"Toph. For Spirits' sake, just go talk to him!"

In answer, Toph threw back another shot.

"Where are you even getting shots?!" Katara screeched.

"Great party, Sugar Queen," Toph slurred before wandering away. "Happy fucking New Year!"

She stumbled around, no real destination in mind other than avoiding wherever Sokka was. Not that she could tell, in her drunken state. All she sensed were vague blobs all around her.

"Hey, Chief," a familiar voice called.

"Hi."

"Wow. You're super fucking drunk, aren't you?"

"That depends. Are you one of mine?"

"Are you asking if I work for you, Chief? " he laughed.

Toph was thinking hard. "Um...Hinto?"

"Good job."

"Sorry, I'm super fucking drunk."

Hinto laughed. "Really? I couldn't tell."

"Fuck off."

"I hope you take tomorrow off."

"Take a day off?" she scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous."

"I'm serious, Chief. I don't want to get yelled at because you're hungover."

"I guess I'll just have to keep drinking, then. Seems more practical."

"Alright, well, you have fun with that. I'm going to go see if I can find some food. You might want to consider doing the same."

"Don't you fucking tell me what to do, you smarmy bastard."

"Suit yourself," Hinto snickered before wandering away.

Toph liked being drunk. She could be in a shitty mood and yell and swear at people as much as she wanted and they just laughed it off. She should go yell at Sokka a little. Maybe it would make her feel better. Where was that bastard, anyway? "HEY MEATHEAD!"

A few seconds later someone approached. "He's not here," Katara said. "He just left for the ferry, though Spirits know where he's going. Hopefully he doesn't fall overboard. Pretty sure he's just a drunk as you are."

Toph stumbled down the hill, half-expecting Katara to chase after her, but her friend seemed to have given up on both of them. "Has it left yet?" she demanded when she made it down to the docks.

"I'm afraid you just missed it."

"Fuck." She cupped her hands around her mouth. "HEY MEATHEAD! WE GOTTA TALK, SO YOU BETTER FUCKING WAIT FOR ME!"

Half an hour later, the ferry returned. She nearly fell off the dock trying to board but someone grabbed her arm to steady her. "Thanks," she mumbled, way too drunk to even be embarrassed. She chuckled at the absurd thought of falling into the freezing water and having to be rescued. Fortunately, the flow of the crowd surrounded her when they disembarked until she was once again on solid ground. "Alright, where are you, you asshole?!" she called.

"You're a fucking lunatic, you know that?" he said, his voice almost as slurred as hers.

"Yeah, well you're a shitty friend!"

"I– I'm a shitty friend? You're the one who destroyed my relationship and then ignored me for most of a year!"

"I ignored you?! " she screeched. "Are you fucking serious?!"

"Ugh. Toph. Keep your voice down. People are staring."

"You think I fucking care?!" She lifted her hand, pulling a bit of cable out of its coil.

"What are you gonna do? Arrest people for listening! You can't do that!"

"I can do whatever the fuck I want!" She looped the end of the cable around his wrist.

"What are you doing?!"

"Ugh! Nevermind!" She let him go and stalked away. Why had she done this? She didn't want to talk to him. It definitely wasn't making her feel better.

"Toph! Don't you fucking walk away after making me stand here and wait for you!"

"Try and stop me!" She headed for the line of carriages and awkwardly climbed into one after giving her address. Sokka was inside before she could shut the door. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" she demanded.

"You're the one who wanted to talk to me!"

Toph crossed her arms and pressed her lips together firmly.

"Oh, that's how it's going to be?" he spat. "You're just going to act like a child?"

She ignored him as hard as she could, silently fuming. They made it all the way to her apartment building without speaking another word, then she strode inside without waiting for him. But of course, he followed. It took several tries for her to unlock her door, all hopes of slamming it in his face gone by the time she managed it.

"Did I say you could come into my fucking home?" she demanded when he followed her inside.

"Can we just talk without yelling at each other?"

"Maybe I feel like yelling! Did you think of that? I love yelling! It's my favorite fucking thing to do!"

