So this is the last chapter. I didn't get the ending quite the way I wanted, but I got the main message across. Aang figured out that he can let go of Katara cause she'll always hang onto him. I hope you enjoyed this little adventure!

"Are you ready, young Avatar

"Are you ready, young Avatar?" Dylan Ui Dan asked. Aang took a deep breath and eyed the wrapped up Toph.

"I am…but are you sure there's no other way?"

Dylan Ui Dan sadly smiled. "We must all make sacrifices…" he looked at Zuko, the young man he had dedicated the last seventeen years to. He could tell Zuko looked lost, but the boy was unaware as to what the cause of the feeling was. Dylan Ui Dan walked over to Zuko, knelt down and placed a hand on the boys shoulder. As he whispered something into Zuko's ear, all of Zuko's tension seemed to evaporate from him and he closed his eyes to rest against Appa. Dylan Ui Dan went back to Aang.

"He should be fine for a while. We are going to need to pull together. Grab an arm."

Aang and Dylan Ui Dan went to either side of Toph and reached down to her arms. Aang didn't know how this was going to work considering they couldn't make physical contact with those in the real world, so he was surprised to find his hands make a solid connection around Toph's small arm. He looked up at Dylan Ui Dan, startled.

"You are feeling the Rugaru…" as Dylan Ui Dan explained Aang could feel the 'arm' he was hanging onto begin to struggle…hard. Aang tightened his grip.

Dylan Ui Dan asked again, "Are you ready?"

When Aang nodded, Dylan Ui Dan counted, "Three…two…"

The scream that tore from Toph's mouth was one that no one had ever heard before. It was full of pain- pure, unaltered pain. Her eyes were wide open as she struggled against the bindings Sokka put on her. Sokka tried to hold her still while Katara started checking her body for shock.

"Shhh…Toph," Katara tried to calm the girl in a shaky voice. "It's going to be ok…Aang is making you better."

A second round of terrifying screams ripped from Toph and Zuko jerked awake at the noise. "Whatsgoingon?" he asked, disoriented. He focused on the scene in front of him. Toph was still struggling but she had stopped screaming. Silent tears were running down Katara's face as she tried to talk to the girl.

"Toph…Toph, please…come back. Don't let go of us…just listen to my voice…" Toph's eyes caught Katara's and she started to cry as well. Her wails rang louder than her screams. Katara cried harder, unsure of what to do.

"Sokka…" Zuko pushed himself up and staggered over to them. He fell to his knees as he said again, "Sokka..."

"What?"

"You need to talk…she'll follow you." Zuko didn't know how to explain how he knew this, but something was telling him that Sokka was who she was looking for.

"Just do it."

Sokka nodded. He didn't care how weird things got now…he just wanted this horrible nightmare to be over. He knelt down to Toph's ear and whispered.

"Toph."

She stopped moving. Turning her tear stained face to see Sokka, she smiled.

"Sokka…I never knew you were that handsome…"

Sokka gave a startled, yet relieved, laugh. "I've heard that before. How are you feeling?"

"Something hurts, Sokka. What are they doing to me? What's happening? I've missed you guys, I've been asleep for so long."

Sokka reached out and hugged her. "You were sick, Toph. But it's going to be better." He started crying too.

Toph leaned into the hug. Sokka felt her slowly warming up and he motioned to Katara. She scootched forward on her knees and undid the wrappings around Toph's arms.

The little girl stretched her arms and then wrapped them around Sokka, as though afraid she would be swept away again in her own mind. The three sat like that for a moment until Toph cried out.

"Zuko!" She still had sight, and was the only one facing the prince when he collapsed completely to the ground.

In the spirit world, Aang and Dylan Ui Dan, along with thousands of Spirits, surrounded the Rugaru. They had struggled to pull it out of Toph. Dylan Ui Dan had thought it was hard to get it out because it was Toph's only life source at the moment. She was subconsciously afraid of losing her life, and he suggested that someone in the real world be her life source until the Rugaru was out. He said the ideal person would be someone who had Toph's heart already.

After a moment of thinking, Aang remembered his suspicions of Toph's feelings for Sokka, and suggested him. Dylan Ui Dan walked over to Zuko again and whispered the instructions into the boy's ear. The two stepped back and waited until they were sure Toph was connected to Sokka, and then pulled again. This time, she didn't even notice. Aang's excitement of having the Rugaru out was dashed quickly when it started fighting. It wanted back into Toph.

Before Aang could ask Dylan Ui Dan how to fight in the spirit world, bright light filled the air. Thousands of spirits took form and were standing now with Dylan Ui Dan and Aang, protecting Toph. From the crowd of spirits, Roku stepped forward.

"Hello, Aang, Dylan Ui Dan. Sorry it took longer than planned to gather a force. Many of the spirits were in hiding."

Aang smiled. "You're here now, that's all that matters. Now what do we do?"

"If it's smart, it will retreat to the dark depths by itself. We can't destroy it, all spirits are here for a reason," Dylan Ui Dan explained. "But we can hurt it and weaken it." As Dylan Ui Dan talked, the other spirits were closing in on it, shouting out jeers and threats. The Rugaru started to pace and make a high pitched whine, like a trapped wild dog.

