Chapter 7: Prisoners

Sokka sat between two Fire Nation soldiers, cramped beyond a doubt. Zuko had sent at least ten Fire Nation soldiers to aid he and Toph, and they all had to take the gondola at once to avoid an attack by the guards that were refusing to stand down. Toph was standing in a corner, managing to keep her distance from the soldiers and him simultaneously. She hadn't spoken to him since their argument, and Sokka still felt guilty. He should have left her alone, but this was Toph; they were once best friends. Sokka sighed and attempted to stand, and when the pressure finally gave on both sides of him, he went flying directly into Toph.

Toph shoved him backwards, and he landed in a mass of spiked boots. He jumped back up and stared at her smirk. He shook his head and forced his way to the small window in the gondola and noted, with a smile, they were touching down.

The group forced their way out of the gondola. Sokka inhaled the fresh air-the gondola had smelled a little like burnt hair-and took his first look around the place.

Since he had freed his father and Suki, the warden had implemented new security measures. There was a door to leave the gondola bay similar to the ones the Fire Sages kept for Avatar Roku's statue. This door required seven simultaneous blasts. He smiled and made a mental note to thank Zuko for the guards he had sent.

As seven of the men lined up to open the door, Toph slid into her once-familiar place beside him. She reluctantly tugged on his arm.

"I'm getting weird readings Sokka." She whispered. Sokka glanced down at her, and sighed. She was back in that outfit that gave him those thoughts that were so…not…friend-like. He glanced up and watched the door creak open, and the men fell back behind Sokka and Toph. As they moved through the gate, Toph surprisingly kept her hand on his arm. As they entered the courtyard, Sokka realized that something wasn't quite right. The prison shouldn't be on lockdown. Sure, there were some guards that still wanted to remain loyal to the warden, who was loyal to Ozai, but the prisoners should still have been out in the courtyard. Toph's hand tightened as if his thoughts had passed to her.

Sokka pressed forward towards the door that led to the cells and the inside of the prison. As they crossed the courtyard, Sokka wondered if they were being set up, but dismissed the thought. There were more than enough of them to take the few remaining guards.

When they reached the door that would lead them inside, another one requiring Firebending, the previous seven men stepped up and sent the blasts. As the door slid open, Toph went still.

"Oh, spirits help us." She whispered. Sokka ordered the men to hold their positions, and turned towards Toph.

"What's wrong Toph?" he asked. Toph shook her head sadly.

"I smell death. I smell a lot of death." She whispered. Sokka motioned for the men to form a tight group, and they pressed forward. As soon as they crossed the threshold, Sokka could smell the sickening scent as well. Prisoners were screaming, and there were no guards in sight. Sokka approached the closest cell after depositing Toph with a soldier.

"Excuse me," he whispered, hoping not to startle the woman with her back to him. She spun around and stared at his outfit. Her face was frighteningly gaunt.

"I knew the Avatar would win. Most of the guards abandoned the warden when the news reached us. The remaining guards tried to lie to us, saying that hope was dead. They told us that the Avatar was dead. After such a long time, many of us believed it." Sokka nodded slowly.

"Do the guards still let you out into the yard?" The woman slowly shook her head.

"No. They feed us once a week. They let all of the Firebenders starve to death. Then, they left their rotting corpses as a sign to us of what was coming." Sokka nodded, feeling sickened, and pressed on.

"Do you know where they all are?" The woman raised a thin finger towards the top of the prison.

"There are twenty guards left. They all stay in the cafeteria, even the warden." She paused and stared back up at Sokka. "You are here to free us, right?" Sokka nodded, but held up a hand.

"We need to apprehend the guards first. Then, we'll release the war prisoners into the yard-" the woman held up a hand.

"War prisoners are all that is left. They let everyone else die." Sokka nodded and smiled.

"Once we get you all out into the yard, we'll send the sickest prisoners first, and go from there." The woman nodded.

"That would be the top level, they are treated the worst because they are the closest to the cafeteria." She said, her eyes sliding away from him. Sokka nodded and rounded up his men.

"Okay, the guards are all in the cafeteria, probably waiting for us." Toph nodded and turned towards the soldiers.

"You men are going to have to be ready. I can hardly see to watch your backs as well as mine. The smell of decay is throwing everything off." She muttered, and then grabbed Sokka's arm.

"Okay men, let's move." He said, his voice ringing clarity and leadership. He just barely caught the smile tugging at Toph's lips.

Sokka motioned for the men to fall back as he opened the door. The guards that were seated around the table looked up at him, their fire-whips readied. Sokka glanced around, hoping to locate the warden.

"If you stand down, you can all live. If you fight, if we don't kill you, Firelord Zuko will." The guards, all men, snickered. Sokka turned towards his men, and motioned for them to take the guards by force. As he was turning back to face the guards, he jerked his head to the left, just in time to miss getting hit with a fire-whip. He pulled his boomerang out and flicked it, rendering two men without their whips. Sokka could feel the adrenaline beginning to kick in. "This is your last chance, stand down!" he yelled, knowing that Toph didn't need his protection, but needing to provide it all the same. Another guard whipped at him, and he flicked his boomerang again as he dodged. The whip landed a hit on the soldier behind him and Sokka cursed. They were supposed to be paying attention.

