There hasn't been a lot of Toph action since the second chapter, so enjoy! You may have noticed I do most of my writing in 3rd person, so just for your information if it's in italics, it can be a character thought or if it's longer than a paragraph (at most) it's more POV. This is basically what Toph feels as she dies, and what she's dreaming about, in her sleep.

*Toph*

Everything seemed to be going in slow motion, all the movements of the earth appeared to stop, and then I felt it. It started out as far away warmth, but as it got closer I felt the pain, it was way slower than someone watching from the outside might have thought. Each moment was individual from the others that I suffered. A singe. A light almost teasing burn, but as agonizing as any others. It hit my back, I tried to duck low right when it was barely an inch from me, but it was far too late. It started to burn my back, shattering my life, so much quicker than it had taken me to live it.

The pain was more intense than anything I'd ever experienced in my short lived life, yet it all seemed far away and almost forgettable through the thousands of thoughts that were pouring into my dying mind, yet I still felt it, and it was hell. It was so close but still a world away from where I was. I was determined not to scream or shed a tear, I wouldn't let them know I was hurting, I would suffer in silence.

Everyone always left epic last words. Always. Something they left behind as their last impression to the world. What had been my last words? I hadn't said a thing as I'd walked down the river, hoping to find the beach, I hadn't said a word, during the battle, and I sure as hell wasn't saying anything now. What was the last thing I'd said?

I flick through my recent memories until I come to the one where I'd last spoken. The gang and I are on the road again, flying through the fire-nation, on Appa through gray clouds. Me and Sokka were riding toward the back, leaving Katara and Aang, at the reins, and Zuko somewhere in the middle. It was right before the storm hit. Sokka told a joke that was so funny I started laughing and swearing at the same time. Zuko mumbled something about how I had a worse mouth, than the soldiers on his ship.

Sokka and I kept laughing, and I kept swearing for another few minutes until Sokka stops for a moment and whispers quietly in my ear "You should stop, Katara's glaring at you." So I stop cussing, and subdue my wild laughing, to a quiet chuckle. Somehow Sokka and I ended up in a conversation about earth kingdom vs. the water tribes.

"And what makes you think that the earth kingdom is so much better than the water tribe?" Sokka asks.

"Well for one I'm from the earth kingdom, and you're from the water tribe and I'm better than you."

"Hey!" He cries.

Zuko whispers something quietly to Katara, that makes her laugh. We continue on talking.

"I'm just speaking the truth!" I wave my arms in an innocent gesture, as a teasing smile plays across my lips.

"Yeah, and the girl that scammed an entire fire nation village, and had her face put on a wanted poster, has always been the emblem of truth." He says sarcastically, referring to my brief stint as The Runaway.

"Whatever. Point is the earth kingdom is better." I tell him

"For the last time, it's the water tribes!"

"Earth kingdom!"

"Water tribe!"

That's when it happened. We had been so deep in conversation; I guess we didn't notice the signs. The deep gray clouds hadn't seemed to exist, and the rolling thunder we hadn't been listening to. It happened so fast. There was a flash of white light, and suddenly I'm falling, falling, falling, through the air. I was screaming, screaming, screaming. I didn't hear anyone else's screams. They must have been able to stay on Appa through the lightning.

"Tooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooph!" I hear Sokka yell desperately from somewhere up high.

Those were my last words.

When I remembered that small piece of my twelve years, it was like making a hole in a dam. Other memories flooded my mind. The first time I met Aang. The day I left home. Katara and I at the spa… I could remember everything here in this little niche between life and death. Back in reality I'm burning, and in pain, but it's still not that noticeable through the clouds of thoughts, as I fall to the ground. Earth kingdom. Those were my last words. How boring. Even though I was dying the one thing I could actually focus on, wasn't the suffering, or the memories, it was those words, and how boring they were. I couldn't let myself go, like that. I felt my strength draining from me, and my wide open blind eyes, starting to glaze over. This was it. I couldn't let those be my last words! I didn't have much time left, maybe a couple more instants, and I would be gone, like a puff of smock. Your last words were supposed to be an emblem of who you were alive, just a little something to remember you bye. "Earth kingdom" was anything but that for me.

