A/N: Hello everyone! I haven't been updating as frequently as I wanted to, but it's for a good cause: Azulaweek 2018 is starting in june! If you want, you can participate for one or more days, creating an Azula-centric piece of art. I've planned seven one-shots. If you want to know more, look for Azulaweek on Tumblr.

'Wait - where's Aang?' Katara whispered, scanning the room they just entered. It was unterground and badly lit - Katara almost wished she were able to produce a flame to see her surroundings. She could barely make out the other side of the room. Above her head, she could see one coffin-shaped metal box.

It was easy to miss, save for the furiously yelling earth bender that was contained within it. Katara tried to check if there were other prisoners, but Toph appeared to be the only one. Aang wasn't here. Sokka frowned as he tried to find their friend, coming to the same conclusion.

'I suppose the Beifongs only payed for their daughter,' he whispered. 'And we just assumed…' They had just assumed Aang would be here as well. Stupid, Sokka quickly realised. They should've made an offer for him as well...

'But where could he be?' Katara asked, interrupting his thoughts. They looked at each other. 'Who do you think would pay the most money for the Avatar?' Sokka asked, not sure about his predictions, but not seeing another possibility either.

Katara gasped and looked at Sokka in horror. 'Wait, no,' she said, trying to convince herself. She nodded. 'No, you're wrong. They don't know Aang is the Avatar…' She tried to clasp that little beacon of hope. 'He's probably... somewhere else.' Somewhere safe, she hoped. Far away from evil Fire Nation people.

'No, they probably think he's one of the other extinct airbenders that happen to wander around in the Earth Kingdom,' Sokka hissed. 'Think, Katara!'

Katara stayed silent.

'We need to do something,' Sokka said. 'We… we don't have any money.' He scratched the back of his head when he thought about what they could do. The list was disturbingly short.

'Then we need to fight him,' Katara said, determination flickering in her eyes.

'Yes, Katara, great idea,' Sokka said sarcastically. 'Let's fight a bunch of earthbenders underearth - or did you want to take on the entire Fire Nation on your own?'

'Do you have a better idea, Mr. Genius?' Katara snapped, her panic turning into anger.

Sokka wanted to respond, but someone else was quicker then he was.

'Did you bring the money?' a familiar voice asked.

Sokka wanted to respond, but Katara beat him to it. 'Where's Aang?' she yelled, stepping forward.

There was a short silence.

'We've only agreed on a ransom for the girl.'

'We didn't agree on anything! You just…'

Mr Beifong quickly stepped in front of Katara. 'We have the money. I only want my daughter back, I'm not looking for any trouble.'

He handed the fighter the money, after which Toph was released. She had stopped yelling at them once she realised her father was here. Now, she only seemed disappointed in herself, letting her head hang as she walked away, her father's hand on her shoulder.

'We still want to know where Aang is - we'll pay,' Katara said.

'I doubt you'll pay more than the Fire Nation,' he grumbled. 'Now leave us alone.'

'No! Wait! So you already sold him to the Fire Nation?'

Nobody nodded, but nobody denied it either.

'How could you! He is the last hope we have - you have, to save the world from the Fire Nation! The save the Earth Kingdom from the Fire Nation.'

'I don't care who's in charge, little girl,' the leader said. 'I only care about my money. Now leave, before I make you.'

Katara balled her fist, but Sokka placed a hand on her shoulder. 'It's no use, Katara.'

'How can you say that?' she yelled.

'Come on, we'll come up with another plan.'

Katara really wanted to fight, but she wasn't stupid. She knew she couldn't defeat them - and certainly not with only the amount of water she carried in her pouch.

They left the way they had entered - through the earth tunnel. Only a few dozen steps before them were Toph, her father and their weird friend.

'Toph! Toph!' Katara yelled. 'We need your help!'

Toph stopped and turned her head. Her father tightened his grip on her shoulder.

'They've captured Aang,' Katara said, her voice conveying all her anger - and her fear. 'They've sold him to the Fire Nation. We can't let them bring him to the Fire Nation. If he's locked away there… we'll lose the war. But they can't be that far yet - maybe he's still in town!'

'My daughter can't help you,' he said. 'My daughter is blind, and weak…'

Toph stepped away from him. 'I'll help you,' she said.

'No, Toph,' her father said. 'It's going to be dangerous.'

'I know,' Toph said. 'But I am not weak. Being blind, doesn't make me weak.'

'Toph…'

'Let's follow those guys.'

Mr Beifong had never been good at saying 'no' at his daughter. So again, he complied, because he knew they would never be able to find the earthbenders.

It was dark outside. Toph took off her shoes, what her father couldn't see, but he noticed her movement. 'What are you doing?' he exclaimed.

'I can sense them, but only weakly… they are leaving the city with some kind of tunnel,' Toph said. 'That means they'll be faster than we can be…'

'We'll need to hurry, then,' Katara said.

Mr Beifong looked at his daughter in surprise. She had said she could sense them, but what did that mean? Did it have something to do with her taking her shoes off?

'We need to hurry!' Toph said. 'It's getting weaker.'

'Do you still feel it?' Katara asked every minute.

'Yes,' Toph always responded.

Mr Beifong was about to suggest to give up this nonsense - even if they could find those bandits, what would they do? If they had brought the Avatar, they were heading for the Fire Nation. Mr Beifong didn't want problems with the Fire Nation.

'Toph,' he started, when they suddenly heard an ear deafening thunder.

