "It's too dangerous out there."

"But I can do it!" Kiyi insisted, balling her fists. "I can control the fires!"

"I don't doubt that you can," Zuko said, reaching a hand out to cup her cheek. "But I can't afford for you to get lost out there, and who else am I going to trust to look after the Palace for me?"

Kiyi frowned, but with a heavy sigh she nodded. Ursa placed a hand on her shoulder, and smiled gratefully down at Zuko.

"I'd like to help best I can too, Zuko," Ikem said, and Zuko nodded, now getting to his feet.

"What are you going to do?" Ursa asked him.

"Join the firebenders," Zuko replied.

***

"Where would she be?" Sokka cried as the four of them hurried down the stairs. "The City is huge! She could be anywhere!"

"Yee-Li," Xing Ying panted as she followed, "you must know Dekho's routine by now, he's your boyfriend after all!"

"I don't know it off by heart!" Yee-Li insisted. "I'm not his freaking stalker! But he left a couple hours ago, I'd guess they're near the harbor, if not there already."

"Harbor it is!"

The damage close to the Palace was minimal, and it seemed as though most of the people in the City had made their way up the hill to the Palace grounds, standing and crying as they looked down at the destruction below. Sokka and the others pushed their way through the crowed before they, too, came to a stand still, looking down with disbelief at the mess below. There were fires across the entire bottom of the city towards the harbor, a ship burned, slowing falling into the ocean, and buildings lay collapsed and on fire. There were still people down there, some calling for help, others desperately searching through the rubble, and even from here they could hear their cries. Sokka felt the blood drain from his face. Quickly he ran forwards, sliding down the hill as the others followed him, eyes wide and searching as they neared the main hub of activity.

"Oh thank the spirits!" One village man ran forward as they reached the base of the hill, grabbing hold of Sokka's shoulders. "There are so many people trapped down there! We need help!"

"The Firelord is sending help," Hakoda said, stepping forward and putting a hand on the man's arm. "He's rallying as many people as he can to try and coordinate a rescue effort. What's your name?"

"Rohit."

"Rohit, do you think you can get some of those civilians up there to help?"

Doubtfully Rohit looked up at the crowd of people accumulating at the base of the hill, rubbing his long beard. "I don't know, they've just been standing there! You'd think they'd have already come to help if they were going to!"
Sokka cast the crowd a dark glare. Here they were rushing to find their friend and these group of sheep were just standing there, watching it all unfold. It seemed that Xing Ying shared his sentiment, however, because she suddenly stepped towards them.

"There are people dying down here!" she yelled, her hands raised. "What is wrong with you? Stop gawping like idiots and get down there and help, for spirit's sake!"

Shocked by the outburst from the skinny, orange robed girl below, they began to move, and Rohit raised his eyebrows.

"Well, that's one way to do it ..."

"Ok, come on we need to find Toph and Dekho," Sokka interrupted. Leaving Rohit and the civilians behind they pressed deeper into the city, hurrying towards the harbor. Before long they were forced to hold their hands to their faces as the heat from the many fires around them hit them. Sokka felt panic, there was so many people crying out for help, it was so hot, how could they find Toph? What if she was already- No. He shook his head, pushing forward until they finally found their way to the harbor.

"Toph!"

"Tooooph!"

"Dekho! Dekho, where are you?"

"We're going to have to split up," Hakoda said, coughing over the smoke. Sokka nodded, breathing hard. "Xing Ying, with me. Yee-Li stay with Sokka."

Sokka watching as his father the acolyte hurried off, calling Toph and the lieutenant's names as they went. It was worse here than he could have imagined. The smell of burning and charred wood filled his nostrils, and his eyes burned over the smoke. He could barely see and there he was searching for his blind friend. One of his best friends. He pushed forward, yelling her name the entire time, unable to comprehend that something bad had happened to her. She wasn't just anyone ... she was Toph. The hardest, toughest person he knew. Nothing could touch her. Surely nothing could hurt her. Then where was she?

"Toph!" He was practically screaming at this point, kicking aside rubble, searching in buildings, Yee-Li followed him, tears in her eyes as she called for Dekho. A bright flash hit his eyes from the base of one of the fallen buildings, and he turned on his heel. A small wooden shack, or certainly the remains of one, lay smouldering and collapsed in a heap as he then saw, with beautiful clarity, a metal clad foot sticking out from the rubble.

"Toph!" He ran towards her, dropping to his knees, grabbing the planks and throwing them wildly behind him. Then, mercifully, he saw her face, scratched and bloodied, but her face none-the-less. She lay unconscious under a heavy beam saved only, it seemed, by the metal band she had around her waist. Groaning and sweating he tried to lift the beam, but with all his desperation it was much too heavy for him.