"Fine. Yell at me, then! Get it all out!"

She jabbed his chest with her finger. "You missed my birthday! You always came back for my birthday before, but you missed it! On purpose! After being gone for a whole fucking year! And why? Because you broke up with your little girlfriend?"

"We broke up because of YOU! Because you just couldn't stand it and you had to interfere and ruin it! You had your chance, Toph! Multiple chances!"

"Yeah, well YOU ruined things for US because me being friends with Satoru made you so fucking jealous and possessive, like I was a goddamn object to be fought over! Well, you know what? Let me tell you a little secret. He was the first person I ever fucked! That's why he's fucking in love with me!"

"Are you- Are you fucking kidding me?!"

"Oh? Does that bother you? You've fucked how many women, now? But I'm not allowed to have a past?"

He grabbed her shoulders roughly, as if he wanted to shake her. "I can't believe you nev-"

"And yet there you were," she interrupted, gripping his shirt, fingernails digging into his chest. "Being romantic, hugging and touching and kissing her, right in front of me, any chance you got. You think I enjoyed that? You think that was easy for me?"

A moment of electric silence passed between them, then suddenly their mouths were locked together. It was fierce and angry, teeth on lips, each trying to cause the other pain. Sokka pushed her roughly against the wall, hard enough for her breath to leave her lungs in a rush. She reached high to grab his wolf tail and pulled back, biting the part of his neck where it joined his shoulder. He let out a low growl and hoisted her up by the hips, keeping her pressed against the wall.

She wrapped her legs around him and their lips reconnected, teeth colliding and tongues lashing furiously, her fingernails digging deep into his shoulder blades. One of his hands slid up and squeezed her breast painfully and she ripped his jacket open, sliding it off his shoulders. Both were panting heavily, pulsing with red hot desire fueled by drunken fury.

It was unusual for Sokka to wake first, as light a sleeper as Toph was. He glanced at her, mouth hanging open and drooling on the pillow, her arm flung across his chest. Though his bladder was near to bursting, he didn't want to wake her and ruin this moment. There was an inevitable argument ahead of them, and he doubted this one would end with them in bed together. Not that he didn't still feel plenty of resentment, himself. He had just as much right to be angry with her; a lot more, actually. But riding on the shoulders of that anger was a deep, indomitable love for this fickle creature next to him.

After a few more minutes, the urge became unbearable and he slowly slid out of bed. His pounding head surged the second he was upright and he suppressed a groan while slipping his pants on. Fortunately, Toph kept her curtains closed, and the hallway was pretty dark, too. On his way to the latrine, Sokka reflected on what had happened. It was all kind of hazy. A drunken argument, and then...extremely rough sex. He could feel a large bruise on his ribs, not entirely sure how he'd come by it.

Toph was awake when he returned to her bedroom, a hand pressed to her forehead. He sat on the edge of the bed, keeping his distance in case she was feeling violent.

"Mornin', Snoozles," she muttered.

"Morning..." he replied, a little surprised. "How are you feeling?"

"Shhh. Don't gotta shout."

"Headache?"

"Ya think?"

"Want me to make some tea?"

"If it means you'll stop talking, sure."

He rolled his eyes and left, though he was pleased that she seemed to be in a relatively good mood. The frigid morning air chilled his bare chest as he went outside to the water pump with the kettle, his mind wandering. What was she thinking about? Where did they go from here?

Back inside, there was some difficulty navigating her rarely-used kitchen. "Uh, T?" he said softly at the bedroom door. "Where are you spark rocks?"

"Fuck if I know."

"Right..." Sokka sighed. He doubted she'd used them in weeks, if not longer. Ten minutes later, he finally found them shoved into the very back of a drawer full of miscellaneous junk (right next to a familiar key). Waiting for the kettle to boil, he perused her tea selection, which proved to be dismal. All he found were a handful of dried mint leaves and three spoonfuls of a black and brown mix with a spicy scent.

"Mint or mystery tea?" he asked, carrying two mugs to the bed.

