Author's note:
Yay finally a new chappie . I told you updates wouldn't be that often if you didn't review! I don't feal very loved :(. Nobody has been reviewing! Anyway hope you like .
Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, Earth King, and the Southern Water Tribe Navy…
"There it is!" shouted Katara as they flew over Hakoda's camp. Sokka looked over and smiled at his excited sister. He'd been so excited to see his dad and he felt really bad that his sister had, had to stay behind, she had needed to see him too.
Before Appa's feet had touched the ground Sokka and Katara slid off and were running into the camp. They made a bee line for there father's tent.
"Dad!" shouted Katara as she burst through the tent and ran up to her father giving him a huge hug, "I missed you," she whispered just loud enough for him to hear.
"I missed you too," whispered Hakoda into his daughter's hair as soon as he got over the surprise of his rather grown up daughter practically knocking him down, "Now let me get a good look at you!" he said brightly holding his daughter's shoulders out at arm's length. "You look more and more you're like your mother!" announced Hakoda beaming at Katara. "Now Sokka can you tell me what's going on? You all seem fine!" said Hakoda changing subjects and shifting his attention to his son.
"Dad, you guys need to pull out," answered Sokka surprising everyone with his seriousness. Aang, Toph, and the Earth King had stayed with Appa because Sokka had wanted to explain everything to his dad first.
"Why Sokka? If you saw something dangerous coming that's why we're here! We're not going to leave the city exposed!" explained Hakoda kindly but firmly although he was surprised with his sons willingness to abandon the city.
"No, dad, unless you want to protect the Fire Nation you're gonna wanna pull out," answered Sokka flatly.
"What are you talking about?" asked Hakoda, totally confused.
"Princess Azula, of the FIRE Nation, has taken Ba Sing Se from the inside. She got in through Earth Kingdom means by disguising herself as a member of the Earth Kingdom army. The Earth Kingdom had never met the people she impersonated before and allowed her to stay in the palace. Once inside the palace she gained control of the Di Lee and over through the king, locked up Katara, and she now had a Fire Nation traitor in her prison because he believes in doing the right thing and he helped us try to get rid of his own niece," answered Sokka seriously.
"Wait a moment…Di Lee…oh yes them…disguised herself as female warrior…that's what the Earth King gets for allowing women to join his army," mumbled Hakoda causing Katara to look down at her shoes. He hadn't meant anything by it but it still stung Katara, "wait…his own niece…that would make him the Fire Lords brother…the dragon of the west…General Iroh is now a traitor and helped you!?" asked Hakoda incredulously once he'd finally organized the information in his mind.
"Yes it surprised me also but it's true" answered Sokka folding his arms.
"Well, we have plenty of other places that need our protection we can go there," answered Hakoda not too concerned for the Earth Kingdom.
"Wait, I have to tell you about a plan I've been developing," announced Sokka as he and his father stood up leaving Katara, who had been sitting next to her dad, where she was. Sokka proceeded to tell his father about the eclipse and as they started planning what they could do Katara began to feel very left out. She remembered this feeling. Any time her father and brother started talking about something above a four year olds comprehension she was left out. It wasn't that they didn't care about her they just…cared too much. They didn't even think to ask her for advise about tides or healing, things that, because of her bending, she was an expert on. As she listened she could also tell that they were forgetting something.
"What about Iroh?" asked Katara cutting off Sokka who gave her a quit-talking-about-something-you-know-nothing-about look which she ignored.
"Honey," began her father as if he was talking to a four year old, "this a war. No matter how noble a dead, Iroh did it and knew what the results would be. We'll help him once we have more of the world supporting us."
"Oh," answered Katara. If her brother had spoken to her like that he would have gotten a face full of water but…this was her dad. Instead she just stood up and slunk out of the tent.
Toph Aang and the Earth King…
"So…any idea what there saying?" asked Toph.
"No idea," answered Aang as he played with Momo and the Earth King's bear and the Earth King watched the airbending amazed.
"Hmm…I'm going for a walk," announced Toph as she started off, not bothering to wait for anyone's approval.
She walked down to the Water Tribes camp and snuck up behind the tent with her friends and there father in it. She listened to the entire conversion and marveled at how well Sokka and Katara got a long with there dad. Toph was just about to leave when she heard Katara bring up Iroh. Toph listened more carefully and was enraged when Hakoda blew him off and was amazed when Katara didn't even seem to get annoyed with her dad. Toph sure didn't like there dad. He seemed to like Sokka the most. She rolled her eyes. Why did she think being with the avatar would make her life any different? She'd hoped she'd have someone she could always count on, someone who would always back her up. Sighing Toph turned towards Ba Sing Se. Apparently, she'd been wrong.
Aang, Katara, Sokka, Hakoda, and the Earth King…
Aang, Katara, Sokka, Hakoda, and the Earth King sat around a campfire in the Water Tribe's camp. Sokka had made all of the proper introductions and five were getting along famously.
"Hey Aang, where did you say Toph said she went?" asked Sokka.
"She just went for a walk," answered Aang shrugging his shoulders.
"Um, how long ago was that?" asked Sokka beginning to worry slightly.
"I don't know, probably five…hours…ago," mumbled Aang as he realized what Sokka was getting at, "you don't think she ran away again!?" shouted Aang using his airbending to stand up and nearly blowing out the campfire.
"Why would she run away?" asked Hakoda a bit confused.
"She's…strong willed," answered Sokka, "if things don't go exactly according to her plans she bails and decides she can do things better. I just don't see what would have made her mad…unless…"
"Unless what?" asked Hakoda.
"…unless she over heard our conversation," mumbled Sokka.
"I don't understand. Why would our conversation have made her angry?" asked the still confused Hakoda.
"Iroh!" breathed Katara as she caught on.
"Huh?" asked a confused Hakoda.
"The reason that we accepted Iroh's help in the first place is because Toph and him had become fast friends earlier…when she ran away before. He convinced her to return to help us and if she over heard that we were planning on just leaving him…" Katara answered allowing her answer to fade away when she remembered that they hadn't told Aang about there discussion about Iroh.
"WHAT!" shouted Aang surprising everyone except Sokka and Katara, "You were planning on just leaving him? No wonder Toph bailed! I'm going to go find her! You guys do all of your eclipse planning!"
With that Aang grabbed his glider and Momo followed him. He flew off and a few moments later Appa was seen flying over head. Sokka and Katara looked up and sighed. Katara silently thanked her two friends for speaking out against her dad.
"Now what!?" asked Katara.
"We go through with what we were planning," answered Sokka meriting a flabbergasted look from his sister, "listen we don't have time for Aang and Toph's drama. We have to gain support before the eclipse! You and I can escort the Earth King to General Jou's base, just as we'd intended, and talk to them. We can take a small boat. We'll be able to travel fast that way. We can't let things go into another stand still."
"Alright," agreed Katara. She'd miss Aang and Toph but there were more important things, the entire world, at stake here. She couldn't choice the selfish thing. Hakoda was against Katara and Sokka going out alone again at first but Sokka convinced his dad that they'd be safer if they could sneak past the Fire Nation and Hakoda finally gave in and supplied them with a very nice, but small, boat and plenty of supplies.
Katara and Sokka set off as Toph and Aang set off in a separate way.
Author's Note:
Oh!!! Stay tuned next time we get to see Zuko and a bit more of Toph and Aang . Remember REVIEW!!!