"Yee-Li!" he yelled. "Get help! Find my dad, I can't lift this on my own!"

Wide eyed she called out Hakoda's name, covering her face as she stepped into the smoke only to find a figure push his way through.

"Dekho!" Immediately she threw herself into the arms of the scratched and scorched Lieutenant, who held her back tight.

"Yee-Li, are you ok?"

"Yes, yes I'm fine. Oh, I was so worried ..."

"Hey!" Sokka yelled, panting as he tried once more to move the beam. "Think you guys can lend me a hand?"

Dekho hurried forward, gasping when he saw Toph underneath. "Toph! Spirits, is she alive? Is she ok?"

"She's alive," Sokka confirmed. "But until we get this beam of her we won't know how ok she is, so help me!"

Together Sokka and Dekho heaved, each grunting with the effort until, finally, the rubble fell aside and they were able to drop the beam off of her. Sokka instantly dropped to her side, pushing her hair back from her face.

"Toph, Toph can you hear me?"

The earthbender remained still, and Sokka hesitantly felt over her body for breaks and injuries. His untrained hands felt the dampness at her side, before he pulled away to see his palm stained with blood. He paled, swallowing hard.

"We need to get her out of here, we need to get her to the Palace quick."

As he was lifting her, Hakoda and Xing Ying rounded the corner, both gasping when they saw the unconscious earthbender in Sokka's arms, her hand hanging limply down her side.

"Wait, where's Heishi?" Xing Ying asked, looking towards Dekho. The man's face darkened and he looked to the floor.

"He didn't make it."

His words stunned them, and the group stood in silence for a moment, the realness of this horror weighing down hard on their shoulders and hearts. They knew people must have died in this ... but someone they knew? Sokka looked down at Toph's still face, covered in blood and shut his eyes tight.

"Well, Toph will," he said firmly. "We need to get her to the healer. Now."

Despite her metal armor adding significant bulk to her figure, Sokka was still able to lift Toph bridal style in his arms, trying not to watch the sickening way her head rolled back, and the warmth of her blood on his chest.

"It's not a quick walk, Sokka," his father said, hurrying to his side as the warrior already took to marching up the pathway. "It may take too long-"

"Well what else can we do?" Sokka replied heatedly, stepping over a charred beam. "I can't heal her!"

"Wait!" The group looked back to see Xing Ying pulled something attached with a string from the front of her robe, and Sokka was filled with relief to see the familiar glint of Aang's old sky bison whistle, an item that had saved their behinds much more than once back in the day.

"Why didn't we use that to get down here?" Yee-Li asked, throwing her hands in the air exasperatedly.

"Appa doesn't like fire," Xing Ying replied, before raising the whistle to her lips and blowing. "We'd struggle to get him here, but maybe he'll come if he knows we need help."

"Come on, buddy," Sokka mumbled, looking up into the sky, eyes watering from the smoke. A handful of minutes passed, and just as Sokka was about to give up waiting, a familiar shape swooped in over them in the sky, uttering a low uncertain roar. Appa landed heavily in front of them, the fear and anxiety clear on his face and he growled at the flames still flickering, but his growl turned to a whine as Sokka brought Toph to him.

"Appa, what would we do without you?" Sokka breathed. Hakoda and Dekho climbed up onto the bison, reaching down to help Sokka with Toph's body, and with a yip yip from Xing Ying Appa took gratefully back to the sky, and towards the Palace.

By the time they made it to the Firelord's home it became clear that Toph had lost a lot of blood. Her face was pale, lips blue, and it was all Sokka could do to keep his hands from shaking as he and his father carried her body to the infirmary.

Sokka did not notice how quiet it was in the Palace until they finally rounded the corner to the hospital ward, so preoccupied with Toph that it hadn't occurred to him. But when they kicked through the double doors to find an empty room, he felt his heart drop.

"Zuko?"

"Where is everyone?" Xing Ying breathed, looking around. Hakoda groaned.

"They must all be out there helping."

"But what about Toph?" Sokka practically yelled, turning on his father. "Where's the healer? She needs help, now!"

"Where's the nearest infirmary?" Yee-Li asked Dekho, the soldier gulped.

"It's back in the north quadrant."

"But that's all the way back from where we just came from!"

"Sokka, what's going on?"

The group looked back towards the door to see Suki, eyes wide with confusion. Then, her eyes dropped to the body in his arms, the blood soaking into his blue shirt, and her hands rose to her mouth.