Toph sat up, rubbing her eyes. "It's something one of my neighbors gave me a while back. Not bad, actually. I guess I'll take that one."

"So...uh..." He sat down and hand her a mug. "How much do you remember from last night?"

"Well, I can't be sure, but I think we screamed at each other and then had angry sex."

"Sounds about right."

"I'm still mad at you," she added cooly, "for missing my birthday."

He sighed, still a little surprised that she'd been so deeply hurt by that. "Yeah, well, I'm still mad at you for sabotaging my relationship."

"I didn't mean to." There was a strange, surprisingly repentant look on her face. "I mean, you're not wrong. I did eventually realize that. I just- I wasn't really aware of what I was doing." It was weird hearing her talk like that. Very uncharacteristic. "I know that sounds like a cop-out, but I'm being sincere, for once."

"I believe you. And I'm sorry I missed your birthday. I know it was petty."

"I'm...sorry, too."

Sokka's eyebrows shot up. A genuine apology from Toph Beifong? While she was hungover? Was this a dream?

"But..."

Aaand there is it, he thought, wryly amused. "But what?"

"I think we both know there's another reason you two didn't work out."

It annoyed him to hear out loud, but he knew she was right. He'd long since accepted that. "Yeah. Ok. But now it's my turn to ask you to acknowledge something. Something regarding our argument last night."

"Fair warning, I'm not sure I even remember half of it."

"Me neither, but something is sticking in my memory. Um...did you really sleep with Satoru?"

"Really? That's the part of the argument you retained?"

"I was kinda hoping I'd imagined it," he grimaced.

"I was kinda hoping I'd imagined saying it."

"...So is that a yes?"

Toph sighed, a regretful look on her face. "I was seventeen and full of pent-up sexual frustration. He was there. You weren't."

"So not recently? Not after we were together?"

"No."

"Did you love him?" It wasn't the question he wanted to ask, but it was a start.

"No."

Sokka searched her face and saw truth. "...Do you love me?" he blurted before he lost his nerve. Expecting raised eyebrows and silence from her, the annoyed scowl he got instead was something of a surprise.

"Of course I do, you idiot! How could you not know that by now?"

A warmth spread out across his whole body, an ache forming in his chest. "Well...you've never said it."

"Neither have you!"

"Honestly? I was worried saying it would scare you off. Considering how things ended between us, I'd say that was probably true."

A strange look that he couldn't quite interpret appeared on her face. Something like confusion or disbelief, but there seemed to be pain behind it. He set his tea down on the bedside table and leaned towards her, taking her head in his hands.

"I do love you," he said. "Of course I do. I've been in love with you this whole time. Five long years. It never went away, even when we were apart. I just tried – and failed – to ignore it."

She blinked a couple of times, her face now blank. "Ten."

"...Huh?"

"I've been in love with you for ten years. Though...it took me longer than it should have to come to terms with it."

He'd waited so long to hear those words. It almost didn't feel real, sitting here in this shadowy room with a hangover. "Say it again," he begged.

"I'm in love with you. I have been ever since you saved me on that airship. Hanging there, scared out of my mind, more blind than I'd ever been. You were the only thing that existed in my entire world. I never got over it. Not for lack of trying."

Their lips were only a breath away when he felt tears drip past his thumb. "Why are you crying?" he asked, gently wiping her cheeks.

"Because it fucking hurts," she replied in an unsteady voice.

"What hurts?"

"This...feeling."

"What feeling? You mean love?"

"Yes."

"Why?" he asked, a little crestfallen.

"Dunno. Always has. I've just accepted that it always will."

"It doesn't have to."

She shook her head, pain written all over her face. "You're wrong. I would think you'd know that better than anyone. Maybe it doesn't hurt all the time, but often enough."

Well…there was no denying that. When had she become so wise on love and loss? "But why does it hurt right now?"

"I don't know." She brusquely wiped her cheek with the heel of her hand, sniffling lightly. "Because... Because I had to watch you be with someone else. And then you were gone. You were gone for so long and I hated you and I hated myself and I missed you. And now you're here and I don't know what's going to happen-" Her voice caught at the end and she let out a heavy breath.

