As he held on to her Aang could feel warmth coming from her. It was like fire, but her skin was ice cold. Her heart rate was racing as she struggled to get her breathing to steady. Ozai had stopped laughing, but the cruel grin remained, as he kept his eyes on the avatar and his wife. Her brows knitted together by the strain of trying to hold back what left like the very air that she needed to take in to live.

"What have you done to her." His grip on Toph lessened, as his anger for Ozai took over again and the warmth coming from her became too strong for him to be as close to.

Ozai's eyes were now set on only Toph. "I did nothing. Only she could open the chakra gates."

"You twisted her words, to make ..."

"I admit that in a way that is true, but it all comes down to her. I never would have expected she would have opened all the other chakra gates. She really is a very impressive person."

Aang now looked at Toph. She was silent, as she held on to her head, concentrating on her breathing. It seemed as if she was unaware about what was going on around her. Normally if she heard anyone talking about her, she would have a comeback for them, but not this time. This time she was locked in her own world, her own struggle. One that he could do little to help her with. Seeing her like this was disturbing. Seeing someone you care about in so much pain, unable to control or think of anything else. For a moment he wondered if this was how people saw him when he slipped into the avatar state out of anger. If it was he felt guilty for making them see something like this. It was terrifying.

"She opened the first gate earth which is opened by survival when she was born. She had to fight to survive, even from such a young age. How sad." Ozai was enjoying taunting the avatar.

His arms now let go of Toph, as he turned to fully face the former fire lord. "How do you know that."

A little laugh left Ozai' month as he answered the question. "Koh filled me in on what he knew. The rest is assumption on my part." Instead on continuing Ozai took a pause and glanced once again at Toph as she let out a faint grown of pain to further annoy Aang. "The second gate water opened by pleasure was opened when she started to earthbend. The only joy in her life has been earthbending, as that is when she feels most alive." He didn't need to notice people's heart beats, to know that Aang's must be racing now.

Aang was well aware that Toph pushed herself so hard, put herself in dangerous situations for a reason. To feel a rush so that she felt alive. It was the idea that someone else saw that about her too that got to him. It was the most privet part of who Toph was, she had only let him see that side of her. Like some of her scars and the freckles on her back, he had been so sure, so proud in a way that only he had seen.

"I think it is clear to say that the fire gate was opened, by how determined she is. When she believes she is right. Her willpower is very impressive. She really never gives up dose she."

Again he paused. Waiting for an answer that he would never get. It didn't matter, he already knew that answer. It was a clear yes. The same however when pushed far enough could be said about the man that would not answer the rhetorical question.

The silence was broken by Toph, as she let out another scream. She bit her lip even harder to keep it from letting out another one. Aang pulled her as close to him as he could. The heat she was giving off was stronger now, but Aang ignored it. He just had to feel her in his touch. To know that she was still there.

"I will never forgive you for this." The fury in his eyes sent a shiver down Ozai's spine, but he had the upper hand so he remained calm.

"It is not me that has done this to the fated spirit, it is you that has done this." Aang's eyes looked Down at Toph. Her head was buried in his robe, he couldn't see her face, just the top of her head, but he felt what must be tears of pain and strain pulling onto his robe. "She loves you, that love. Real love opened the fourth gate. Isn't it interesting that that is the air gate, and you are the only airbender left. It's almost like it was planned."

Aang knew that he was being taunted to get him to react, but he wasn't going to let him have the satisfaction of getting a reaction out of him. While he listened to his words he focused all of his energy onto Toph. Letting her know in the small way of holding her that he was there. He lowered his head to Toph's ear. "I will fix this, I promise." He whispered so only she would hear.

Toph had heard everything that was being said, but she felt like she was in a different world to them. All of her strength was used to keep her breathing steady, and to remain calm. Aang's voice had been the first thing that had reached her in her own world of pain. For that second the pain was gone, and she had hope that it was going to be ok. He would find a way to fix this, she believed in him. He did have a way of doing what many thought of as being impossible.

"I believe that admitting that she loved you, was what opened the fifth gate, Truth. For someone that can see the truth so clearly, she keeps a lot to herself doesn't she. It must be hard to trust her."

The hands he had placed on Toph's back were pulled into fists. This was the closet the disgraced former fire lord had been to getting a reaction out of the young avatar. He could see the truth in what he had been told, he had played a part in Toph opening the chakra gates. He was the person she loved more than anyone in the world, and he had forced her to admit that she did love him. Would he have stopped himself from letting her know that he loved her, if he had known this would be the outcome of it. He didn't have the answer to that. He would like to think that he would be selfless and not tell her to save her. He knew he would have done that before. Now that he had her, he was selfish and didn't want to lose her.

"You must have opened the sixth gate for her. Telling her that she was the fated spirit, gave her the insight into who, what she really is. Then by saving you, she was willing to give up her earthly attachments, her life opening the seventh gate. You did all the work for me. Thank you avatar."

Reluctantly letting Toph go Aang walked towards Ozai. The fury in his eyes was clear to see. "I am going to do what I should have done over eight years ago." The hint of grin now on his face. "I'm going to end this one and for all."

Ozai's eyes quickly turned from Aang to Toph. "Shouldn't you be taking care of your wife." The way he said it, made Aang want to kill him there and then, but he couldn't help turning to look at Toph.

She was now standing up straight. Her breathing was faster. Her normally clouded jade eyes now glowed a bright dark green. Aang had always though that her eyes where jade rather than white, as he saw sparks of deep green in them. He thought of her eyes, and her blindness as the sun being blocked by the clouds. If you looked close enough you could see the rays from the sun shining throw the cloud. Now the clouds had finally cleared.

"Toph." He moved to reach her. before he reached her, he was blinded by a green light that filled the room., the everything turned black.

I know not a lot happened in this chapter, and it might be boring, but I wanted to explain about the chakra gates. I think they needed to be explained in this context. I hope you are liking the story. As before please review, thank you.