"T-toph?"

"Where's nurse Sansa? The healer?"

"They're both down in the city," Suki replied, her face green. "Oh spirits ... Sokka, we can get there? Uh, ok, we just need to hurry-"

"But she's losing blood now!"

He was interrupted suddenly by a hacking cough, and a long drawn in breath, rusty sounding and sore.

"Toph!"

Sokka lay her down on the bed, leaning in over her as the group crowded uncertainly. Her blind eyes blinked slowly, and she reached out a hand. Heart hammering he took it, rubbing her cheek.

"Toph, shh, it's ok. You're ok-"

"K-Kanto," she rasped. Sokka blinked.

"Uh ... what?"

"Kanto ... h-healer ..."

Sokka looked up at his father, who looked back with equal surprise, wondering how Toph could possibly know this, or if perhaps she had grown delusional.

"He's a bender?" Hakoda asked, certain that the man was not. But Toph had passed out again, her eyelids fluttering shut and her head dropping to the side.

"We don't have another choice," Sokka said, his voice shaky. "It'll take too long to get to the healers ... Dekho, do you have the authority to get him out of prison?"

Dekho bit his lip. "Technically."

"Good, go get him."

"Dekho be careful, please," Yee-Li said, grabbing his hand as he turned. The red headed soldier gave her a brave smile and kissed her forehead before hurrying off.

"Hang in there, Toph," Sokka muttered, stroking her hair back from her forehead. "Just hang in there."

It was a long fifteen minutes before Dekho finally returned, pulling a confused looking Kanto with him. The Northern man was still shackled, no doubt to stop him using this as an opportunity to run, but his wide eyed face made it clear that running was the last thing on his mind.

"You're a healer?" Sokka asked, stepping away from Toph, Suki's hand still on his arm as he looked at the man that had kidnapped Katara, face to face for the first time since Kanto had arrived in the Fire Nation. His father, and Zuko, had refused to let Sokka see him, no matter how fervently Sokka had demanded it, knowing that in his emotional state there was no telling just how he would react. Sokka had been furious with them, furious that the man that had put Katara in so much danger, who had worked under Innua, who had made it possible for all this to happen and for Tonrar to return, was in the Fire Nation. He had wanted so badly to hurt this man as he had hurt him. And yet, as he stood staring at him, all he could think of was Toph. She needed to get better. He couldn't lose her too. Wouldn't.

"Uh, I'm not a bender," Kanto said, looking warily between Sokka and the Chief. Sokka growled in disbelief.

"What? So we wasted all this time on you and you're not even a healer!"

"No, no, I mean I'm not a healer like the benders are," Kanto said quickly, holding his shackled hands forward. "But I'm well trained in the practical methods of medicine, non-bending healing."

Sokka's nostrils flared, and through gritted teeth he managed, "well, can you help her?"

He pointed towards Toph laying on he bed, pale and bleeding, and Kanto gasped.

"Wh-what happened to her?"

"Can you help or not?" Sokka snapped. Suki stepped forward with some concern, her eyes meeting Hakoda's as they readied to step in. The Northern man looked Toph up and down, swallowing, before nodding.

"I'll do what I can." He raised his hands, gesturing to the shackles. "But I can't do anything with these."

"Sokka, are you sure? Maybe the Firelord should-"

"Take them off," Sokka said to Dekho, interrupting his father. After a seconds hesitation, Dekho nodded, turning and unlocking the shackles as Kanto let out a sigh of relief, rubbing his wrists for a moment before he walked to Toph's side.

"So, what happened?"

"She was outside when the lightning started," Dekho offered, as Sokka hurried to her other side. "A building collapsed on her. There was a heavy beam on her side but I think her metal waist belt saved her ... for the most part. There's a deep wound on her side, I don't know what the cause is for that but it's bleeding."

Carefully Kanto rolled her onto her side, feeling around the wound and then up and down her back.

"Good news, I don't think there's anything inside of the wound, so I can close it." Sokka and the others let out cried of relief. "But I'm going to need you guys to leave."

"No chance," Sokka snapped immediately. "There is no bloody way I'm leaving you alone with her."

"Ok, then you stay, but I need everyone else to leave," Kanto replied, nodding his head towards the others.

"Why?" Sokka demanded.

Kanto bit his lip, taking his hands away from Toph. "Firstly, I can't work with so many people crowding me and breathing down my neck like this," he replied slowly. "Secondly this is an open wound and most of you are covered in soot and other such. And thirdly, I'm going to need to remove some of her armor and clothing and for the sake of her dignity perhaps it'd be better if there wasn't a load of faces gawping at her."

