For nearly an hour and a half, Toph waited in the lot that would soon become the probending arena. Sokka, Aang and Katara stood on the side of the empty lot, waiting patiently. Toph hadn't wanted the rest of the gang to come, but they had insisted. Toph crossed her arms, tapping the ground with her foot. She did a quick test for vibrations. Nothing.
"I don't think he's going to show, Toph." Aang said. Toph looked disgusted.
"Coward," She muttered. She turned and began to walk away. She took two steps before stopping. She clenched her fists.
"Toph," Sokka said uncertainly. "What's wrong?" She smiled before pointing to the far edge of the lot.
"He's here."
From the end of the lot, a low clapping started. From behind a pile of stone, a slim, tall man appeared.
He was almost as tall as Aang, with scraggly black hair and deep blue eyes. He was wearing a blue shirt and black pants, and a blue water tribe necklace dangled over his chest. Sokka took a disliking immediately. The man looked sleazy.
"Very impressive, Chief Beifong." The man said. His voice was whiny and high. "Very impressive indeed. Did you like my little message?"
Sokka took a step forward, sword already halfway out of its sheath. Aang put a hand out to stop him.
"She has to do this herself." Aang said. "You know how she is."
"Yeah, I know how she is." Sokka said, dropping his hand from the sheath. "That's what I'm worried about."
"I'm here to take you down, Yakone." Toph shouted across the lot. "You've gone too far this time. You're a threat to Republic City and its citizens."
"I was just havin' a little fun." Yakone said, shoving his hands in his pockets. He wandered across the lot lazily, never taking his eyes off Toph. "Surely you understand, Chief Beifong."
"I'm not sure I do." Toph said. She took up a fighting stance; feet shoulder length apart, hands raised and fists clenched. "You're insane." Yakone laughed.
"Yeah, maybe." He said. "But I'm good at what I do. Correct?"
"You're stalling."
"But what for?" Yakone shouted, throwing his hands in the air. "I'm not scared of you, Chief Beifong. You may be the best earthbender in the world. So what? I'm the best waterbender in the world."
"I have a friend who would beg to differ." Katara smiled; she knew Toph praised her as the best waterbender.
"Well, let's find out, shall we?" Yakone said. He adopted a lazy fighting stance; low set, his arms low and hands held loose. "I'm ready when you are, Chief. Whenever you-"
Her first attack came lightning fast, almost faster than Sokka could process. Before Yakone could finish his sentence, a bolt of metal wire shot from Toph's wrist, heading straight for the waterbender's face. Sokka would think that Yakone would have no time to react, but he was quick too.
In a split second, a thin blade of water rose up from the pouch on Yakone's back. He maneuvered with precise skill, slicing the wire clean in two.
"You're gonna have to try better than that, Chief!" He shouted. Toph smiled. A challenge, then. She slammed her left foot into the ground, digging in. She felt every vibration in the ground, every movement as clearly as someone who had perfect vision. Maybe even a little bit better. She lifted her hands, shook her fingers loose, and made her first move.
The two walls of stone came at Yakone from the left and right, so fast that there was no way he could dodge them. He moved his hand in a complicated motion, and the water from the bay on the left shot from the sea in a lightning fast wave. He ducked low, the wave cleaving the walls of stone in two. The pieces of stone fell to the ground with a loud thud.
"You're quick." Toph said, grinning. "I'll give you that. But not quick enough." Right beneath his feet, a pillar of rock shot from the ground, sending Yakone spinning fifty feet in the air with a scream. Toph grinned as the waterbender hit the ground, hard. Only a thin wave of water summoned from the bay stopped him from snapping his neck on the hard-packed dirt.
The fight went on for twenty minutes straight, both benders fighting for the upper hand in a fast paced struggle to the death. To say that it was impressive was an understatement. Neither benders seemed to tire as they fought. Yakone was moving impossibly fast, dodging Toph's attack like a pro. He pulled off a particularly impressive move, spinning between two block of earth sent at him by Toph. He bended water from his pack and froze it solid, throwing it towards Toph like daggers.
Toph sensed his movement and slammed the ground with her fist. Two blocks of solid stone shot from the ground. The icicles shattered against the stone, and Yakone cursed, breathing heavily. There was a long gash across his right shoulder, and his hair was wild and disheveled.
"Getting tired yet, pal?" Toph shouted across the lot. "I can go all night."
"I don't know, Chief!" Yakone shouted, panting. "It's getting a little dark, don't you say?" Sokka looked up. It was indeed getting dark, the sun setting over the western port, giving way to a bright full moon.
A full moon.
A full moon.
Oh, no.
"Toph!" He shouted, pulling his sword from his sheath with a metallic whine. "Toph, he's a bloodbender!" Toph turned for a split second, and that was all Yakone needed.
He raised his hand, fingers limp. He performed a complicated motion with his left hand, and Toph turned to face him. Even from the other end of the lot, Sokka could see the fear in her eyes.