Pandemonium erupted.

Toph leaned over and sent a column of metal towards two guards, and encased them up to their necks. She dodged a blast of fire from another, and pulled the dagger from her thigh. As someone came down around her neck, she sliced at their stomach. Toph struggled to her feet after the guard fell on her. She felt another man grab her as the sound of one of her soldiers screaming reached her ears. She elbowed her attacker, and swiped with her knife again. As the man fell, so did Toph. Toph forced herself to get up, and took a moment to gain her bearings, her bare feet stomping the floor once.

By the looks of it, Sokka had taken down at least seven men, add that to Toph's four and the previous two, and that left seven guards plus the warden. Sokka was currently battling two, hand to hand by the feel of it. Toph moved towards him, hoping to help. She momentarily wondered where the rest of her soldiers had gone; she couldn't sense any of them.

Before Toph could reach Sokka, someone sent a blast of fire towards her chest, and she managed to dodge it. She sent a column of rock towards the man, and smiled with satisfaction. She had managed to get two for the effort of one. By the time she reached Sokka, he had taken down both men, and the soldiers had restrained the remaining three men. Impulsively, Toph wrapped her arms around Sokka and he swung her around. Toph felt her cheeks heat up as he set her down, and she stomped to get another look. She could only feel six of the ten men they had brought.

"Oh no," she whispered. Sokka placed a hand on her shoulder before he knelt to check the fallen for pulses. Sokka slowly shook his head. The four soldiers were gone. Toph could feel tears rising to her eyes; she had never lost a man before, much less four. Sokka gripped her arm and led her out of the room, whispering to the remaining soldiers to gather the fallen and prepare them for a sea-side burial.

Sokka deposited Toph outside of the warden's office, and opened the door. The warden was sitting in a chair, staring at the door. He held a small knife in his hand.

"Put the knife down. It's over." He commanded, his blue eyes burning with ferocity. The warden tilted his head sideways and smiled.

"I will not be a prisoner." He stated, and cut his throat. Sokka stepped back, surprised, and shook his head.

"Damn it!" he yelled and slammed his fist into the wall. Toph's hand gripped his wrist, and he spun around.

"It's not your fault. What difference does it make if he's dead or rotting? At least he can't hurt anyone anymore." She said, her vacant eyes locked with his. Sokka looked away and sighed. He put an arm around Toph's shoulder and he guided her away from the bloody mess. As he turned to thank Toph, he realized that the front of her kimono was soaked in blood.

"Are you hurt?" he questioned, fear contaminating his words. Toph clutched at her stomach and shook her head.

"Of course not! Come on, we need to load up the gondola and get out of this place." Sokka eyed her skeptically, but led her back down the hall, down the stairs, and into the sunshine.

Toph clutched her side and mentally cursed. How could she have let herself get hurt? She was Toph Bei Fong! Nothing could touch her. Even as she thought them, she knew the words were untrue. Sokka had touched a place in her heart that she still couldn't escape. Toph sighed under his arm, and realized that despite the years, she still fit perfectly within them.

Toph slowly marginally, and Sokka glanced down at her. It was then that he realized blood was coursing down her leg. He spun Toph around towards him, and touched the front of her kimono. He pulled his hand away, and stared at the fresh blood. The blood from his fallen enemies had already dried on his hands and arms. He stared at Toph accusingly as panic filled his heart.

"Toph! You lied to me! You are hurt!" he roved his hand over her stomach, feeling where the blade had sliced her. Tears filled his eyes at the thought of how much pain she must be in. Sokka grabbed her wrist and picked her up, one arm around her back and one underneath her knees. He carried her back into the prison, and towards the infirmary. Toph raised a fist and punched his chest weakly.

"If I wasn't in so damn much pain, I would kill you." Toph murmured, her eyes sliding shut. Sokka forced a laugh.

"I know you would." He kicked open the door and laid Toph on the closest cot. He dug through the drawers until he found clean bandages and a healing salve. He thought about how he could really use Katara as he undid the white belt on her hips. Her kimono fell open and he used a wet towel to wipe away the excess blood. He stared at the gash and smiled; the wound wasn't deep enough to have injured any of her vital organs. It had penetrated her muscles, and it was going to hurt something fierce when she woke up. He applied the salve and wrapped her stomach in the bandages. He slid off his pack and dug around for his spare clothes. He found a sleeveless blue tunic and a pair of pants. He took her kimono off, and then eased her into his clothes. He used her sash to hold the clothes in place, and admired his work. She would be alright.

Toph inhaled Sokka's scent and smiled.

"Why did you toss your boomerang and sword to save me during the comet?" she asked. Sokka jumped, having thought she was sleeping, and looked away, deep in thought.

"Sometimes you lose things for the ones you love." He replied. Toph faded out of consciousness, and she wondered if she had imagined his words.

A/n: Okay. Hopefully this chapter didn't seem rushed. I may not be able to get much up until later; we have a storm coming in, and I usually lose power. So, if I don't get anything up again today, I apologize in advance. I will as soon as I can. Thanks for reading and please review! Special thanks to my reviewers! You guys keep me going! ~Kirsten