Short Story: Four Hundred and Twenty Seconds

Base: "I'll hold on to this, and I won't break, remembering that once, we shared the same past. Even if… Even if we won't be sharing the same future."

They're running and he's panting and she's gasping and all they want to do is stop, stop because it's so unbelievably painful inside, his lungs are breaking and she's never had this much trouble breathing but they can't stop and she knows he would rather die first before allowing a halt to their escape.

She knows he'd rather die first than surrender her.

Her oxygen-deprived brain clambers out of its fatigue-induced mini coma to wish with every nerve in its form that he wasn't that noble, that he didn't love her that much. She just wants him to let go of her hand, let go of her and her not-made-for running feet and just bolt. Away from this materialized nightmare of a place. Bolt, and save himself.

He looks to his side, at the girl who almost never fell down before but is now tripping after every third step she took. She was rock-like, never faltering, but now her knees wobble like jelly and the hand he's holding is limp and he just wants to stab himself for bringing her to this pain. He looks forward, they don't seem to be getting anywhere, and he glances back at her, her sightless eyes looking determined amidst the agony, and he is reminded why he's running, why he has to keep running. He needs to bring her to safety even if it means having to sweat out every last bit of water inside him, because he'd make sure she's safe if it's the last thing he'll ever do.

"I'm tired. I'm really tired…"

She manages to gasp this out with what little air inside her, because that's who she was. She spoke her mind in every situation because she knew that the world is full of idiots and beating around the bush is next to useless with idiots. He looks at her with eyes full of emotion and for the first time since he met her he is genuinely thankful that she is blind, thankful that she can't see the pure, unadulterated heartache in his face. It hurts him more than anything to see her like this, when she's hurting and crying and breaking and he can do absolutely nothing to ease her pain.

He wants to be gentle, he wants to hold her close to him even just a moment and comfort her but he knows that's not the way to get to her and speak to the fighter within. So he barks at her, with every ounce of strength he can muster and pray that it can somehow provide the energy she needs to pull through.

"No! You're not tired, Toph, because getting tired is for pansies and for weaklings and you claim to be neither!"

He breathes in as much air as he could.

"I'm not even tired yet! Are you saying that I'm stronger than you? That you're so weak you can't even handle running?"

She fights back tears that have unconsciously formed in her eyes and silently calls to her body, pleads for it to stop being so wimpy and cooperate, because she is not weak. But her legs feel like they're burning and it feels like a vacuum is passing through her lungs so she doesn't reply and just runs.

He doesn't know for sure if it's working, but he's extremely tired too and his brain isn't working well enough for him to be able to formulate another way, so he just keeps on shouting at her. He's not even sure if he's making sense, he doesn't think he's actually forming words but he hopes his voice is enough.

"Run Toph, because you said you can do anything and this is not the time to take that back! I'm not giving up on you so don't you dare give up now!"

She can't feel anything and it's so damn painful because she's been blind all her life and feeling is everything to her. However she hears him perfectly and she wonders if he knows that he's failing miserably at masking the exhaustion in his voice. She recognizes it so clearly, it's as if he was actually screaming how tired he was.

"We're almost there, Toph! Don't give up, just a little more…"

And even he had to silently scoff at his lie because he doesn't believe it one bit and he knows that neither does she. Where the heck are they? He doesn't even know, all he knows is that they have to get away, out of this place before he catches up to them.

There's ringing in his ears and he couldn't comprehend anything around them but hears her next words and he couldn't believe it.

"Leave me, Aang. Leave me here and run."

They're still running but an urge to stop and slap some sense into her fills him. He ignores it because he knows that he's near, but still he shouts because he just can't let it go.

"WHAT? Absolutely not!"

"Don't be an idiot, Aang! You can run faster without me slowing you down!"

"You can't be serious, Toph!"

"I am! Look, we both know it's me he wants. And I'm tired, Aang, so very tired. I can't do this anymore!"

He's angry now.

"So what? You're going to give up, just like that? This is not the Toph I know!"

"I didn't mean it like that! Can you stop being such a hero for a moment and think? He wants me, so if I stop, he stops! Then you can have more time to escape!"

