Author's Note:

Holy crap! Lol. This has been a long time coming, hasn't it? I believe it's been close to a month and a half since my last update, and guys...I can't apologize enough for it. I've found myself struggling with this chapter more so than any other before it. I just couldn't seem to pin down any solid ideas that truly seemed to compliment the theme of this story and the direction I planned to take it. At least, that's how it was for the majority of the time I've been inactive. It wasn't until I went back and re-watched some of the Avatar episodes that I received the inspiration I so desperately needed. The weird thing? Almost all of the ideas I've elected to implement in this chapter came to me in a dream. Lol. Strange, neh? Well, my subconscious really helped me out on this one. I probably would have still been stuck at square one without it. Fortunately, that didn't happen. Now...there's no more blank gaps. I've finally been able to connect the pieces to this increasingly intricate puzzle...and I'm damn confident that I have it solved. So much so, in fact, that I had to post this right away. I'm literally bursting with enthusiasm and I can't wait to begin construction on the next chapter. However, how I feel about it and how my reviewers feel about it are two different things when it comes to relevance. The opinion of all of you far outweighs that of my own.

That being said, I've been crippled with a sense of guilt that's been nagging at me for the last two chapters. I felt that maybe "Animal" and "Decay" could have been done a little better than they were...and I apologize if I've let you all down. This chapter will be a test-run of sorts to determine if I'm starting to get back on track and snag the interest of you all like this story once did. If I fail...please...don't try to take it easy on me. I don't want to abolish this story with ideas that just don't click, even if I feel like they do. If it comes to that, I will gladly relinquish the rights to this story to a more competent writer...or put it on an indefinite hiatus until I've got myself back in check ( which I'd hate to do ). So for this one chapter, I would greatly appreciate if the criticism was abundant. I don't care if it's praise or just straight up flames. Let me know if I'm still producing quality material. Let me know if I'm succeeding...or just straight up failing horribly.

P.S.: Just an FYI for all the people who have messaged me: I will be getting back to you all ASAP. I apologize for the delays and I am in no way shape or form ignoring you. I could never do that. So here it is, guys. This is the deciding factor and you all are the deciding variable.

Chapter 14 - Eclipse

All of the fear, desperation and anxiety left her the moment she spotted him. The light cast by a distant bolt of lightning momentarily illuminated Aang's fallen form, enabling her to finally place some of her concerns to rest. The vociferous pounding of her heart became suddenly dulled. Even the volume of the storm that waged in the outside world fell into silence. The raging elements became inaudible to her ears.

In that moment, the only thing relevant was Aang. She had finally found him...

Slow, zombie-like steps, made by her subconscious mind, lead her closer to his figure as the luminance of the crackling lightning subsided and darkness settled in once more. Before long, however, Katara found herself unable to proceed any further. A nagging, unidentifiable fear suddenly made her feel hesitant in her approach. Katara fiddled with a number of varying reasons within the privacy of her thoughts, all of which amounted to nothing more than speculation; it was merely an endeavor to justify the abrupt presence of terror that gripped her soul. Was it Aang's physical condition she was afraid of? His state of mentality? Or...was it Aang himself?

The vivid memory of his piercing crimson eyes flashed before her; it was synchronized perfectly with the burst of another radiant streak of lightning. There, in that instant, Katara saw something. The momentary explosion of light cast away the thick darkness long enough for her to distinguish a figure that was coiled around Aang's fallen form; it was hard to distinguish it's features, but she knew that it definitely hadn't been there before. Katara both mentally and physically recoiled. She stepped back as her blood ran cold. As quickly as it had come, the light subsided...and the strange shadow completely disappeared from Katara's sight.

W-what...was that? She mentally asked herself as her breath hitched in her throat.

The lightning soon pierced the night once more, illuminating the dark terrain around Aang's fallen form. She found that the being was no where to be seen. Katara attempted to reason that it was most likely just a trick that was being played on her by her eyes...but deep down, something told her it was much, much more than that.

Nevertheless, Katara had no desire to dwell on it.

The atmosphere was beginning to feel thick and heavy...and the girl was assaulted by the abrupt desire to run back the way she had came. Despite the resistance presented by her instincts, however, Katara resolved to stand her ground. She found herself having to push against some invisible wall that had developed inside her. She fought against it, determined not to have anything come between her and Aang, even if it was her own body that attempted to divide them.

Katara took a deep breath, feeling increasingly frustrated with herself as she recollected the scattered fragments of her composure and pieced it back together again.