Roku spoke out to it, "Leave! You are against an alliance of thousands of dark and light spirits and many Avatars. You have no chance! Abandon your quest and retreat into your dark abyss and you won't lose anything!"

It hissed, but didn't show any signs of backing down. Roku turned to Aang. "Move as though you were Airbending."

Aang did as he was told and was surprised to see light shoot from him where Air should have.

"What did I do?"

"You are bending spirits. When the spirit world is in danger, the spirits can give the Avatar consent to bend them."

Aang turned and faced the Rugaru. "You heard Roku! Now LEAVE!" He sent a blast of light and nicked its shoulder. The Rugaru let out a screech. It bowed its head.

"It surrenders!" Dylan Ui Dan shouted to the rest of the spirits. A cheer went up as a dark path formed between them, the opening back to the dark part of the spirit world. The Rugaru turned towards it as though it were leaving. No one was paying attention, but at the last split second, Aang saw its eyes glow red.

"No!" he shouted as it screeched again, lunged for Dylan Ui Dan, and tore a hole in his chest. Aang yelled out again and shot a beam of light through its head. Whimpering like a dog again, it vanished down the path with several of the dark spirits following, wanting their turn to take a piece of it.

Aang ran over to Dylan Ui Dan.

"Roku, Roku help!" But as sudden as Roku and the spirits had appeared, they vanished.

"No…no!" Aang's vision of the real world wasn't blocked anymore and he could see the others fussing over Zuko's body. He's dying! He's dying!

"Dylan Ui Dan…c'mon. You have to pull through! You can't let Zuko go!"

The spirit opened his eyes and looked at Aang. "I don't have enough force left, Avatar Aang. I have to let him go if I am to exist."

"But you're supposed to protect him no matter what! How is letting go a benefit?" Aang said angrily.

"He's a grown man, Avatar." Dylan Ui Dan looked longingly at Zuko, as one would look longingly at a lost loved one. Aang saw that it truly wasn't his fault, the spirit loved Zuko but had to let him go. "He can survive on his own if he's given a boost."

"A boost?" Aang asked, but he was more distracted by the fact that Dylan Ui Dan was fading.

Dylan Ui Dan spoke fast to explain before he was gone. "Avatar blood flows through his veins, Aang. Touch him, that's all he needs. Give him a small part of your life force, he can take it. He's not like a normal mortal…he is part spirit…" Dylan Ui Dan vanished.

The sun had set again, and the Gaang was sitting around a roaring fire. As soon as the Rugaru had been sent back to its dark home, Toph's eyes went back to normal. She didn't mind, though. She felt confused and lost when she wasn't able to see with her feet. The other's filled her in on the events of the past two days as she leaned against Sokka. The boy was afraid to let her go, still worried the Rugaru might take another swing at her. Toph didn't mind. Next to them, Zuko was weakly leaning against Appa, but he was alive. The three were talking and joking how they were excited to get to the next town and rest properly.

Aang was a few feet away, sitting by himself. He didn't tell the others Zuko had part of his life force now. He didn't see the point. If Azula figures out how to use more dark spirits, we don't stand a chance. I can't get into the Avatar state, and the spirits will get angry if I can't lead them properly. He looked at Zuko and Toph. I basically saved their lives only for them to die later…

Katara sat down next to him. "What happened in there, Aang?"

The boy shook his head bitterly. "I showed the entire spirit world how incompetent I am. If I were able to get into the Avatar State, none of this would have been hard."

Katara reached out to him, but he shook her off and stood up. "I'm sorry Katara. Zuko and Toph almost died today, all because of me. I won't be able to find an alternate route the next time round. I need the Avatar State."

"How can you get into it?" She was confused why he was angry with her.

Aang looked at her for a moment and then pulled her into a hug. "I won't let it happen again. I'm going to make this all right." He pushed her away and looked into her eyes for a moment. So blue…

Aang and Katara joined the rest of the group.

"I'm going to work on getting back into the Avatar State," he announced. Zuko and Sokka exchanged a look.

"Really?" Sokka asked. "You're….you're sure that now is the time? This is what you want?"

Aang read into Sokka's meaning. "Yes, now is the time. We can't take another chance." He asked Zuko, "Do you know how to find your uncle?"

Zuko nodded. "Yeah, we need to get to the next town. I can at least find someone who would know how to find him."

"Alright…good…" Aang took a deep breath. I can do this…I can let her go…I just need guidance. "I'm going to need his help getting into the Avatar State. But I think I can do it."

Katara gave him a tender smile. "I know you can, I believe in you. We all do…we're behind you no matter what."

Something clicked inside Aang. That was what he needed to hear. Of course, Katara will always be with me. She loves me too. She knows I'm Avatar first, Aang second. I don't need to hang onto her…she's hanging onto me…

Toph smiled too. She felt something in Aang's emotion change, like a heavy weight was lifting.

"There ya go, Twinkle Toes. It's going to be alright. Now…get me food."