Sokka narrowed his eyes at Kanto, looking between his broken nose and blue eyes, wondering which would be better to punch first, but there was a calm authoritativeness to the Northern mans expression, and he sighed.

"Fine," he grunted. "Everyone wait outside, maybe see if you can help anyone else."

"Sokka, are you sure?" Suki asked quietly.

"This doesn't seem safe," Hakoda agreed.

"Look, I know you two least of all have any reason to trust me," Kanto said quietly. "But I want to help. That's why I came to the Fire Nation to begin with. Please, I won't hurt her."

Sokka nodded at his father, and with a brief tilt of his head Hakoda ushered everyone from the room. Suki paused, looking back at him with concern, but Sokka smiled grimly, and with a small sigh she followed the group out. Once they were gone, Sokka looked back to Kanto.

"Just so we're clear," he growled, his voice low, "I haven't forgiven you, I won't ever forgive you, so you better help my friend or so help me you'll wish you never came to the Fire Nation because you sure as shit won't ever leave it."

Kanto nodded his head, avoiding eye contact as he turned his attention to the metal belt around Toph's waist.

"Is there any way to get this off?" he calmly asked. Sokka shook his head.

"It's one piece. She wraps it around herself with metal bending. Is that bad?"

"We'll just have to work around it," Kanto said quietly, before reaching over to the knife that stood on the side table. Sokka couldn't help but hold his breath as he saw Kanto place the knife so closely to Toph's skin, watching and ready for even the slightest sign of wrong-doing from the son of the bitch. Quickly Kanto cut through cut through her layers of clothing, until her side lay bare to them, revealing the ugly wound underneath. Sokka's stomach churned as he looked into the blood hole in her side. Kanto reached back over to the table, pouring a strong clinical smell fluid over his hands as he pulled a knife, threads, and needles close to him. He poured the disinfectant into metal cup, dropping each item in in turn. Taking a deep breath, Kanto pressed against the wound, gently inserting a finger. Bile rose to Sokka's throat and he turned away, pressing his wrist to his mouth as he heard the sound of flesh moving.

"You ok there?" Kanto asked.

"Shut up," Sokka grumbled in return.

After a few minutes Kanto spoke again, relief in his voice.

"I can't feel any shrapnel or anything else in there," he said. "Whatever stabbed her must have come back out again when you moved the beam."

"That's good, right?" Sokka asked, finally feel level enough to look around.

"Yes," Kanto replied with an honest smile. "Very good."

Sokka refused to return the smile, keeping his cool gaze on the Northern man as he proceeded to disinfect his hands once more, before threading the needle. Carefully, checking Toph's face for any reaction, Kanto inserted the first stitch, and each of them let out a sigh of relief as she didn't react.

"So, how did she know you were a healer or whatever anyway?" Sokka asked. Kanto glanced up at him quickly, before look back down at his work.

"She came to visit me," he replied, " in the prison. I think she wanted to know more about what happened out on the ice, and why I was here."

"What?" Sokka frowned. He looked down at Toph's still face. Why hadn't she told him she'd gone to visit Kanto? She knew how badly he had wanted his own face to face with the man, after all. And why hadn't she told him what she had learned from her visit?

"No one seemed willing to give me a chance, and she wanted to know what I knew," Kanto continued, seeing the look on Sokka's face. "I guess she just thought it would be easier to find out for herself."

"There's a reason Zuko and my dad wouldn't give you a chance," Sokka replied coldly. Then he reached out, taking Toph's cold hand and gently stroking the back of her palm. "But yeh, that sounds like Toph."

Kanto looked down at their hands for a moment, before tying off the fifth stitch. "She must mean a lot to you," he said quietly.

"We've been through a lot together," Sokka replied gruffly.

"I can imagine," Kanto sighed. "You know, I was there? Back in the Siege of the North?"

"Well, being from the Northern Water Tribe I suppose you had to be," Sokka scoffed.

"I remember thinking that the three of you were all so close," Kanto continued, as if he hadn't heard the disdain in Sokka's reply. "I mean, you and your sister I get, but you treated the Avatar like he was your little brother."

Sokka frowned, suddenly thrown by the new turn of the discussion. "Well, he kinda is. He may have been a complete ass these last few months but ... he's still family. Just as Toph is."

"That ... must be nice."

Sokka opened his mouth to reply, then faltered. He wasn't sure what to make of what Kanto was saying ... this man that had kidnapped his sister talking about how nice it must be to have a family? But before he could think of a reply, Kanto put down the needle, pressing his hand gently against the wound.