It was a concern they shared, Sokka had to admit to himself. He didn't really want to think about it, or her other points, so he made an effort to lighten the mood. "How can you love me and hate me at the same time?"

"What, you think love and hate are opposites?"

"Aren't they?"

"Of course not. I'd go so far as to say the stronger one is, the stronger the other is. It's how I've felt about my parents most of my life."

"Wow. Ouch."

Toph let out an annoyed, frustrated noise. "You know what I meant! They're my parents, so of course I love them, but sometimes they infuriate me. Sometimes you infuriate me too, but it doesn't make the love go away. It just makes it hurt."

He took the tea from her hands and set it down, then pulled her into a tight hug. She sniffed and cleared her throat, then pushed him away.

"I think we have some stuff to figure out," she said.

"Yeah, you're right. But...you should probably get dressed first. You're incredibly distracting."

She gave him that signature crooked half-smile smile and reclined back onto her elbow, head propped up in her hand. "Fetch me my clothes, Meathead. It'll take me too long to find them, and you might not be able to control your manly urges if I get up."

Sokka grunted – partly in annoyance but mostly amusement – while he searched. "After last night, I think I need a break. Pretty sure you broke one of my ribs."

"Please. You just told me I had to get dressed because I was too distracting. It can't be that serious."

"I just meant that it's a little harder to focus with your bare tits staring at me." He tossed her shirt and hit her in the face with it.

"Where's my tea?"

"Here," he said once she was decent, returning to the bed.

"Blech. Stone cold."

For a few moments, he just sat there and watched her – fingers of one hand wrapped around her mug, while the other idly cracked its own knuckles. She was a little anxious, then. Well, so was he.

"Are you staring at me?" she asked.

"Mhmm."

"Why?"

"Maybe I just like looking at you. Yes, even when your hair is everywhere."

She reached up to her bun - which was somewhat less of a bun now and more of wild, barely contained mess - and let it down. "Not sure how that survived last night."

"Cavalier use of the word 'survived'."

"Ugh," she groaned, rubbing her head. "I hate falling asleep with it up. Makes my scalp hurt."

"You used to sleep with it up all the time when we traveled around. I think it was probably weeks before I ever saw it down. Heh. I was shocked at how much of it there was."

"And Katara spent two hours brushing it out."

"Ah, yeah, I remember that," Sokka chuckled. "Don't think I've ever heard anyone say 'fuck' so many times in a row, much less a twelve-year-old."

"I used to hate brushing it. I always waited too long and then it was such a mess and took forever."

"Er...why are we sitting here talking about your hair?"

"You started it."

Sokka took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Alright, no more avoiding. Where are we, exactly?"

"Gah. Haven't I talked about my feelings enough for one day?"

"Talking was your idea. Anyway, what I meant was that we need to figure out where to go from here."

"Well, the first thing we need to do is stop getting drunk and sleeping together. It's fucking toxic. Not to mention reckless," she added under her breath with a worried frown.

"Yeah..." he agreed, feeling a little guilty. "Maybe it's best if we both take some time to think about things with clear heads. And not half-naked in bed."

Her lips twisted back up into a mischievous smile and she shifted her legs around under the blankets, exposing herself a little. "Yes, clearly, you're still having some trouble focusing."

"Ok, ok, stop it," Sokka said, unable to keep himself from becoming aroused. He glanced over at the clock on her bedside table in a vain attempt to distract himself. "Uh...I don't know if you care, but it's after ten."

"What?! Seriously?" She smacked her forehead. "Right. I forgot to set the alarm last night. Rinna usually sends someone here if I'm not in by nine."

"She was at Katara's party, along with quite a few of your officers. They're probably too scared to disturb you. Honestly, I don't blame them."

The comment earned him a withering glare. "Well...I guess I better go," she said with a sigh.

To prevent his current, unfortunate state from being obvious to her sensitive feet, Sokka remained on the bed while she got up to dress for work. "Good talk," he said sardonically. "Glad we figured it all out."

"Didn't you just say we both need to take some time to think?"