Sure I loved my country, but I didn't want to die with those words! I scrambled to come up with something better as quick as I could. What did I have to say, that I really wanted someone to listen to?

I'd die the way I lived. Blunt, simple, and short.

I weakly whisper to no one but myself, so quietly I can barely hear it, as the strength goes from me.

"Damn it."

Those would be the last words. I liked them better. Maybe if I wasn't dying I could have composed something a little more impressive, but come on when had I ever planned a thing?

My open eyes glaze over, and my body relaxes into the earth, the soul inside it had loved. I'd never felt so at peace in my life. I see a color, I'd only ever seen in my dreams. Summer sky blue. Nothing else. Just endless Blue, everywhere.

It wasn't a big shock or surprise when I saw it. Sometimes when I was sleeping, I'd dream, dreams where I could see. Really see. Dying was supposed to be like falling asleep except for it's so deep that you don't wake up.

The sounds in my ears fade, the smells in my nose disappear, the wind on my face becomes a distant far away feeling, then ceases to exist at all, every memory, every friend, every foe, every thought, and feeling slowly vanish into the blue oblivion.

And I let go. I finally stop clinging to things I'd held so dearly in life. I let go of everything. Aang, Katara, Zuko, Sokka, my hates, my loves, my secrets. I let them all fade one by one into the vast forever. I'm left floating. I look back and I see, a young girl lying on the grass, her grey-blue eyes glazed and blankly staring into nothing. I turn my back on her, and leave her behind, and I let myself fall into the blue, and fade away myself.

I'm not left drifting. I thought this would be the end, but it's not. Not really. I stay in the bliss of the blue, for what felt like not long enough, but I know I've been there for a long time. It was so nice there. I could see, and it was so relaxing, no thoughts, no feelings, I could just forget there. I want to stay, but when I see him in the distance I know I can't.

I thought the blue had nothing in it but the color, and the dreamy thoughtlessness but I looked at him, and I knew that was a lie. It was a mole-badger. I'd never seen one before, but some small part of me that was still conscious knew somehow that, that's exactly what it was. It had a small white face, with beady eyes, that were intelligent and kind, with black streaks on his cheeks, and a big brown body. He lumbered toward me with a certain clumsy grace that was so strangely beautiful, it wouldn't have been possible anywhere but here.

The creature came closer and closer to me, and I wasn't afraid. When he was barely a foot away I could swear he smiled. He grunts, and beckons, for me to fallow him. I know he's not a normal beast, but one sent to accompany me on my journey into the spirit world. I fallow. I almost wish I could stay lost in the blue, floating forever, in the calm and peaceful, in the happy and forgetful bliss, forever, but I know I can't. So I just fallow.

We walked. Sometimes my animal companion would out run me with his four strong powerful legs, but he would always slow and let me catch up. I let him lead me, on, and on, through the blue.

I can't really say where the blue ended and the spirit world began, they blended so perfectly together. The spirit world didn't seem all that much different from the world of the living. Except it was so much more extraordinary. The sky was the color of indigo jewels, and the grass was a deep green. Million year old oaks and willows towered over us, their ancient branches intricately binding together, and coming apart, so beautifully. The moon still prevailed to shine here too, only it was that much more bright.

My guide didn't stop to enjoy this lovely place, but just walked on, never pausing. I left it behind, and continued to fallow.

We came to places that were so scenic, I can't remember them now. We never stop. We continue on and on.

We confronted no one, and searched no one out, on our journey. We never tried or weakened, we stayed strong. The sun had passed over the horizon many times when we finally reached a clearing. It was flat, and nice, the sun beate without trouble there, but I never grew warm, or cold. The mole-badger stopped, and looked into my face, then walked through the trees, and left me.

I don't try to fallow him. This is where he'd been leading me all along. I notice for the first time a path, in the dirt. It's laden in grey stepping stones. This time I let the trail lead me. I follow along it's many stones until I look up, and see a white fence, like the ones some rich people had. What's a fence doing in the spirit world? A gate is open, almost seeming to beg me to walk through it. I fall into the temptation, and allow myself to walk through.

