Me: AH! I'm sorry for the really long wait! I've ben really busy with school! Trig, Chemistry, Honors English….yuck…Sorry! On the weekends I've been really lazy…heh heh. This is a long chapter to make up for it!
Sokka: And you call ME lazy.
Me: Shut up.
Sokka: Well you're the one who hadn't posted an new chapter for like two weeks.
Me: At least I can write. (smirk)
Sokka: (frowns) I was just out of it.
Me: Uh-huh…riiiight…
"You really think that'll work?" Katara asked, unsure about trusting her brothers ideas.
"Well, yeah. Why wouldn't it?"
Katara had to admit, of all his stupid plans, this one was actually good and, dare she say it, foolproof. "Run it by me one more time."
"Okay. We go up to he guards and one of us distracts them so Toph can open the doors and we run through. You freeze a wall behind us to keep the guards from following us. Aang will blow his whistle to-"
"Wait, what if there are more guards?" Katara asked as she accidentally bumped into a man. "Sorry." She mumbled.
"I thought of that too. You and I will take them out while Toph and Aang search for Appa."
"Alright, what happens after we find Appa?" She asked while rummaging through some food on a stand.
"I'm glad you asked. That's where Toph comes into play, she uses her Earthbending vibration thing to find the way out."
Katara thought for a moment, "Sokka, I must admit, you've outdone yourself this time." She pointed to some small loaves of bread. "I'll take four of those." She told the owner of the stand as she handed him the money. "I just hope it works."
"What? Of course it will work!" Sokka said, exasperated.
"No," she poked his chest, "You see, that's where you're wrong. Every time we think something is going to go right, it goes wrong. Every time."
"Well, mayb-"
"Every time."
"I thi-"
"Every time."
"Stop th-"
"Ev-ery time." She over enunciated the syllables.
Sokka sighed and shook his head and watched as his sister walked in the wrong direction to the hotel. "Hotel's this way." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder.
Without missing a beat, Katara turned on her heel and headed in the other direction. "I knew that." She said, head held high as she marched onward.
Sokka shook his head and followed. Katara couldn't hold all the loaves by herself so she handed Sokka two of them as they wound through the crowded streets to the hotel. Someone was following them, Katara could sense it. She moved quickly though the crowd trying to get him off their tail. She spun around when he called her name. Immediately her face lightened and she flung herself into his arms.
"Haru!" She exclaimed, hugging him.
"Hey Katara." He laughed. He turned to Sokka. "Hello Sokka." They shook hands.
"What are you doing here?" Katara asked.
"My father and I came here to find some Earthbenders that fled our city to escape Fire Nation. We want to get them to come back now that the Fire Nation has left and we rebuilt what they destroyed." He shielded his eyes against the sun. "Only problem is, I can't seem to find my father. These crowds are so thick, it's almost impossible."
"Where was your father headed to last you saw him?" Sokka asked.
Haru thought. "I think he was going to a stand to get some food or something." He rubbed his neck. "That doesn't help much."
"You right, it doesn't." Sokka turned back around. "We are heading back to the hotel. You can join us if you want to."
"No, I couldn't possibly…"
"Please come!" Katara grabbed his arms, pleading for him to come.
Haru chuckled. "How could I resist eyes like that?" He wriggled free of her grip and followed Sokka. Katara blushed and walked along side of him.
"It's really great to see you Haru."
"Yeah. It's nice to see you guys again. But, where's the air bender you had with you last time?"
"He's at the hotel having a hissy fit." Sokka said over his shoulder.
"He is not!" Katara defended. "He's just upset because Appa is gone. You know, the flying bison."
"I couldn't forget that thing if my life depended on it! He ate half of our hay!" Haru laughed.
"Sorry about that. What do you expect from a ten-ton fluffy monster?" Katara pointed out.
They arrived at the hotel and went upstairs. "Oh, we have a new addition to our group." Katara told him.
"Oh? And who is it?" Haru asked.