"Well, yeah, but what do we do in the meantime?"

"I guess we could be friends," she suggested, pulling her work pants on.

"You guess?"

"What do you want me to say, Sokka?"

"You just didn't sound too excited about it."

"Gimme a break, I'm hungover. You're lucky I'm talking at all."

"True," he allowed, watching her while she finished getting dressed. She was not a morning person, even under the best circumstances. "You know, you could take the day off if you wanted to."

"Yeah, and then I would have twice as much work tomorrow." Her armor flew and snapped to her body with a metallic clang, then she set about the task of taming and trapping her hair once again. "Your key is in my junk drawer, by the way. I guess you can have it back."

"I'm honored."

On the point of leaving, she stopped suddenly, going back to rifle through one of her dresser drawers. Her hand came out with a familiar black object. How long had it been in there, gathering dust? Wordlessly, she removed her arm guard and slid the bracelet up to her bicep, underneath the sleeve. Sokka smiled; whatever happened, they would be alright.

‹¤›‹¤›‹¤›‹¤›‹¤›‹¤›

It was the first time Toph had been in an airship since the day she almost died. Dangling in midair, clutching Sokka's sweaty hand. Slipping. The heat of a roaring inferno licking the soles of her feet. Pressure. So much pressure.

"Toph! Toph!"

With an effort, she pried her eyes open, not that it made any difference. A moment later she realized she was lying on a soft cushion with someone shaking her shoulder. "Wha…?"

"You passed out," Sokka said.

"Huh?" she pushed herself up to sit, rubbing the back of her neck in confusion.

"You pass–"

"Yeah, I heard you the first time."

"Are you ok?" Katara asked, voice full of concern.

"I'm fine. I… I'm not sure what happened."

"Do you feel sick at all? Lightheaded?"

"No. I'm ok."

"Well...you should probably sit here for a little while, anyway."

Toph didn't answer; she was still trying to make her brain work properly. Next to her, the cushion sank down in response to Sokka's weight. His comforting scent filled her nose and a wistful sigh nearly got loose.

Eventually, Katara walked away, a silent Aang trailing her, leaving her alone with Sokka. It had been almost a month of being 'just friends' – without benefits, this time – and she had done quite a lot of thinking. Their argument, and what it led to, had made something break inside her. She had let go. Utterly surrendered. Laid her heart bare and just...basked in the pain.

Now she felt untethered, dangling uselessly in the air. And when he was this close, rational thought was difficult. She leaned forward, elbows on her knees, face in her hands. Suddenly his warm hand appeared on her back, gently rubbing it, sending a chill all the way down her spine.

"You sure you're up for this mission?" he asked.

"Ugh," Toph groaned. "I'm fine. Really."

"It's not normal to pass out for no reason."

"It wasn't for no reason…" she muttered.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I– It's just– Ugh. I thought you, of all people, would get it."

"...I'm sorry, you've completely lost me."

"Don't you remember what happened the last time we were on an airship?"

"...Oh. Right. I– I'm sorry," Sokka stammered. "I guess I didn't realize the memory was still so powerful for you."

"I haven't had the nightmare in a while. But...being on this thing must've triggered something, I guess. I started thinking about it, remembering. Then I felt this incredible pressure in my chest, and the next thing I knew, I was waking up."

"Are you going to be ok riding on this thing all day?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm over it. Stop worrying."

"Never."

Toph sighed and rolled her eyes. "Just...do me a favor, don't tell Katara or Aang. I feel a little ridiculous, like I overreacted."

"You didn't overreact. It was involuntary."

"Please. Just keep it to yourself."

"Alright. I will." He leaned back, pulling his hand away to rest his arm across the back of the cushion behind her. "I gotta say, though, this sure beats flying on Appa. Much more comfortable."

"Is he keeping up alright?" she asked, both regretful and relieved that he'd broken contact.

"Yeah, I can see him through the window. Poor guy. Hope he's not lonely."

"I'm sure he's glad to not be carrying five adults and a toddler all the way to Ba Sing Se."

