Hey All, I thought I'd post another chapter since I haven't in a little while. I am happy to say that I have over 1100 views for this story. I know. I know. Not a TON of views, but it is a lot more than I would have ever thought I would have gotten. So as a reward, here is another chapter, tell me how it is! Please read and review, I'd like to know if you guys like what I'm posting or if you want anything specifically added to the story! Let me know!

Also wanted to add a shout out to CharlieFibrosis for opinions and suggestions on this chapter. So without further wait, here is the next chapter guys!

As Sokka awoke, he began to have a pounding sensation in the back of his skull. He knew that it must of being forming a pretty sizable bruise as it was tender to the touch. Sokka just groaned at this realization.

"Snoozles, you get enough beauty rest yet?" Toph said.

"Toph, where are we?"

"We are on vacation Sokka, what do you think? We were taken hostage and thrown in this stupid wooden cell. How would they know I could medal bend anyway?"

"Did you at least get to talk to the contact?" asked Sokka.

"Yah, right before whoever it was took me, I got a chance to meet him and find out the location."

"Where are we supposed to go Toph?"

"I'm saying it out loud dunderhead. There might be someone listening in on our conversations that we don't know of."

"Very perceptive little girl." A mysterious man said right before he lit a torch and walked into the room.

As his face was illuminated by the torch lite, Toph and Sokka finally realized who their captor was. Combustion Man.

"I see both of you are finally awake, that's good to here. Please don't attempt to break free of this cell. I will let you go once I have the Avatar. If you do attempt to escape, you will pay with your life. Understand?"

When both of them nodded in fearful agreement, Combustion Man left the room, smirking at his small victory.

"What are we gonna do Sokka, I can't see and Katara and Aang are gonna be lead to us. We're the bait here."

"There's something else, come here." Sokka said this and she fumbled over to him, not being able to see overly well on the wooden floor. Once she was situated, he continued. "Something terrible happened, I don't know if it's permanent but… Katara lost her bending."

When he finished, Toph thought he was joking but when she realized he was being completely serious she asked: "How did that happen? I mean, I'm gone like 4 or 5 days and everything just falls apart. How did you guys ever survive without me?"

"Toph, stop kidding around. It happened when we were taken into this village by a seemingly normal old woman who owned the town's inn. She gave us a place to stay. I did some snooping around the house and I found out that she lived in the Southern Water Tribe but was taken captive by the Fire Nation during one of the raids."

"I still don't understand how this is supposed to make any sense her snoozles." Mumbled Toph.

"Shut your face woman! I'm not done yet" Yelled Sokka but he was immediately silence with a strong slap to what Toph assumed was his face.

"Just tell me what happened."

"You know that hurt… a lot…"

"Stop being such a baby and get on with it already." Said a now annoyed Toph.

"Well, she spent years in this prison until she figured out how to bend the blood in a person's body. She wanted to teach it to Katara but she refused and Hama somehow used it to take her bending away."

"Wow. How's Katara taking it." Questioned Toph.

"I honestly don't know, I left before she woke up, she is probably talking to Aang about it though. He should be able to calm her down somewhat."

"I agree Sokka, if anyone can ground Katara, it's Aang. She'll be her normal annoying self soon enough, less her bending that is.. Come to think about it, now Aang has to watch for Combustion man while protecting Katara, and he has to try and save us…"

At this realization, Sokka said: "We are doomed"

Katara and Aang

Katara awoke the next more to the smell of fresh fruit and bread. It smelt amazing and it snapped her out of any remaining drowsiness that she might have been feeling.

As she sat up fully, Aang noticed that she was awake. "What do you want for breakfast? I have an assortment of fresh fruits, berries, and nuts or bread."

"The fresh fruit is fine" Katara said as she took a seat next to Aang.

"So how are you feeling this morning?" Aang asked.

"I'm doing better, still unsure. But I'm trying to remain upbeat about it." She said with a fake smile.

Aang could read her like a book though, so he easily saw past the smile and questioned her again. "Don't shut me out Katara, I need to know how you're doing."

Katara sighed, knowing Aang would not easily give up on her. Though she was a little annoyed, her heart was also warmed by the amount of commitment Aang was willing to give her, even though she no longer had the talents she used to.

"I don't know Aang, I'm not happy and I'm not sad either. I just feel a little numb. I'm ok with numb right now, it's my way of coping with my lack of bending. I'll tell you if I start slipping further though. Ok?"

Aang resigned himself to the fact that he could trust Katara and the fact that she would indeed tell him if things began to go ary in her life. But regardless of if she did tell him or not, he would know.

"So what are we going to do today?" questioned Katara.

"We could go into town and try and see if we can locate Toph or Sokka on our own?" Thought Aang.

Katara immediately shook her head at this, "One of us has to stay at camp, if Sokka comes back and no one is here, he would freak out."

"We could leave him a note Katara, besides; we need the supplies since Sokka didn't bother to pack any of our provisions from the barn that Appa was in."

"I'm sure he was just worried and I guess it wouldn't hurt for us to get out for a little while. Even if we don't find Sokka, we can still grab the supplies and get back to camp. Sokka is probably just stuffing his face with food anyway." Katara said, finishing with a laugh which quickly spread to Aang.

"Very true Katara, I'll scribble a quick note out and we can be on our way."

Once the note was written and Appa was effectively hidden from plain view, the duo found the road and walked to the village. They did not arrive till mid-day.