"An Earthbending master." She said. "Follow me." They left Sokka to his own room and went into the one Katara and Toph shared. Toph was lying on her bed facing the window.
"Who's that with you?" She asked.
"Toph, this is Haru. Haru, Toph." She gestured from Earthbender to Earthbender.
Haru looked shocked. "How did she know that I was someone else without even looking?" Toph rolled over ad sat up to face them. "And I thought you said she was an Earthbending master."
"She is." Katara said proudly.
"Really? She's only like, twelve!" He exclaimed. "How can she be and Earthbending master already?"
"She's blind." Katara said.
"Hello! I'm right here!" Toph waved her arms for emphasis.
"Oh, sorry Toph." Katara apologized.
Haru seemed indefinitely interested. "Are you seriously blind?" He peered at her face.
Toph pointed at her face. "Note serious face and cloudy eyes." She said then lay down and rolled over.
"How did you know I was here though? And more importantly, that I was a different person?" Haru asked.
Toph sat back up. "I can see that I'm not going to get any sleep so I might as well tell you. Okay, I was born blind and grew up in a palace where I was treated like a baby everyday of my life. I got sick of it and demanded that I be taught Earthbending. My parents eventually gave in and found me a teacher. After a few years of practice I learned I could see with Earthbending. Not see like you guys do, see the vibrations. Whenever you step down vibrations are sent across the floor and I can feel them in my feet, which travels up to my mind and creates a mental picture. Got it?" Haru nodded. "My teacher would only teach me the basics, thinking I couldn't see at all and I got sick of it but I didn't want my parents to know my secret. I started to enter in competitions and I did great. I beat some of the strongest, meanest men you've ever seen. They called me, The Blind Bandit. And I used that name to it's fullest. I only lost once, and that was to Aang. I couldn't see he wasn't an Earthbender because he used air to fight and it would hit the rocks making them move and that was all I was concerned about."
"That is so interesting!" Haru exclaimed.
"Sh, go on." Katara said.
"When he would ump up into the air, I would get nervous because I couldn't 'see' him. As soon as he touched back down I would launch rocks at him but he somehow dodged them and in the end he sent a large wave of air at me and knocked me out of the ring, they declared him the winner." She frowned. "Aang then begged me to teach him Earthbending but I wouldn't hear it and I ignored him. But he never quits and followed me home where he explained his situation. A man called The Boulder ambushed us and he took us away." She stopped and tried to recall what happened next. She finished telling him what had happened.
"And here I am in this dingy hotel room." She threw her arms up in the air.
"Who calls my hotel room dingy?" Came an older voice from outside the door. Genia poked her head inside and frowned. "Who's that?" She pointed at Haru.
"A friend."
"Is he paying to stay here?"
"Um…no ma'am." He said.
"OUT!" She bellowed. "NO FREELOADERS!" She then proceeded to chase him down the steps with a broom. Katara and Toph were close behind. Haru ran out onto the street and tripped, falling down in front of the man Katara had bumped into earlier.
"Dad?" Haru asked.
His father smiled. "Yes. I've been looking for you." He said.
"Haru!" Katara ran over to him.
"Hello Katara." His father said. "I hope you don't mind short goodbyes but we have to get moving." He said modestly.
Katara looked upset. "I understand." She nodded and embraced each of them, hanging on to Haru a little longer.
"Don't worry, I'll come back and see you soon." He smiled.
"We won't be here for much longer. After we get Appa back, we have to leave and find Aang an Firebending teacher." Katara sighed as her eyes filled with tears.
"Oh. Well, we'll meet again one day." He told her.
"Haru! Let's go!" His father called.
"I got to go." He kissed her cheek and ran after his father.
Toph snorted behind her and went back inside. "You and guys."
Katara watched Haru snake through the crowd, then, disappear. She solemnly turned around and went back inside. As she passed the kitchen she heard Genia talking to Iroh.
"Do you think the inn is dingy?" She asked him over the clinking of dishes.
"Dingy? Who said that? I think it's…uh…quaint." Katara could feel his goofy smile.