Sokka chuckled. "Bumi's so excited. He's got his face pressed up against the window."

"I hope he calms down soon. Fuck, I don't think I can tolerate that incessant toddler babble all day. I can't even understand it most of the time."

As if summoned, Aang walked back over to them with his over-excited son. "You feeling better, Toph?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Was just a freak thing, I guess. Not used to airship travel."

"Uncle Sokka!" Bumi cried.

"C'mere, kiddo," Sokka said, standing to take him. "Let's get away from Aunt Toph before she ties us up with her cables, huh? Say 'bye-bye'."

"Bye-bye," Bumi babbled as they walked away.

"You sure it was such a good idea to bring him?" Toph asked Aang. "I mean...considering we're on our way to hunt down a serial killer?"

"I can't protect him if he stays home. Anyway, he'll be in the guesthouse with Yuri and a generous complement of guards provided by King Kuei. Besides, Katara would never have been able to leave him behind."

"Our adventures sure have changed from back in the day, haven't they?"

"Hard to believe it's been over a decade."

"Not hard for me to believe. I feel every day of those years. I always hear people talk about how your hair turns gray when you get old. I bet mine's already starting."

"Nope. Black as ever. Not a gray hair in sight."

"What about you, Twinkle Toes?" she joked.

"Well, my beard is safe, so far."

"What? You have a beard? Since when?"

"A few months, now," he laughed. "You didn't know? I feel like Katara's been complaining about it non-stop."

"I think I've been tuning her out."

"You do seem like you've been in your head a lot lately."

"I guess," she shrugged.

"But it looks like things are...peaceful?"

Toph smirked, understanding his implication. Peaceful, yes, but far from settled.

‹¤›‹¤›‹¤›‹¤›‹¤›‹¤›

"Thank you all so much for taking time out of your busy lives to assist with this problem," King Kuei said formally once they were all seated.

"Hopefully we can help put a swift end to it," Aang said.

"My own Chief of Police, Han, will now brief you on the details."

Toph couldn't help but bristle at the title, despite the fact that the police force in Ba Sing Se was older than her own. But they weren't metalbenders. Well, not all of them, anyway.

"As you know," Han began, his deep voice matching the tall, muscular form Toph could detect at the table across from her, "the string of murders have been consistent with those in Republic City four years ago. Since our last communication, there has unfortunately been another, bringing the total to thirteen, including your five. However, our investigations have so far yielded no compelling evidence that the killer is either a woman or a bender of any kind."

"Then what has your investigation yielded?" Toph asked critically. "Anything?"

"They are so far being extremely careful," Han said in a tight voice. "No pattern to the killings in terms of location or victim connection, no witnesses, no incriminating evidence left behind. Why do you think we've had to bring in outside help?" There was a wounded note in his tone that Toph found oddly satisfying. "I had hoped you would bring a little more manpower so we could get more officers on the streets."

"My force is already stretched thin, as it is. The crime in my city doesn't sleep while I'm away. You're just going to have to be happy with the four of us. We managed to end a war as teenagers, after all."

"Of course. I meant no offense."

"What exactly do you hope for us to accomplish if you haven't been able to make any progress in weeks?" Sokka asked.

"Gee, Sokka," Toph said dryly. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Well? No offense, T, but you couldn't solve the case either."

She slapped the table in irritation. "I had her! I had her in chains, and the Council made me let her go! That's not on me!"

"Toph," Aang said, "there was no evidence that she was the killer. Just your wild hunch."

"You still don't believe me, do you? That it was Azula?"

"Calm down, Toph," Katara said. "We believe that you believe it was her. And even if it was, that doesn't change the fact that you had no real way to tie her to the murders."

"I think we've gotten a little off-topic," Han interrupted. "I've asked you here simply because I don't know what else to do. Maybe your presence will cause the killer to behave differently. Anything will be better than nothing. This has to end."

For two days they went from one crime scene to another, scouring each for clues. Nothing. Han was right – she was being extra careful. There were no scorch marks this time, or any other evidence of firebending.