I find myself surrounded by lovely flowers, especially columbine, lily, and heather. So many colors, purple, pink, blue, lavender, yellow… I walked through the garden of wonders, and I know I was a fool to want to stay in the blue, when I could have had all these other colors, and scents, and joys. I walk until I look up again and see a lady dancing in the flowers. She has a wreath of wild flowers, in her pretty, golden hair. She's so tall! She has freckles across the bridge of her nose, and a permenate blush in her cheeks. She wears a dress, in a color, that doesn't even exist. She could be a goddess she was so beautiful.

She stopped mid twirl, when she saw me, and her eyes become impossibly brighter, as she smiles dazzlingly. She dashes toward me with the speed of a graceful doe.

"Ah, I've been excepting you." She says cheerily, but in an accent I just can't recognize.

"Who are you?" I ask in awe.

"You may call me Gia. Do you know why you're here, Nea?" Gia inquires.

"Nea?" I question wanting to know the meaning of the word she's called me.

"Nea means young one, in my language. Now do you know why you're here, Nea?" She repeats patiently.

"Because I'm dead." I answer in confusion. What other answer could there be? I was in the spirit world and I sure as hell wasn't the avatar.

Gia just laughs. I don't get the joke.

"Oci, agapeemenee Nea! Sy eiohe a tellhos akoun! Sy eiohe aioh zwvtao! Anwo oioti sy eiohe ev o eykynhatikoa sy qpovw sy eiohe vekpo!" She yells in a foreign language that sounds a hell of a lot like gibberish.

"Um… what?" I say in confusion. Gia laughs and shakes her head then sighs.

"You're not Greek are you agapeemenee?"She muses.

"I thought I was Nea?" I scratch my head.

She laughs again.

.

"No I suppose you're not Greek. I suppose that means you don't know who I am." She chuckles.

"You're Gia." I declare, as I start to wonder if this strange woman is crazy.

"That's just one of my many names darling Nea. I am most commonly known as Gae but I like Gia better. Plus I thought it would be easier for you to pronounce. I guess you could say I'm… the spirit… of the earth. Maybe you'd know me as Da Di?" Gia ventures.

"What? Mother earth?" Yeah this girl has taken one too many shots of vodka.

"That's right. Do recognize me know agapeemenee?" She says sweetly.

I looked into her face, and I remember something my nanny told me long ago.

"Toph, did you know your element has a goddess?" She asks, as an opening to one of her wonderful stories.

"No!" I exclaim in anticipation.

"Well you do. She's the most beautiful of all immortals, and she was the first too, her name is Da Di. Mother earth. She was impossibly pretty, and graceful, born out of the air, she was the first person. She had blue eyes like the ocean, and golden hair, always clad in a wreath of flowers…"

A wreath of flowers…

I know there was more to the story but the rest didn't matter. I was looking at a character from one of my nanny's stories…

Da Di goddess of the earth. The only thing that I could say, was a lot of sputtering and finally.

"Holy shit your Da Di!" Not exactly the heavenliest thing I could say but it's what I did. I was a little afraid Gae/Gia/Da Di would offend her but she just laughed good naturedly and smiled.

"Oh I am Da Di! I guess I never noticed…" She joked happily. "So as we were saying, you think you're here because you're dead?" She states.

"Why else would I be here?" I inquire. Gia laughs again.

"Why should you be here because you're dead prey tell?" She reverses my question.

"Well this is the spirit world, and this is where you go when you're dead." I say.

"Do you really think you're dead, Nea?" Gia asks.

"Do you think I'm not?" I reply.

"I know you're not." She answers.

"How am I alive? I died."

"Yes you did. But we're putting you back. Your purpose isn't yet fulfilled yiyoa agapeemenee. For your heart must beat to save another." She states seriously.

"What?" I ask. Even if she is a goddess, that still doesn't disprove my theory about the vodka I guess.

"That's my prophecy Nea. Now go back to your world, where you belong."

"What? How? Why?"

"Just open your eyes."

Sorry to all the Azula fans but I felt like I was neglecting Toph. I promise there will be more of her, in the next chapter!