Genia laughed. "You always know how to make me laugh Iroh."
Katara smiled and continued up the steps, passing Aang and the others as they went down. "Where are you guys going?"
"To get Appa. We figures you would be wanting to stay with Zuko." Aang snarled.
Katara was taken aback. "No, I'm coming." She sprinted down the steps. "Let me go tell Iroh."
She burst into the kitchen to see Iroh and Genia holding hands as they sat at a table by the sink. She giggled and cleared her throat.
"Um, Iroh?"
He spun around, quickly letting go of Genia's hand. "Yes?"
"I'm going with the others to get Appa back so I can't stay with Zuko." She told him as much as it hurt her to say it.
Iroh looked crestfallen. "Oh. I was planning on…uh...going out tonight. I was going to even pay you to care for him." He glanced at Genia.
"I'm sorry but-"
"Are you coming?" Sokka poked his head in the door.
Katara's mind reeled. "Sokka! Sokka, please watch over Zuko for me! I'm I major part in your plan to get Appa back. But you, you don't do much so we don't really need you."
"Gee thanks."
"I didn't mean it that way."
"I'm not staying here though." He refused.
"Please? Iroh is got things he really has to get done tonight and he can't cancel."
"What is taking so long?" Toph shoved Sokka aside and walked in.
"Please Sokka. Stay here." Katara pleaded, looking up at him with big, blue shining orbs. "For your baby sister?"
Sokka rolled his eyes and looked away then he looked back and away again. "You know I hate it when you do that." He tried to push her away. "Did you have to use the baby sister line? You know that gets me every time. You must really want me to stay here." Katara made her lip quiver slightly. "Oh, not that!" He closed his eyes. "Alright, alright I can see there is no way I'll win this. I'll stay."
"Oh thank you, thank you , thank you!" She hugged him and kissed his cheek. "You're the best!" She squeezed the life out of him.
"Would you mind putting that in writing?"
"Don't push it." She laughed.
"You're staying?" Aang came in. "Why?"
Katara explained everything to Aang and he mumbled an alright then sulked out. Sokka sluggishly walked up the stairs and went into Zuko's room to watch him. The others marched down the street to the palace.
"What's our distraction?" Toph asked.
"Watch and learn." She said. "Aang, pretend you are trying to get my pouch okay? Be mean about it."
Aang nodded. When they got close enough to the guards Katara ran through the crowd screaming, "He's after me! Help! Help!" Aang chased her through the crowd and the guards left their posts to investigate the interruption of the quiet day. Toph opened the doors and they all slipped through while the guards were still searching the group of people. Once in side, Toph shut the doors and Katara used water from her pouch to freeze a wall behind it. They slipped down a corridor and found themselves in a bathroom somehow. Aang blew the whistle and a roar came from somewhere in the building. Toph felt the vibrations and led them down another hallway and down that hallway they came face to face with some guards.
The guards looked surprised that the kids were there then lowered their swords at them. Toph was useless; there was no Earth to bend so she stayed out of the way. Aang parted the way by using the ball of air to send the guards flying backwards into a wall. There they stay, lumped down at the bottom of wall, rubbing their heads. Katara froze them there and they all continued down the hallway.
"We're getting closer." Toph confirmed. "Aang blow that whistle again." Aang did and Toph felt the vibrations from the answering roar. "This way!" She led them a little way back up the way they had come and then down another hallway. They came up on a large rock wall. Toph told them there was no way to get through it without Earthbending. She and Aang joined together and managed to create a hole big enough for all of them to crawl through. Just as Katara got an arm in the hole, it shut and pinned her arm. She yelped in pain and threw Toph the nastiest look she could muster. Toph and Aang looked at her, horrified as a man stepped out of the shadows, cackling. He was wearing long royal robes of emerald green and a large Earthbending headdress. His paunchy fingers were studded with emeralds and opals. He had black hair and electric green eyes. He was of normal stature but a little large around the waist.
