They had reached their target.
Toph directed her earthbenders with gestures. They took their places around the perimeter of the demolished warehouse. Seeing this, Katara waved a hand at the five waterbenders they had brought; the men silently took their positions farther back. They would serve as the artillery when the battle began.
Toph gripped Katara's arm, pulling her ear close to her mouth. "We'll go in quickly," she whispered. "If we can use the element of surprise, we might be able to end this without too much bloodshed." Katara nodded. "We're going to open the tunnel. Get ready!"
Chenglai's men had returned an hour before, bringing news of a small underground hideout belonging to the insurgents. Plans had been laid quickly, and fifty earthbenders (and the five waterbenders) had been deployed. Katara's fingers shook as she pulled the cork from her water skin. She hadn't fought in a battle in seven years – her heart was pounding. Spirits, give me strength!
The earthbenders moved in. Toph's arm went up – there was a tense moment – and then it came down! The ground rumbled as a slab of stone moved.
Boom! Suddenly, there was fire everywhere. Katara was blown off her feet, crashing heavily to the ground. Gasping, she struggled to stand again, her head spinning. Another explosion rocked the earth! She clutched her ears in agony. Flames erupted from a nearby wall; she staggered away. She could hear screams.
"Toph!" she cried, looking around frantically. "Toph!Where are you?" She was sure the earthbender had been right next to the first explosion. "Toph!"
A third blast! The shockwave turned her legs to jelly. Something smashed into her!
Katara came to, and found herself lying facedown on the ground. She could taste blood in her mouth, and she couldn't see out of her left eye. Gasping faintly, she tried to get up. Her body wouldn't obey her. There was fire – flames everywhere, and smoke in her lungs. She coughed, and felt her chest convulse in agony. Am I dead? Or still dying? Her eyes closed. She wanted nothing more than to sleep.
Then she was being turned onto her back. "Katara!" She moaned softly. Strong arms slid underneath her, lifting her up; her head rolled against an armored shoulder. The last thing she heard was the sound of another explosion.
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"Lie still." The words rattled around in Katara's skull, wringing a groan from her lips. She tried to sit up – pain washed over her, and she gasped. "Lie still, damn it!" the voice ordered, and she felt gentle pressure pushing her back down. "The healers might have finished with you, but you're still hurt. Don't be a meathead." Her eyes drifted open.
She was lying on her own bed. The room was dark, save for a single small lamp that flickered in one corner. The light hurt her eyes; she turned her face away, groaning through her teeth as pain knifed through her head. A cool hand rested on her forehead. "Hey. You awake, Sweetness?" She peered upward.
Toph was leaning over her. She was still wearing her armor, but was without her helmet; her face was smudged with soot, and her shaggy hair was sticking out in crazy spikes. Katara couldn't help but smile feebly. "Hey," she murmured.
The earthbender scowled. "You are so damned lucky you're injured," she said. "If you weren't, I would kick your ass for scaring me like that!"
Katara giggled a little. "I love you too, Toph."
A smile tugged at the corners of Toph's sensitive mouth. "You crazy waterbender," she said. "Why on earth did you just stay in the blast zone? Were you suicidal or something? Because if you were, I might have to kick your ass anyway!"
"I…was looking for you," Katara admitted. "But really, I guess I was just confused. I couldn't figure out what was going on."
Toph's face was grim. "They knew we were coming, Katara," she said quietly. "They'd cleared out the place already, and set bombs. It was a chain reaction. Once we set off the first bomb, the others exploded in sequence…" Her voice was bitter.
The waterbender closed her eyes, trying not to think about the pain that was blossoming in the back of her neck. "How many did we lose?" she whispered.
"Three," Toph muttered. "Three of my best soldiers died. And another six were hurt, not counting you." She brushed the hair back from Katara's face. "Spirits, Katara…if you'd been killed, I would never have forgiven myself!"
"I'm a soldier," the waterbender reminded her, with a wry smile. "That's what I agreed to."
"Shut up." Toph leaned down and kissed Katara's mouth. "I won't say I'd die without you, but I've kinda gotten used to having you around, Sweetness. So don't you dare go and buy the farm, you hear?"
Another giggle broke from Katara's lips. "You're not fooling anyone, Toph," she said. "I know you're a big softy."
"Hey! There's no need for insults!" Toph smiled and kissed her again. "Get some rest, Sugar Queen. You took a pretty big rock to the head, y'know. You'll probably be out of the loop for a couple of days, at least."
As tired as she was, Katara couldn't resist pouting. "Well, okay. As long as you promise to keep me posted on things. And give me more kisses!"
Toph laughed and dropped one more kiss on her lips. "That's enough, now. Sleep, you! I'll give you supper later." The waterbender smiled and closed her eyes. She felt Toph's callused fingers brushing her cheek, and sighed contentedly as she fell asleep.