Toph didn't sleep well that night. She kept having nightmares about fighting Azula, and they always ended with Toph being cooked inside her metal armor. Lying there in a cold sweat, the winter air chilling her even under thick blankets, she had a sudden moment of clarity.

I know where you are.

She slide out of bed and started getting dressed. Automatically, she reached out to pull her armor on but paused while it was suspended in the air before her. Metal. Had she become too reliant on it? Normally, metalbending was a strength, an advantage against opponents. But could it also be a weakness? After several moments of deliberation, Toph snapped her wrist guards on and abandoned the rest, taking only a warm jacket.

Two hours later, half-frozen, she arrived at her destination in the lower ring. The tram wasn't operating, so she'd had to walk the whole way. The house was abandoned now, since the brutal murder. The first one. The original crime scene.

"Where are you, you psychotic bitch?" Toph muttered, pacing around the outside, bare feet numb from the cold. "I know you're skulking around here somewhere."

A good stomp revealed many nearby sleeping bodies, but this was a densely populated area so it didn't help much. She climbed to the roof and crouched down to wait. An hour passed. Then another. Though her watch had been left behind at the guest house, she knew dawn must be approaching. The city was beginning to wake up.

Her patience gone, Toph stood abruptly. "Come out and fight me! I know you're here!" The words were not even fully out of her mouth when she realized the motion of standing had revealed someone in the house below her. Thinking quickly, she threw herself toward the ground, the roof exploding outward a second later. Once she'd regained her bearings, she sensed light footsteps, running away.

Oh, no you don't! "Come back and fight me you coward!" Toph yelled, chasing. I'm not twelve years old anymore. I've got tricks you can't even imagine. Her senses zeroed in on the woman's size and shape, her weight against the earth and the stone of the buildings.

But her quarry was fast and agile, and Toph was being careful not to destroy the homes of still-sleeping civilians. A subtle pillar of rock here, shifting stones underfoot there. It wasn't enough, but she couldn't risk losing her by being destructive.

Suddenly she found herself in an open square. The woman had gone into a wooden house, temporarily hidden, but Toph knew she need only wait. A small laugh caught her ears, sending a chill to her spine. Azula. Adrenaline surged. With a low, frustrated growl, Toph sent a localized but severe tremor to her opponent's hiding place. The whole building shook violently, then suddenly a figure shot out from it, barely skimming the ground.

A rock wall went up in anticipation of flames. Toph spun, feeling the steps circle around behind her. She tried to catch Azula with earth shackles, but wasn't quite fast enough. A familiar sound began, moving fluidly around her. A sharp crackle of electricity. Rather than run, Toph went into a deep, rooted stance, sinking into the ground up to her ankles. Electricity hummed in the air, and she thrust her metal-wrapped arm towards it, open palm, accepting it.

She had never felt such pure pain. Every nerve in her body screamed out, heart freezing mid-beat. Down her arm, ribs, leg, out through the sole of her foot into the accepting ground. Blissful oblivion loomed, threaten to overwhelm, but she held onto the agony, held onto her connection to the mighty earth. It was so vast. It was everything. And she was its master.

The hum ceased abruptly, the pain vanished, and there was a slight stutter from the nearest heart. A moment of shock and hesitation. With one decisive motion, Toph slammed her into the ground up to her neck, binding her arms and legs and holding tight. Squeezing. Slowly, sedately, she limped over, right leg stiff and tingly. Azula was gasping for breath, heart pounding furiously.

"Pathetic," Toph spat. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't end your life here and now!"

"Zuko–" she choked out.

It was perhaps the one thing she could have said to save herself. Maybe she knew that. Toph relaxed the stone around her victim, just a little. Just enough to not kill her. A pair of light footsteps dropped to the ground nearby.

"Is she…?" Aang trailed off faintly.

"She's alive."

"I saw it. I saw the lightning."

"Believe me now, do you, Twinkle Toes?"

"I'm sorry I doubted you."

"So did you follow me or something?"

"We've all been looking for you for hours, ever since Sokka realized you were gone. Why in the world did you come out here looking for her alone?"