Both Aang and Katara were actually shocked by the sheer number of people who lived in the town. "At least now we know why it's taking Sokka so long to find Toph." Aang said aloud.

"True, lets head out to some of the vendors so we can buy the supplies that we are gonna need for the next few days."

As they walked side by side, the two friends began to notice that many eyes were trained on them.

"Aang" Katara said just above a whisper. "Why are all these people staring at us?"

Aang barely turned his head "I guess they aren't used to visitors too much?"

"Aang, you and I know that isn't possible… This town is huge!" finished Katara.

"Let's just get what we need and leave. I'm starting to get the creeps from these people." Aang said as he looked at the growing pairs of eyes trained on him.

As they finished their shopping and were prepared to leave the village, a stranger motioned them into a small alley out of site from the lively market place that the duo were just in.

"Can we do something for you?" Aang said wearily to the stranger.

"No, no. Not at all. I'm just giving you people a warning. You should leave this village and never return." The stranger finished.

"And why is that?" Katara said, slightly annoyed at the man's bluntness.

"Notice all the stairs? People around these parts have been told to turn strangers in to the authorities. They already took a blind girl a few days ago and a tan skinned boy like yourself just yesterday night." He said as he motioned to Katara.

"That must have been Toph and Sokka!" Aang almost yelled.

"We have to find them!" Katara said.

"If I were you, I would leave while you still can. Only reason I told you was cause you look like good kids who got stuck in a bad situation." The man said in an almost pitying voice.

"Regardless, thank you for your kindness. We will head your advice and leave…" said Aang as he bowed to the man and began to walk back onto the street.

Aang began to walk out of the towns gates with Katara close behind, almost fuming.

"We have to go back Aang, are friends are in there!" Katara said as she grabbed his shoulder to stop him.

Aang turned his head to her. "We will go back, just not now Katara. I know that man wasn't helping us out of the kindness of his heart, he was paid off to tell us."

"How do you know that Aang?"

"Think about it Katara, that man was helping us out of the kindness of his heart. Please… He was leading us into a trap, figuring if he told us to leave, we would stay and find our friends."

It finally clicked in Katara's head: "You've been taking a lot of advice from Sokka."

Aang smiled: "I'm just being cautious is all. I don't want to get captured myself. Than we would really be in big trouble. We'll go back to camp and plan this out."

They both agreed on this plan, even though inside Katara was scared for her brother and Toph. I can't bend, how can I help Aang get Sokka and Toph back.

Toph and Sokka:

"Sokka, how long do you think we've been in this stupid cage for?" questioned Toph.

"I don't know, it feels like we've been in here for more than a week, but I doubt we've been in here longer than 2 days, you've maybe been in here for far longer than that though."

"I just need to get out of here, I'm driving myself crazy!" Toph said, finishing her statement with a rough punch to one of the bars.

"Try not to hurt yourself Toph, we don't have Katara to heal us from our stupidity anymore." Sokka said with a smile.

Toph only frowned a little at this: "I guess you're right."

Just after she had finished her sentence, the door to the small room squeaked open, allowing some of the setting sun's lights enter the room.

"Your friends took the bait, they should try and rescue you soon enough, and when they do. I will be waiting for them." Said Combustion Man.

As he left the room, Toph spoke up again. "Sokka, we have to do something, we can't just let them walk into a trap like this!"

"I know. I know! I'm trying to figure out a way out of here, but we got no bendables in here. They pretty much thought of everything…"

With a defeated sigh, Toph slumped back up against the far wall: "I guess all we can do is wait and see if Twinkletoes and Sugarqueen can pull through on their own."

"They'll get us out of here, I know they will."

Katara and Aang:

Dinner was made and the conversation slipped back into how they were going to get Sokka and Toph back.

"I think we need to find out where the village police or military jail is. If we can find that, I think Sokka and Toph should be there."

"True. But that also means that whoever captured them will be waiting. I mean think about it for a second Aang, they captured Toph… Toph has keen senses; she wouldn't let herself be taken by common guards. They had to be pretty strong to overpower her…"

"I know, that's what's bothering me right now, I mean, Sokka being taken is kinda a given.. No offense."

"None taken" Katara said with a wave of her hand.

Then, the moment that Katara had been fearing would happen. "Katara, I think I should do this by myself."

"What? Why?" Katara said, on the verge of tears.

Aang looked away from her face, obviously guilty for having to do this to her. "I just don't want you to get hurt Katara, I can handle myself and will get Sokka and Toph back. Safe and sound."

"But… But.. I can help!" Katara said desperately, half knowing that she already lost the argument, half not wanting to give up without a fight.

Aang looked at her again, sighing even louder than the first time. "Katara, you know I'd want you to come along, but too much is at stake here, and I don't want you to get hurt. So please, for ME, just stay at camp and wait for me to come back."

Katara looked down, the fight seemingly leaving her with each passing second. "Ok. Please be safe though."

At this Aang gave his trademark smile: "You know me, I always play it safe."

"Yah. I wish that were true." Katara said in an inaudible voice. Instead of speaking her fears though, she swallowed them and agreed to the plan.

Soon after their conversation and once darkness had filled the night sky, Aang left for the village. But Katara had plans of her own. I'm not going to let Aang take all the risk; I can show him and the rest of the group that I can still be helpful… They'll see.

With determination imprinted in her eyes, she took off towards the village as well; almost completely unaware of the risk she was taking in doing so.

Hope you all liked this chapter, I should have the next one up in a few days, maybe less. We will see though.