"Done, all stitched up. I've done my best, and there's still a risk of infection. She'll need to take colloidal silver daily, and I'll make up a spray of that and honey to apply to the wound."

"Uh-"

"But the biggest problem we have now is her blood loss." Kanto looked up to her pale face. "She's lost a lot of blood, Sokka, probably too much for her to recover on her own."

"So, what do we need to do?" Sokka asked, his voice shaking.

"Transfusion." Kanto hurried over to the table, looking for tubes and needles. "Check the drawers, I need a long hollow tube, two needles ..."

After a seconds hesitation Sokka began to hunt through the drawers on the others side of the room. He found a long thin tube, holding it up for Kanto to see.

"Will this do?"

"Perfect."

Hurriedly Kanto grabbed it from him, sticking the needles in either side of the tube, wrapping bandage around to keep them secure, before grabbing Toph's wring and pressing the needle against it.

"Wait! What are you doing?"

"I need to transfuse some of her blood with mine," Kanto replied, before slipping the needle into one of her veins. He then grabbed the other side, ready to stick the other needle into his own wrist.

"Whoa, hey no, not yours," Sokka snapped, holding his wrist forward. Kanto frowned.

"And what's your blood type?"

"Uhh ... red? Ain't everyone's?"

"We'll use mine," Kanto sighed, sticking the needle into his vein before Sokka could react, holding his hand high. For a moment, nothing happened, and then Sokka watched in amazement as blood began to seep from Kanto and down the tube into Toph.

"Whoa ..."

"I thought you were some sort of brilliant genius?" Kanto asked, having long ago heard of Sokka's inventions and tactics in battle.

"Well, I don't know about brilliant," Sokka replied, a slight grin coming to his face in spite of himself. "Super amazing, maybe. But just because I can build submarines and airships doesn't mean I know how to do a transfusey or whatever it is, that's more Katara's bag."

"Transfusion."

"Yeh, that. She'll be ok, right?"

Kanto looked up at him. "If the transfusion takes, which it should do, then yeh. She'll be ok. The metal belt saved her for sure, she'll have some nasty bruising and probably a scar, but yeh. She'll survive this."

"And ... how long before she wakes up?"

"That I can't tell you," Kanto replied with a sigh. "But hopefully soon."

Sokka turned his gaze back to his unconscious friend. Seeing Toph so vulnerable, so fragile, had been just about the most terrifying thing in the world. Maybe more terrifying that Tonrar bearing down on them ... even more than Aang in the Avatar State and out of control. She had always seemed untouchable, the strongest of all of them despite her disability and size, and hte one who had rallied them together when things had gotten tough and they had all turned against Aang. Without Toph he wasn't sure anything in the world would make much sense any more ... she was their rock.

"Thank you," Sokka said quietly. Kanto looked up surprised. "As I said, I don't forgive you. You took my sister from me, and now she's so far away from me I'm scared I won't ever get her back. But thank you for helping Toph."

Kanto felt sick for a moment, looking away. "You're welcome. I couldn't let her die." A silence followed before, at length Kanto spoke again.

"You don't need to believe me, or trust me, I know I don't deserve that ... but I just want you to know that I didn't mean to hurt your sister. Innua is dangerous, and when she got your fathers letter I didn't know what she was going to do, or what she could do to the Avatar." He hesitated, and Sokka though not not looking at him, listened. "For what it's worth, your sister is strong. If she was able to heal the Avatar after what happened to him I don't think you need to be worried about her."

Sokka sighed, his thoughts turning back to Katara. Where was she now? How close were she and Aang to finding Tonrar? To beating him? The electric storm proved to him, without a shadow of a doubt, that Aang hadn't been mistaken when he said that the world was ending, and the end was getting closer. But how could he sit and hope that Katara was facing Tonrar right now without wishing she were also in danger? That she wasn't right now facing the most dangerous spirit they had ever met? He had faith that Katara would do all that she could ... but there was just so much standing against her, and bitterly he couldn't help but wonder whether Aang could be one of those things. He had been beaten by Tonrar, and he had been a completely different man over the last five months. Was he able to gain control? Could he take back whatever it was that Tonrar had stolen from him? Once more his gaze turned back to his friend lying on the bed. He had refused to believe that this could be the end of them, but as the strongest person he knew lay unconscious on the table he couldn't help but fear that ... maybe ... it was.

A/N: Thank you so much for all the new follows and reviews on this story over the last couple of weeks! I am sorry that I don't always respond to each review, but I do read them and it does majorly cheer me up, hopefully this next chapter will make up for that!