Hopefully this is better than the last chapter. I tried to show more of the characters personalities. Enjoy!
Chapter two
"Let me introduce myself, my name is Akira and I am from the Northern Water Tribe."
I backed up, shaking my head. Zuko continued to glare.
"Well what do you want here?" He asked.
"I want the Avatar. I want the bounty. I don't want you." She growled.
"If you were truly a Water Tribe member, you would NEVER try to capture the Avatar! Ever!" I flicked away the cap of my water skin and pulled out a whip. Gliding my arms around my head, brought down the water and splashed her square in the face. She attempted to bend herself dry, but it didn't work.
"Don't ever try to attack Aang again! Or…or… you will be sorry!" I finished with a huff, "Come on Zuko, we have to go talk this over with everyone else." I grabbed his arm, and dragged him away.
"Katara, wait!" He broke his arm free, "I'm sure she can bend herself free, I'll stay, and you go get Toph to cuff her." He looked at me pointedly. I sighed and nodded. For once, he was right. If she wanted to capture Aang so badly that she tracked us all the way to the Western Air Temple, then she would surely attack to kill.
"Ha, Katara thinks that you are normally never right, but for once you are." Akira said.
"Be quiet! I don't care." Zuko said, before waving me off.
Running down the hall, I stopped before Toph's room. I pounded on the door and it quickly swung open. Toph lazily scratched her belly before asking what was wrong. I told her all of the story and how we needed her Earthbending.
"Why don't I just bend her into a "cell" of sorts?" Toph asked.
"Even better! Lets go tell Zuko."
We ran down the ancient Nomad hall until we reached the open air plaza where Zuko was glaring at the Mindbender. Toph quickly bent Akira into a rock box and punched out a small window for light.
"Did she read more of your mind Sparky?" she asked, molding a pebble in her hand.
"Yes." He replied, hanging his head. "She told me... She told me everything I was trying to forget. Everything I shoved away. She told me. Like reading a book..." he groaned and lead us out of the plaza. I noticed how his hand lingered a little longer on the small of my back than it needed to and how he seemed to almost smile at me.
I didn't know why, but it reminded me of Aang's glances.
"Zuko, Toph," I said, looking at them in turn, "Let's wake everyone up so we can tell them about our new guest." They nodded, and we began knocking on everyone's door. Well, Toph pounded on Sokka and Suki's doors.
When I knocked on Aang's door, I heard no reply.
"Aang?" I pushed open the door and slowly walked inside. He was sitting on the floor, holding a small animal in his arms, crying. I knelt next to him.
"What..." he cut me off.
"I found it the day Zuko came. It was starved and dying." he showed me the tiny pigeon-squirrel. "I snuck it berries and nuts, I gave it water, a bed..." he stopped talking.
I nodded and sat quietly next to him while tears slowly fell from his face.
"Never name something that is close to death." He said at last.
"What did you name it?" I asked timidly.
"Fufa." he laughed, "What a great name."
A shadow cast over the doorway and we both looked up.
"Well are you coming*?" my brother said, tapping his foot impatiently. "We can't wait all day!" Aang and I stood and walked out of the room.
"Sokka, a pet of his died! Have a little more compassion!" I hissed.
"And how was I supposed to know? Don't blame a guy for something he doesn't know!" he retorted. I rolled my eyes and sat down in Zuko's room which everyone had congregated to.
"Well let's begin." Zuko said when we walked in. "Toph had alerted us that we had 'visitor', so Katara and I went out to investigate. As it turns out, out visitor is a bounty hunter from the Northern Water Tribe." Everyone gasped. "She is hunting the Avatar."
Plot continuation next chapter I pinky-promise! Some good Zutara alone time :)