Aang needs me, she told herself, and I will NOT abandon him.

With that, Katara reacquired enough self-control to move forward. She resumed her earlier pace, breaking out into a hastened jog that allowed her to quickly close the remaining distance between them. She slid to a halt, falling to her knees at his side in the soft, wet earth. She immediately surveyed his features the best she could, trying to determine the state of his condition. Though the darkness cast by the thick, black clouds overhead considerably obscured his appearance, Katara could at least make out his face. Aang's eyes were shut tight while his visage was warped in a pained grimace. She sought to gauge the severity of his wounds, but the absence of light rendered the endeavor entirely fruitless...as she could not even so much as identify the location of a single one. Nevertheless, she was cognizant of the fact that they were there, even if she couldn't see them.

"Aang," Katara called out to him, trying to bring the volume of her voice above the roar of the storm. The monk offered no response. His figure remained motionless and she was compelled by the desire to shake him, but Katara feared that she'd accidentally agitate one of his many injuries that she knew were in dire need of healing.

"Aang!" She tried again, but he didn't stir. Katara couldn't take it. Her heart broke for what he had been forced to endure and she dreaded the repercussions that would follow as a result of his exposure to such an atrocity. More concerns steadily manifested within her mind. What if the damage done to his psyche was simply too much to bare? What if...he never recovered from it? What if...?

Finally, Katara couldn't hold herself back. Risking contact with one of his burns, the girl lightly placed the palm of her hands against the boy's shoulders. Before she had the opportunity to shake him awake, however, Katara was assaulted by a sharp, electrifying jolt of energy that tickled her skin. It surged through her arms, causing them to contract strongly as the sensation spread further up and into her chest. An unshakeable feeling of disorientation seized her mind, rendering her neigh comatose in a frozen state of inebriation that was brought on by an unknown source.

We're running out of time, an unidentifiable voice screamed inside her mind. It sounded old and wise to her ears while it's tone was laced with an urgency that was unmistakeable. You must save him, Katara. You're the only one who can!

Unlike Aang, Katara was definitely not custom to hearing someone speaking to her inside of her own head. She struggled to shake off the initial shock that set in as a result of the abruptness of the enigmatic voice; it was even more difficult to discern its' meaning. Katara had little time to dwell on the matter, however, as the sensation that seized her suddenly changed. The feeling of numbness that disconnected her from her corporeal form collapsed into a bitter coldness that chilled her to the bone. Katara's throat began to feel constricted, as if something was coiling around her esophagus and completely obstructing her ability to breathe.

A wicked laughter resounded throughout her mind.

You can't save him from this, Water Bender, came the taunting words of a second voice; it was distinctly more sinister than the one that proceeded it. Ripples of fear shuddered down her spine. Katara could hear the malice dripping from its every word like venom as it shouted, You cannot save him from himself!

Then...as quickly as it came, the ominous presence was gone. Katara sucked in a much needed breath of air, satisfying her aching lungs and clearing away the black spots that had started to settle in around her line of vision. She fell forward, collapsing onto Aang's unresponsive form, shivering uncontrollably as she recoiled from both the cold and her own fright. The elements seemed harsher, her body felt more vulnerable...and these feelings were something Katara couldn't shake. Just as she couldn't shake away the sinister echoes of the voice that still resounded hauntingly throughout her mind.

In her disorientation, Katara failed to acknowledge the dark figure stealthily approaching her from behind...

…...

There were three things Toph was aware the moment she regained consciousness: she was wet, cold...and her head was pounding. Next, she became cognizant of Sokka and Suki as they conversed nearby. Although they spoke in hushed whispers, Toph's hearing was far too acute. Coupled with her pounding headache, every syllable the two muttered was vociferous enough to make her writhe in agony; it was neigh unbearable for her to hear.

"I'm going after them..."

"You can't possibly find them in this."

"I can't just sit around here, Suki. My sixth sense is telling me something's wrong."

"You're just being paranoid because of what happened earlier."

"It's more than that, I'm telling you! I really feel like something...just isn't right."

Every thought in the bandit's mind was fuzzy and obscure, but as Toph listened...the haze over her mind began to dissipate. The memories of the recent events suddenly came rushing back to her. She remembered Azula. She remembered the Dai Li. She recalled being attacked. And she remembered...

Toph sat up with a start, disregarding her battered condition in her alarm. She soon reaped the consequences wrought by her recklessness as her head spun out of control and the bandit was forced to crumble back to the floor.