"I've been watching you three." He said. "I know you are the Avatar and those are your lackeys." He pointed to Katara and Toph. He said 'those' as if Katara and Toph were something revolting on the bottom of shoe.
"We aren't his lackeys!" Katara gasped trying to free her squished arm.
"You aren't eh?" He smirked. "Well then, since you aren't with him I can do away with you." He closed the rock around Katara's arm even more, breaking it. Katara wailed and refused to cry. She was taking short, shallow breaths from her pain. The man's face twisted into a mocking smile.
"You think you're strong huh? I'll break you of that." He laughed.
"Toph! Do something!" Aang said frantically.
"I am! I am!" She worked to remove the entire wall of rock but it was no use, she couldn't do it alone. Aang joined in, copying her motions but all they managed to do was crumble the rock and put Katara in even more danger.
"It's no use." The man grinned maliciously. "You either do what I say or the blind girl gets it next!" He said to Aang.
"Run Toph!" Katara yelled, the man was displeased and tightened the rock around her arm she squealed in pain and closed her eyes, trying to keep her tears from rolling down her face. Again he tightened it, Katara screamed as loud as she could and let tears roll down her face.
OOOOOO
Sokka walked into the room and shook his head as he sat in a chair beside the unconscious Firebender.
"Look at you. Unconscious. Heh, I never thought I'd see the day that you wouldn't try and kill me." He leaned back in the chair and laced his fingers behind his head. "You know, I think I like this better than going with my sister and the others to get Appa back." He closed his eyes and fell asleep, loud snores emitting from his mouth.
Zuko opened his eyes then re-shut them. "Uncle, you're snoring again." He mumbled, not taking in the situation. He immediately opened his eyes again and looked up at the red ceiling. "What the?" He tried to sit up but was too weak. He managed to prop himself up on an elbow and looked to his left. He saw Sokka sitting in the chair asleep and yelled. Sokka woke and yelled also, falling over the back of the chair.
"What are you doing here?" Zuko snarled, trying to get his vision to clear.
"Making sure you don't die!" Sokka said back.
"Liar!" Zuko sat up, pain shot through his chest and he gasped, clutching it. "What did you do to me?" He wheezed.
"You really shouldn't –"
"Shut up peasant!" He spat as a small fireball escaped his fingertips.
Sokka ducked to avoid it. "You really shouldn't, you've been out cold for two days!"
Zuko's vision grew cloudy and everything started to spin. He got off the bed and tried to stand, a pain shot through his head and he yelped, clutching it. "Stupid…peasant." He forced out as he collapsed on the ground.
OOOOOO
"I knew you'd break sooner or later." He smiled. "Avatar, come over here."
"Run Toph!' Katara yelled again, through her sobs.
"I can't." She said. "Literally, I can't." She pointed at her feet, which were stuck in the ground.
"Avatar, I said come here." The man demanded. Hesitantly, Aang left Toph's side and stiffly walked over. "Faster unless you want your girlfriends feet to be crushed." He tightened the ground around Toph's feet for emphasis. She gasped from the pain. Aang jogged over.
"You're a sick man. I want my flying bison back." Aang demanded.
The man frowned. "I paid a lot for that bison. There is nothing you can give me that'll match the amount of money I paid for him." He smirked.
Aang thought for a moment. "There has to be something!" He pleaded.
The man smirked evilly. "I tell you what. You give me your friends here to be my servants and I'll let you have your bison back and you can go do whatever you want."
Aang matched his smirk. "Deal." He stuck out his hand.
The man looked slightly taken aback then took Aang's hand and shook it. "You must really want your bison back." He pointed out.
Aang nodded and the man opened the door, releasing Katara who fell to the ground and clutched her broken arm, sobbing. While he had his guard down, Aang, released Toph and then followed him through the doorway. He jerked his head in the direction of the exit and Toph helped Katara up and they slipped down the hallway, behind the King's back. Aang walked silently alongside of the King to a series of chambers. A loud bellow was heard and Aang recognized it as Appa. He ran up to the gates of a large pen, which was small for Appa to be in. Appa grumbled a hello and licked Aang's face happily. Aang returned the favor by hugging Appa's head and saying how much he missed him and how he loves him.
