Payment

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER OR RELATED CHARACTERS.

Blood dripped slowly from the small cut above her left brow. Her muscles ached as she wiped the ruby droplet away with the back of her hand. The wound would no doubt leave a mark, adding to a large collection of burns and scars that served as a constant reminder of the war. It wasn't over. It was never over. Sure, now they had a small respite, but in a few days there would be another battle in the endless war – the war that was supposed to end once the Fire Lord had been defeated.

Wishful thinking. The Fire Nation was more than just one man. War veterans, politicians, merchants; they all had too much invested in this war to quit when victory was so close at hand. The nation stood divided after Ozai's defeat, and not long after Zuko's coronation, revolts had begun. He survived 173 attempts on his life, finally succumbing at the age of 21.

A week later, Azula was reinstated as Fire Lord. She declared war that very day. Peace lasted for five years. All of those sacrifices, all of that blood, sweat and tears, rendered useless in seconds.

It had been two years since the second war was declared. Two years of almost never-ending fighting. Toph sighed. She had been a hero in the last war. At the age of twelve she played a primary part in the subdueing of Ozai. She had taught the Avatar how to master the earth, and thus, brought him his victory. And, hell, she had fun doing it. Although they had hardships, battles and near-death experiences, it was different. Somehow she managed to go through it almost unscarred, both emotionally and physically. Why was this war so much harder then?

Toph closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. Screams echoed throughout her head. Screams of those she had slain. Screams of those that were brutally murdered in front of her. Screams of those who she had failed to save. She was in the front lines now. Capture was no longer the forethought in her enemies minds. They weren't holding back, scared of maiming a poor little blind girl. She wasn't little anymore, not in body, or mind. The war had made sure of that.

Out here it was kill or be killed, and Toph had killed. A lot. The emotional toll was never lowered. The world was harsh, and only the tough survived. Aang was too trusting. He did not expect to be stabbed in the kidneys by a young Fire Nation boy, despite being at war. Suki was too caring. Her and most of her Kyoshii Warriors sacrificed themselves to save a handful of villagers. Zuko... well... even the tough succumb. They all knew it was only a matter of time. Even Zuko acknowledged the fact that one day he would fail, and they would win. Afterall, he had to succeed everytime, and they only had to succeed once. It was a tiny scorpian that had done him in, in the end. Miniscule and undectectable.

That left three surviving members of Team Avatar. Her, Sokka and Katara, and she knew who would fall next, and it angered her. All this death, all this suffering. For what? Land? Revenge? It would consume them all, eventually. This was no longer a child's game.

She needed to feel his comforting touch again. She reached out a hand and rested it upon his bare back, caressing it. She could feel the scars and burns under touch. There were too many of them. Too many desicrating this perfect back.

Feeling her touch, he awoke and rolled over so he was facing her. A hand reached out and stroked her hair reassuringly. "Hey Toph. It'll be alright. Try to get some sleep."

"It's impossible with your snoring." She jibed, sounding more carefree than she felt.

"Love you too, Toph." He smiled, kissing her forehead.

Yep, she knew who would be next. He would die protecting her. And she would make sure Azula paid in full.

A/N: The basic idea for a future-set Avatar designed for an adult audience was the inspiration for this piece. I want to see that happen. Also, I wanted to write something for Tokka, despite my lack of ability in writing romance pieces. So, this is the result. Hopefully it worked.