"Aah," Toph moaned as she curled up on her side, grimacing as she waited for the sudden spell to dissipate. "Bad idea. Very...bad idea."

"Toph!"

Her foolishness had managed to gain the undivided attention of Sokka and Suki. Toph felt the vibrations of their hurried footsteps as they came to her side.

"What are you thinking? You shouldn't be moving around yet," came Sokka's chastising voice.

Toph felt a cool rag being laid across her forehead and oddly enough...it helped in settling down her mind and keeping it from doing any more cartwheels. The bandit decided to allow herself a couple of more moments to further recuperate before she dared reattempt sitting up again. The pounding in Toph's head was becoming steadily more tolerable too, but she suspected that "tolerable" was as good as it was going to get. The wound on the side of her head definitely suggested that, anyway.

In her pain, the memory that Toph wanted so urgently to convey...was quickly forgotten.

"W-what...happened?" Toph finally managed to inquire after a few short moments. "Is...the fight over?"

There was a brief silence...and although dazed, Toph couldn't help but find it foreboding. The seconds ticked by agonizingly long and she was becoming increasingly more impatient. When the apprehension surmounted to such an extreme that Toph found it unbearable, she prepared to voice her distress.

Suki spoke, however, before the bandit was capable of even muttering a syllable. "Yes. Azula... and the Dai Li...are gone."

Toph should have been content with the answer. She should have felt a refreshing wave of relief washing over her. Her worries should have been put to rest, but the way Suki responded in such a solemn manner only fueled the anxiety that steadily began to leave Toph more and more discomposed.

"What?" the bandit asked in a hushed voice that shook with uncertainty. Deep down, Toph found herself questioning if she really wanted another answer, but she spoke again regardless. "What?" she repeated. When the silence persisted, Toph let her composure slip before crying out, "What the hell happened?" She winced as she agitated her already pounding headache once more.

"Some things...happened...while you were out, Toph," Sokka answered her in Suki's place. His tone was as equally reluctant and somber.

It only served to unsettle Toph all that much more.

"Really? No way," Toph drawled. Even though injured, her sarcastic nature was...as always...unimpeded. "Just freaking tell me already!"

Sokka sighed heavily. "It's...not...something that's easy to explain," he said in a hesitant manner. "In the end, I guess what it all really boils down to is...Aang took out Azula and the Dai Li." He waited a moment before adding, "He saved us."

As the information settled, Toph became increasingly more and more confused. She recalled how Aang had told her that he was incapable of bending prior to being ambushed by the Dai Li. The monk hadn't been playing a prank or lying. His heartbeat wouldn't mislead her. That one tad bit of information that Sokka had relayed contradicted what she herself knew...and Toph didn't know what to make of it.

After a moment of contemplation, she decided to speak, "So like...how took out?"

Sokka cast a momentary glance to Suki. "Like..." he started slowly,"took out...took out."

Realization dawned on Toph's visage as her blind eyes widened. She was suddenly cognizant of the gravity of the situation and deep down...something told her that there was still more bad news to come. The memory of the time that Aang went berserk on the rock pillar was still fresh in her mind. His reaction was so vivid. The bandit recalled how that she could almost taste his pain in the wind. At the source of such turbulent destruction, there was only sorrow and agony. When Aang suffered...it was almost like the world suffered with him.

Toph had no doubt that he was suffering now.

"So...did Aang go bonkers again?" she eventually brought herself to ask.

This time, Suki was the one who answered her.

"Yeah, but this go around...it was a lot worse."

Toph grimaced. She could hear the storm waging vociferously beyond the walls of the mansion. The wind was as intense as it was relentless and she could tell that the tempest was anything but beginning to dissipate. Toph knew that Aang was the one who conjured it. Only a bender of his caliber – only the Avatar- was capable of producing such a storm. Once again, the world was crying ...right along with its tortured savior.

Toph tucked her chin against her chest as she reclined back onto her hands. She sighed heavily. "Is there anything else I need to know?"

"Not much," Suki replied. "Aang ran off into the forest and Katara chased him. About an hour has passed...and they haven't come back yet."