There was a short silence.

'Firebenders,' Sokka said. 'We need to hurry.'

'Who did they shoot lightning at?' Katara exclaimed. 'Did they…?' The thought was too horrible to finish.

She couldn't imagine anyone wanting to hurt Aang. He was so… young, so free and careless, regardless of what happened. She had only lost her mother and she had turned into a worried, sometimes spiteful person. Aangs entire culture had been wiped out and he could find it in his heart to be kind. And at the same time he sometimes surprised her with his wisdom.

She had never met anyone like him.

'What do you feel, Toph?' Sokka asked.

'A lot of people are laying on the ground,' Toph said. 'But that metal coffin with Aang in it is gone!'

Katara swallowed as she heard the words 'metal coffin'.

Mr Beifong's heart was beating in his throat. 'We need to get help!' he exclaimed. 'Toph, I forbid you to continue this madness.'

'You can't forbid me to do the right thing, dad,' Toph said. 'I'm sorry.'

'We need to hurry!' Sokka said.

The three kids ran away and Mr Beifong and his servant had to follow them.

They ran in silence for a few minutes, the only sound the could hear was their own heavy breathing.

'They're starting to move again,' Toph finally said. 'I can't feel the other group that took Aang anymore.'

It took them another while to find the earthbenders. They were moving, but only slowly, the whole scene illuminated by a few pieces of burning wood. It was as if an explosion had taken place.

'What happened?' Katara yelled.

'It was a tríck,' one of them said. 'We came here to trade and she suddenly turned against as. I didn't know she was a Firebender.'

'It wasn't fire,' someone else said. 'It was lightning.'

Katara suddenly felt the scars on her chest starting to burn.

'There was also fire,' the first one said. 'Blue fire…'

'O no,' Sokka said, gritting his teeth.

'What?' Toph asked.

'We know who took Aang,' Katara said.

'Who?'

It was Sokka who answered. 'The Princess of the Fire Nation.' He sighed defeated. 'We'll never find her - and if we do…' He didn't finish his sentence, but it was clear what he was thinking - they wouldn't stand a chance without Aang.

'Wait,' Katara suddenly said. 'We're forgetting someone. How stupid of us!'

Sokka stared at her.

Katara drew a deep breath. 'APPA!'

Toph didn't like flying.

At all.

'I think I can see them,' Sokka said. 'It's a blue flame.'

'That must be her!' Katara hissed. 'Let's land and wait for them.'

'But if she's the Princess of the Fire Nation…' Mr Beifong started.

'Come on Appa,' Katara said, ignoring the nervous older man.

Toph was glad when her feet touched the ground again. Once again, the world made sense.

'They're getting closer!' she whispered.

Eventually the could see them. The princess' face being lit by the flame in her hand - and she carried Aang on her kimono rhino.

'She's a great target for my boomerang!' Sokka said, a little too loudly.

The princess had probably heard it, because seconds later, an enormous flame lit up their surroundings.

'Remember what I said!' they heard her yell, probably instructions for her two other companions.

It was completely dark and Katara hadn't realised what a problem that could be. She had assumed, that since the sun was gone, she would have the advantage over the firebender.

She had been wrong. How could she fight Azula if she couldn't see her? Only now and then the princess produced a small flame, so she could see where she wanted to go. It wasn't enough for Katara to be able to fight her.

Toph didn't need any light. She could feel the three girls closing in on them. Toph decided to take out the princess first, but before she could make a move, she heard Sokka yell 'duck!'

Sitting on the kimono rhino, Azula knew the blind girl couldn't feel her stance. She also knew that having to trust on the animal wouldn't help her in the long run, so her first attack had to count.

She had aimed for the most important thing.

Toph screamed as her feet were hit by scorching flames. Never, not her entire life, had she felt such pain.

She fell on the ground, still screaming, as she lost her ability to see.

'Do we capture them?' Mai yelled at Azula.

'They'll only slow us down,' she yelled back, throwing one last fireball in their direction, before the kimono rhino's crept past hem.

Katara had never felt so useless during a fight.

Toph was still crying in pain. Her father was sitting beside her and yelled at Katara and Sokka for involving his daughter in this.

Katara knelt by her feet. She was still trembling. She hadn't used her bending water during the very short fight - so she could at least make herself useful now.

'Don't worry Toph, I can help,' she said, before bending the water from her pouch. It started glowing as it covered her hands. She healed Toph's feet and the younger girl stopped crying.

'We have to stop them,' was the first thing she said when she was able to think rationally again.

'We do,' Sokka said.

'No,' Mr Beifong said. 'You have hurt my daughter enough already.'

0o0o0o

Azula smirked as she carried the Avatar on her ship. They had travelled the entire night and a big part of the following day as well, but they had made it.

'Set course for the Fire Nation,' she said. 'And make sure the Avatar won't escape.'

She hadn't slept for more than 36 hours and had rode for more than 15. It was logical she was tired. And forgetful.

Aang allowed himself a small spark of hope as he felt the numbness retreat from his limbs.

A/N: I was actually temped to change the direction of the story and let Azula capture the Avatar, so I could continue on another idea I've had in mind for quite a while... but instead, Aang will try to escape. So there you go: The first, very short fightscene... but another one is coming up!

I've Always planned for the liberary to come up, because Katara needs to find a very important piece of information. I'm not sure yet if Azula will find anything as well, but I guess I'll discover that while writing.

Please review!