"No! Not a chance!"

"Listen to me! I have to stop because I can't do this anymore! I can't weigh you down anymore, Aang! I can't keep up with you and I don't want you to slow down for me!"

"Then we'll both stop! I'm not leaving you!"

"Please Aang! You have to save yourself this time! It's either me or the both of us and it'd be pretty stupid to sacrifice two instead of one!"

He stops.

"What are you doing? Run!"

"No. I'm not running unless you're running with me!"

"You idiot! He's right on our trail, he's probably—"

And just like that, she freezes and realizes that he's near, he's here and they're basically dead. She tries to push Aang away, tries to get him to run, escape, move! All of a sudden, as if spontaneously combusting from the air around them, he appears in front of them, around them, everywhere. Every fiber of her being uncoils in terror and she can only think of one thing: He has to live, he just has to.

He stands at the ready, knowing that the time for running away has run out and that the moment to face the enemy is now here. He is, and has been a worry-wart all his life, a scaredy-cat in every possible situation, but now he doesn't even remember to fear for his own life because all that matters is that she's safe and that's that.

She shouts and now he's terrified.

"Koh! I'm here! I won't put up a fight, but you have to let him stay unharmed!"

A creepy, airy voice comes out of a seemingly unmoving mouth that taunts her attempts and she's too scared to feel insulted.

"Don't be silly, blind girl. You're not going to be able to put up a fight even if you wanted to…"

"But I don't want to fight you! I want you to let Aang go and I'm yours to do whatever you want with me!"

"Toph no! What are you saying? Koh, don't listen to her! She doesn't know what she's saying! I'm not going anywhere and she is NOT going with you!"

A sneer.

"That's too bad… Such a precious face…"

The pursuer circles them like a predator circles its prey, scattering his voice to all sides of their consciousness.

"Fight me! You are not going to take her!"

"Come now, young Avatar. You can't possibly think you could defeat me, can you? Why not take the blind girl's deal and save your own head?"

"No! I'm not leaving her here! Take me instead!"

A laugh. A cruel, taunting laugh.

"I have no interest in you, boy. It's your companion that speaks to my curiosity…"

"It's settled then! Aang, you run away now! I'm fine, I'll be fine, just go!"

"I am not going to do that, Toph! There's absolutely no way I'm letting that happen!"

"You're being an absolute moron, Aang! You can't save me so you better just save yourself!"

"Listen to the girl, Avatar…"

"I can… I can save you from this, Toph! I can't not save you from this!"

"Are you listening to yourself? You can't save me, you're powerless against him! You can't get me out of this mess, you don't know how!"

She starts walking towards Koh, intent on making him swear that he will leave Aang alone. She doesn't care what happens to her, even if she's scared beyond belief. She doesn't have a clue what's to happen and that terrifies her more than she cares to admit. But that doesn't matter, because she is here and she has to stay if it means he will live on.

He panics when he sees her move, sensing that he will pounce if he doesn't do anything. NOW.

"Yes I do."

She stops dead in her tracks and whips her head back to look at him, not caring that she can't actually see.

"What?"

"I know. I know how to get you out of this mess."

For a moment, a spark of hope flashes through her mind, whatever a spark looked like, but disappears as soon as she feels the weird, un-triumphant beating of his heart.

"Aang…"

"Toph, can you leave us for a while? Koh, will you allow her? I assure you in my honor that I am not trying to deceive you. I just… I just want to talk to you alone."

"Aang, what are you—"

"Hush, blind girl! Avatar, what are you getting at?"

"I'll tell you, but first she can't be here."

"I think you understand, silly little Avatar, that I can't let the girl get away. I'm far too taken with her."

"She doesn't have to go away. You can just, I don't know, make her fall unconscious. Make her sleep."

"Aang!"

"I said hush!"

She couldn't find the courage to retaliate, and she loathes herself for it.

"Please, Koh. Make her fall asleep now. I'll tell you. Just… help me make her not hear this."

"And how, pray tell, do you suppose I do that, boy?"

"I don't know. But I know you do."

A brash, almost proud laugh. Toph feels more and more terrified by the second.

"You're right, I do."

She hears nothing more.