The nagging sense that Toph was forgetting something crucial began to build a steady flame under the bandit's rear. The prolonged absence of the two seemed to agitate a dormant memory in her mind that was too obscure to recollect. When Toph made an endeavor to dig deeper into the recesses of her said memory, she was obstructed by an intense pain that almost sent her teetering on the edge of unconsciousness once again. Toph mentally recoiled and ceased her attempt. After a moment of recuperation, however, the nagging sense resurfaced with an even greater intensity...and she couldn't refrain from trying again. Toph elected to tread cautiously and only just probed her memory as delicately as she could. She found that she was still met with the same resistance, but the agony wasn't so overwhelming as long as she didn't push to a certain extent.

Having evidently grown concerned due to her silence, Toph heard Sokka calling out to her.

"Toph? Are you alright?"

Suddenly, a vague image manifested itself within the sight of Toph's minds' eye; it was accompanied by a painful, hot flash that sent the girl reeling, but urgency drove her concentration to remain fixed on the image. Much to her frustration, it soon slipped away from her, but in its place came a wave of memories that she could recall in vivid detail. The battle Toph had waged alone with the Dai Li agents played before her. She remembered how she'd successfully outclassed them, demonstrating the superiority of her bending in every regard. Azula's croonies had held no candle to her...and before long...were struck down.

Toph had won the fight. The girl knew that she had.

And then...everything came rushing back.

"Toph!" Sokka shouted again. He knelt down onto a knee, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder and shaking her softly. "You're freaking me out. You look like you've seen a ghost or something!"

Toph turned her head in the boy's direction, her blind eyes peering lifelessly forward yet portraying a fear that could not be mistaken for anything else. Her bottom lip trembled as her already pallid skin turned even paler.

"You just...said...Azula and the Dai Li were taken out, right?" she asked slowly.

Sokka glanced up, looking towards Suki with an expression of evident question plastered onto his visage. "Yeah," he started, his tone unsure, "that's...right."

He soon placed his eyes on Toph once more, silently attempting to discern the source of the bandit's blatant discomfort. Sokka rarely saw her so...discomposed and afraid...and it left a bad taste in his mouth. Apprehension steadily began to swell inside of him.

When Toph finally spoke, Sokka felt his blood run cold.

"So...what about Combustion Man?"

…...

Katara froze when she heard a powerful footstep slapping the soft, sodden earth somewhere close behind her. All of her senses snapped to attention, her body setting itself on high alert while Katara's bones turned cold with a dread that was all too familiar. Laying there with her body flung over top of Aang's, she suddenly felt more vulnerable than she'd ever been throughout her entire life. Katara realized that she was completely and utterly exposed. Her back was being freely given...and there was no disputing the fact that there was someone...or something...looming ominously over her from behind.

Katara's instincts were once again screaming at her to run away, but running was simply something that she could never bring herself to do. She would never abandon a precious friend – especially not Aang.

Katara's eyes narrowed as she forced herself past the fear that hindered her, letting the apprehension fuel the release of adrenaline within her body. As the empowering endorphins were evenly distributed throughout her veins, the resulting high aided her in honing her levels of concentration and courage. She was suddenly cognizant of so much more than she'd been initially.

Over the torrential downpour and ceaseless bouts of earth-shaking thunderclaps, Katara could hear the subtle breathing patterns of whatever stood behind her.

Then...it spoke.

"Stand aside, child."

Katara immediately recognized that she was unfamiliar with the deep, gruff tone possessed by the voice's owner. It struck her with a certain degree of intimidation that penetrated deep into her soul. The said intimidation, however, only made her adrenaline pound that much harder.

Slowly, Katara began to rise to her feet. Her mind was already in the process of developing a plan of attack. She instantly began to assess the abundance of water she had to utilize, while she simultaneously developed a myriad of methods in which it all could be utilized. Katara wasn't going anywhere and she definitely wasn't going to let anyone touch Aang.

Not without one hell of a fight...

As she got back on her feet, slowly...Katara began to turn. Her hands shook uncontrollably. The clamant pounding of her heartbeat resounded ceaselessly throughout her ears, drowning out the volume of the outside world and ushering it and the raging tempest into a period of silence. Katara brushed a mess of her auburn hair from her eyesight, tucking it behind her ear and attempting to keep it tame beneath the relentless battering of the wind; it was a wasted endeavor, as the tempestual gales snagged her bangs in their wispy fingertips and pulled it in completely disarray once more. She didn't bother trying to keep it under control again. Her hair was...simply put...the very least of her worries.

Only the anonymous individual on her six had her completely undivided attention...and Katara didn't want to wait for any introductions.

Something told her that the person hadn't sought them out in the middle of a storm to make friends.

Katara's teeth clamped down on her bottom lip and then...her azure eyes finally found the one they sought.