Toph was suddenly jerked high in the air, spun around and then slammed back down into the ground. Yakone laughed manically as he performed the puppet-like motions with his hands. The moon was high and full, as strong as it had ever been. Yakone's powers would be as strong as they had ever been.
"Sokka!" Toph screamed. The terror in her voice shook Sokka to the bone. "Sokka, help me!"
"Toph!" Sokka shouted. He took two steps before stopping abruptly; he couldn't help it. He looked up and saw Yakone lifting his other hand, stopping Sokka dead in his tracks. He looked behind him and saw that Aang and Katara were frozen as well.
"Yakone!" Aang shouted, his voice booming. "You don't know what you're doing!" Yakone laughed.
"Oh, I think I know exactly what I'm doing, Avatar Aang." He said.
"Sokka, please!" Toph shouted. She was still pinned to the ground, unable to move. God, she was scared. More scared than she'd ever been in her life. She'd never lost control of her body, not once. It was more terrifying than anything she could have imagined.
"What shall I do with our dear chief of police, Avatar Aang?" Yakone shouted. "Shall I…drown her in the bay?" He moved his hand, and Toph stood up and began walking towards the bay. Sokka could see the fear in her eyes, plain as day.
"No!" Toph shouted, straining against the bloodbending. She was fighting as hard as she could, but it was hard to rebel against your own body.
"Or shall I use her earthbending against her?" Yakone jerked his hand again, and Toph assumed a fighting stance.
"Sokka!" Toph shouted. Her head turned to face her husband. "Sokka, please help me!"
"Toph!" Sokka shouted, straining at his invisible bonds. He turned to Yakone. "I'll kill you!" Yakone looked at him.
"Oh, shut it, will you, loverboy?" Yakone moved his hand again, and Sokka's jaw muscles tightened until he could no longer open his mouth.
"Yakone, I don't think you know what you're doing." Aang said quietly.
"Shut up!" Yakone shouted. "I'm busy." He turned to Toph, who was still frozen in place. "Your time is over, Chief Beifong." He performed more motions with his hand, lifting Toph high in the air. "Any last words?" Toph's expression hardened as she hung in midair, rendered completely immobile by the bloodbending.
"Go to hell." She hissed. Yakone grinned.
"You first."
He closed his limp hand, clutching it into a fist. Toph gasped and fell to the ground, gasping for breath as she collapsed on the ground. Sokka felt the bloodbending release him, and he ran towards Toph, Aang and Katara right behind him.
Suddenly, the metalbenders were everywhere, shooting their metal skaters at Yakone. Two of them wrapped around his wrists, holding him in place. Two more coiled around his legs, bringing him to his knees. With the terrorist safely contained, Sokka knelt down next to Toph.
She was breathing heavily, her skin clammy and sweaty. When Sokka knelt down next to her, she raised her hand to his cheek, brushing her fingers against his goatee.
"Where are you hurt?" Sokka asked, looking her up and down. Sokka started to unbuckle the metal armor, trying to find out where she was injured.
"You usually wait until I get home to do this." She said, coughing. Despite the situation, Sokka had to laugh.
"You…" He said as he pulled off the metal armor. "Are insufferable." He gasped. The bloodbending must have burst an artery-blood was flowing freely from an open wound. He looked to Katara.
"Can you heal it?" He asked her. Katara knelt next to Toph, looking at the wound. She turned to Sokka with tears in her eyes and shook her head.
"Looks like I'm flat out of luck, Sugar Queen." Toph said. She coughed, wincing in pain as more blood poured from the wound in her side. "Better say my goodbyes."
"Shut up, Toph." Sokka said. "You're gonna-"
"Please shut up for once in your life?" Toph said, laughing. "I'm speaking my final words and you're gabbing as usual." She turned to Katara. "Katara. You were my best friend. Thanks for taking me with you all those years ago." Katara nodded, wiping tears from her eyes.
"Aang." Toph said. It was getting more and more difficult for her to breathe. "We had some good times, Twinkle Toes. Good fights. I wouldn't change it for the world." Aang smiled.
"It was my honor, Chief Beifong." He said.
"Sokka." She said. "I'm bad with feelings. But with you…" She coughed up blood, wiping it from her mouth before continuing. "With you, it was always so simple. Take care of Lin for me, will you?"
"You know it." Sokka said. Toph gasped for air; she knew her time was running out.
"Make sure that man rots in a cell 'till the day he dies." Toph said.
"I promise." Aang said. Toph turned to Sokka again.
"I know what I want my last words to be," She said. She reached up and touched his face; Sokka grabbed her hand. "Sokka…I love you."
"I love you too." Sokka said. Toph smiled, then gasped for air, then went limp. Sokka stood up, holding back a sob. He looked at Yakone, sitting in the corner of the lot, bound in metal cords, smiling, looking quite pleased with himself. He decided right then and there, staring at the man who took his wife from him.
He would kill him.