Chapter 25 arms to be held in

Toph calmed down within the first few hours of the ride. However, there were now stormy seas, which to her was like being in hell. The tumbling of the boat, the constant water splashing on deck then seeping everywhere else, and the thunder… especially the thunder…

Toph sat in her room in the quaint apartment in Ba Sing Se. She lay in her bed shivering and wincing at each crack of thunder that came by. To add to the mind numbing experience, howling winds added to the array of noises.

It wasn't until she felt an arm around her, that she noticed Aang had climbed into bed with her and was now 'shielding' her from the noise. He kept her head against his chest and hand protectively cradling the back of her head. The only sound she heard was the sound of his rhythmic heart beats. Her wincing stopped and she relaxed and finally drifted off into sleep, happy to be in his arms.

When she woke up, Aang was still holding her close to him. "You can let go now Twinkle Toes." She said.

"Aww, you were starting to get real warm and cozy." He said with a smirk, releasing her from his hold. "What was happening to you last night?"

"Well, because of all my heightened senses, really loud noises like thunder, or cannon fire, really bother me and hurt my ears." She stated.

"Sounds like real fun."

"A blast, but whatever, come on, we might as well find something to do for the day…"

Toph lifted her head up from her knees, "I want my life back." She said, angrily. Originally she was going to wait for Aang to come and help her defeat the brotherhood, but seeing as it might take him longer than expected, she would have to do it by herself.

She would have to strike after she faked Hakoda's and Zuko's deaths so that they could no longer be threatened so she could handle the assassins.

Aang didn't bother to move, he was in fact dragged away from the oasis by several guards. Arnook's body was missing; some figured he went to the spirit world to be reunited with his daughter once more.

Aang still clutched Toph's headband in his hand, despair encroached his entire body, "She's gone." He whispered to himself.

Aang opened his eyes again, his back was hurting again, but it was worse before. He noticed Toph was sitting at the edge of his bed, "Does it hurt?" she asked solemnly.

He nodded once, "Yeah, a little."

She scooted closer to him and reached out a hand to his back, but she pulled away.

"What's wrong?" he asked, "You're not going to hurt me."

She continued and gently rubbed her hand on his back, "You don't know what it's like for me not to have Katara's healing hands." She said sadly.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked, confused by her unusual behavior.

"My hands are rough and coarse, but hers can heal any injury… you don't know what it was like for me to watch you as you slipped in and out of death. I couldn't do anything about it; all I could do was watch. I thought I was going to lose you forever." She said, a few tears escaping her eyes.

He took her free hand in his and held it, "You're hands are just as good as Katara's… They're just as warm, smooth, inviting and healing as hers." When he saw her bemused expression he continued with, "You might not be able to heal with water bending, but just your touch is comforting, it's like feeling a presence that just makes you feel less tense."

"Still…"

He wanted to change the subject, "How long have you been there?" he said, gesturing to the edge of his bed.

"I told Katara and Sokka that I would start taking nights to watch you while you recovered a little more. I've been doing it pretty often, even when you were unconscious. I couldn't bear not being around you… I needed to be here so I could re-affirm that you were still…"

"Alive." He finished.

She nodded, "Yeah."

"You don't have to worry so much about me."

"If only that was true."

"Hey, I learned how to be tough from the best." He said, winking at her and giving her a thumb up sign.

"Yeah, well even tough people need to know when to be smart and rest." She gently pushed him to lie down on his back.

"Well, then you should rest with me." He said, as he took her wrist and pulled her down with him. She laid against his chest and sighed once before closing her eyes and falling asleep, while even weak and bandaged, he held her… never letting go once…

"I love you Toph…" he said weakly to himself. "You can't be dead… Its impossible… a sword couldn't have stabbed you… you can metal bend it to compact and shatter." He stood up, wrapped the headband around his wrist and opened his glider and flew to the fire nation, "Zuko has to know about this." He said and he sped off, blasting fire from his feet for extra propulsion.

A/N- Whoa, time flies by… sorry I didn't update when scheduled. When I saw my friend didn't win the award she was nominated for, I was probably angrier than she was. So I took it upon myself to make an award for her myself, which took up the entire night… so then I was also busy volunteering the day after that and the day after that I was exhausted from the volunteering so that leads us all to today in which I miraculously posted this and the next chapter that will indeed follow.