"Gotcha!" The man said and slammed the door behind Aang. "Don't know Earthbending yet do you?" Aang decided it would be in his best interest to play dumb.
"No." Said he.
The King laughed. " I knew it! You use your Airbending to move objects, making it look like Earthbending!"
"You caught me." Aang grumbled.
"And now you are my slave! Along with those girls!"
Aang sighed the most solemn sigh he could and put his face in his hands, letting tears roll down his face. They weren't from sadness that he was trapped but because of the immense happiness that he was reunited with Appa.
"Aw! Poor ickle Avatawr is sad dat he is twapped in da big bad king's pwisons! Cwy ickle Avatawr Cwy!" He sad in a mock baby voice, then he laughed. "I knew you were nothing but a little brat! You will be here for the rest of your pointless life."
'Does he not realize that I'm the real Avatar? The real thing? This guy is a total and complete idiot. Getting past him will be easy!'
"Now I shall gloat over my victory!" He cackled and walked off. Aang listened as the man's footsteps died away then waited another ten minutes until he was sure that he was out of earshot and earthbent his way out of the prison cell and lead Appa through the labyrinth of hallways until they found the exit. He opened the door with Earthbending then leapt out, Appa at his heels. The guards watched in awe as Appa soared overhead, groaning in an infectious happiness. Aang laughed and ran beneath in his shadow until they got to the inn. He hugged Appa and stepped inside, running to see if Katara was all right.
"AHHHH!" Katara's blood-curdling scream echoed through the hall. Terrified, Aang sprinted as fast as he could to the room. He burst in, startling everybody. Katara lay on the bed as Genia tried to wrap her broken arm. She cried and Toph stood beside her, clutching her hand and nervously pushing Katara's hair from her face. Sokka was trying to help Genia wrap her arm and splint it but he was shaken up at the sight of his baby sister in so much pain so he gave up and tried to comfort her. Aang watched, horrified; he hadn't realized that her arm was that badly broken. Katara had had her shirt cut off so Genia could try and align the bone and splint the arm. Katara screamed every time Genia tried to replace the bone. Iroh was helping Genia hold the bone in place so it could be splinted. Finally, they managed to splint the arm and wrap it so Katara was left to lay on the bed, gasping in pain and letting tears slide down her face. Aang looked out the window and saw Appa below.
A man was approaching him, he was wearing emerald green robes and his fingers were studded with precious jewels. Aang ran down the stairs and airbent the man away from Appa. He spun around and snarled at Aang. "You filthy liar! You know how to Earthbend! You broke our promise! I don't have any blind Earthbending girls or water tribe girls!" He pointed an accusing finger at Aang.
"Actually, I didn't break the promise, you did. The minute you slammed the door on me, you broke the deal." Aang said coolly.
"Little brat!" He spat.
" No, I only tell the truth and I keep my promises." Aang rubbed his fingertips. "Did you really think you would be able to keep me in that cell? Even if I didn't know how to Earthbend, I would have gotten out somehow or another, you are that stupid to keep the Avatar locked up so he couldn't save the world from the Fire Nation?"
The King hissed under his breath. "I don't need to waste my time on a smart aleck little snot like you." And he stormed off.
Me: Aang is all awesome in this chapter. Poor Katara, broken arm. Owie. I had to bring Haru back. That was his name right? Or was it Haku? I'm pretty sure it is Haru.
Aang: I rock in this chappie!
Zuko: I'm unconscious for most of this chapter!
Katara: (listening to music)
Me: Whatcha listening to?
Katara: Oh this? It's your Fray CD.
Me: Thanks for asking to use it.
Katara: (goes back to listening)
Me: Review guys! I barely got any reviews on the last chapter! So I had better get a bunch on this one! The more you guys review, the quicker I'll get the next chapter up!
Katara: (singing) There is really no way to reach me. 'Cause I'm already gone. This is your maverick. This is Vienna.