"Because she wouldn't have shown herself to all of us."

"How did you even find her, though?"

"It was just a hunch," Toph admitted. "In Republic City, we found her lurking at the scene of the first murder. It's like a game to her, or something."

"Toph… How…" He seemed to be at a loss for words. "I saw the whole thing from the air, unable to do anything. I thought for sure you were..." He trailed off, voice shaking. "I felt so helpless."

"Little trick I picked up on accident, working at the refinery," she said with a half-hearted smile. "Don't think she saw it coming, either." She worked her right fist a few times. It still tingled a little. "I hope I never have to do that again."

"Not fun?"

"Not fun." The adrenaline was almost gone, giving way to pain. And dizziness. "Uh...Twinkle Toes?"

"What?"

"I... I think I'm..."

When Toph came to, she was in a comfortable bed. The pain was mostly gone, with just a little tingliness left on the right side of her body. I have got to stop passing out. This is ridiculous. A moment later, she was out of bed and on her feet, feeling surprisingly well-rested. Aang, Katara, Sokka, Yuri, and Bumi were all in the lounge, she could tell. Not wanting to face them, she slipped out the window, careful not to alert the guards that stood at attention by the front door of the guest house.

Having no destination in mind, she wandered around the upper ring, trying to process her experience. It felt a little dreamlike, as if the fight had been part of the nightmares and she had simply woken up in her bed. What if that were true? But no, she could still feel the after-affects of being electrocuted.

She had nearly killed Azula. Not in a battle or a fight, not in self-defense, but in cold blood. A defeated victim, at her mercy. She had been so close. And there had been no anger behind it. No emotion at all. The lightning had purged it all, leaving behind something...terrifying.

Eventually, Toph found herself standing outside the Jasmine Dragon. Well, of course I came here. Where else? She went in and quietly sat down in a comfortable chair in the corner. A little while later, footsteps approached. They were lighter than they should be, considering the size of their owner.

"I get the feeling you're not here just for tea," Iroh said calmly, though he set a cup down and filled it, anyway.

"Maybe some cake, too," Toph joked.

He laughed, put the teapot on the table, and sat down. "It's good to see you again. But where are your friends?"

"Well…" she began, letting out a long breath. "I guess you probably know we're here about the murders."

"I have heard something to that effect."

"It was Azula."

Her words created a long silence, though Iroh seemed to take it calmly.

"Was?" he said finally.

"She's alive. I let Aang deal with her, though. Everyone else is back at the guesthouse, probably haven't even noticed I'm gone yet."

"What will happen to her?"

"I don't know. I doubt there's enough evidence to tie her to the murders, but she did try pretty hard to kill me. I guess Zuko will probably take her, but I guess it'll depend on what King Keui wants to do. And what Aang decides." She leaned forward to take the tea he had poured for her, then sat back with a sigh. "I almost killed her."

"I'm glad you didn't. However a monster she may be, she is still family. And...I think you would have regrets."

Monster. The word reminded Toph of how she had felt after lightning surged through her. "What if you take away everything?" she murmured. "Pain...emotion...love and hate...fear and hope. Take it all away, and what's left? Is that what a monster is? Maybe there's one in all of us, but everything else that makes us human covers it up most of the time."

"An interesting theory," Iroh mused. "But I do not think Azula is without pain and hate."

"Actually, I was talking about myself," Toph replied wryly.

"You are anything but a monster. After all, you spared her life."

He didn't get it. Azula meant nothing to her, not anymore. This was a far deeper issue. "Pain and fear and love. You can't separate them, can you?"

"Those things...are simply part of being alive. We don't choose to love, or to feel the pain of losing those we love."

"We can choose to push people away. Avoid the loss and the pain."

"If there is anything I have learned in my long years, it is that an empty heart aches just as much as a broken one. Maybe more."

Toph let out a hollow, pained laugh. "Guess we're all just screwed, then, aren't we?"

"Life is messy. But I think maybe you're suffering from dark thoughts after an unpleasant experience, hm? Give yourself some time to remember that life can be full of joy, too."