Hello again. Looks like it's my OC's time to work. Her name is Laila by the way...such a pretty name.

Disclaimer: Do you really think I own Avatar? I think not...if I had I would of gotten rid of some of those filler episodes, or at least condensed several into one, and Zuko would have joined them much sooner.

Ch.6

Laila hurried down the path the young prince had pointed her too. He told her to get help, but get help from whom? The police? They were too far away, his friends? They may be even further. She didn't even know who they were. Oh, why oh why did she have to make a wrong...turn? As Laila continued her trek, she began to notice a few landmarks that she had missed before. Slowing her pace to take a closer look around, Laila gasped when she finally realized what she should do.

"Of course!" she cried, and pounded her palm with her fist. With that the pretty girl rounded the corner and headed down the alley way. She knew where she was going. As she got closer to the looming doorway with the blue strip across the bottom, Laila swallowed nervously. With a deep breath she lifted her hand and knocked on the doorway, their first meeting tumbling back through her thoughts.

Laila ran as far away from the boys as she could with one shoe and an injured foot, dragging the hand of a young and bruised child with rust colored hair and bright green eyes. Her mother had told her not to go that way. It was the bad area, children would always get hurt ...but Laila didn't listen. After all, Mitchell was with her, and Mitchell knew EVERYTHING about the neighborhood. He lived there. Then they stumbled into a mean kid and had to run, and fast too! They hadn't gone far when her companion urgently tugged on her hand and turned a different direction.

"Grandpa lives here!"

The door opened to reveal a tall man with long grey hair and stern brown eyes. The man just stood there for a moment, taking in the appearance of the girl before him before a flicker of recognition entered his features.

"Laila?" He asked in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

And she smiled sadly, briefly wondering what the prince's friends were like.

AANG GANG

Toph laid against her earth cave, bored as can be when she noticed stiffening in Katara's shoulders as she anxiously looked from a pair of pants to the path Zuko had taken. She would never admit it, but Katara was beginning to feel very differently for the boy she once considered her enemy. It wasn't like Katara actually liked the teenager, Toph was pretty certain that affection went to Aang, and frankly it was sickening! Think goodness she WAS blind ,as she didn't have to see them mooning over one another. However, Katara was still terribly worried about the firebender, and though Toph refused to admit it, she was a little worried too. The prince had left several hours ago, and Toph had not sensed him coming back anytime soon. Hell, even Teo and the others had arrived a little while ago, and they left later than Zuko.

"Enough with the antsy feet sugar queen! I know you miss Zuko, but your racing heart beat is even making me tired, and I'm not even doing anything!"

"Wh...wha WHAT!" cried Katara, clearly insulted by her companions words, "It is not!"

Toph laughed, man this group could be entertaining.

"Sure," she teased.

Katara tossed her hair in a huff. "I mean..." she paused, slowly contemplating her words,contemplating her words, "I don't know why, by Aang trusts him and don't you think he's been gone a little to long? It will just be like him to run away when the moment counted, and then when we least expect it..." Katara dropped the pretense, "What if something happened?"

"Oh please," Toph spoke confidently, "That boy can take care of himself. Didn't you see those swords?"

"Well yeah, but what if he can't use them...then where would we be?"

"Do you really think he would carry around something he couldn't use?" she paused, "he's been trained as a warrior since he was a child...hell even Sokka got trained by Piando and he's not even firenation."

"True," Katara looked at the prince's clothes I contemplation, "but still..."

"Look sugar queen," the blind girl said somewhat haughtily, "The point is...Sokka is water tribe, yet Master Piando was willing to train him," then sensing the water tribe youth as he tripped over Appa's tail in self training, "Though I'm not sure how Master Piando would react if he saw his pupil handling his sword so clumsily."

"Hey! I heard that," Sokka said proudly as he stalked towards the two, "I'll have you know that master Piando was quite pleased to train me." swinging his sword around wildly, Sokka screamed as the sword slipped from his hand and fell on his foot "Yeouch!" Cried the youth , and Toph chuckled slightly.

"See what I mean."

"Hey! That was an accident dammit, things like this never happen."

"Sure they don't," muttered the duo in unison.

"Well...that hardly cheers me up," Katara spoke again, "Sokka still has difficulty using the sword."

"I do not!" he cried, and the two girls ignored him.

"Yeah, but Sokka only trained for a few days. Zuko has been the fire PRINCE almost all his life, do you really think he wouldn't have had some type of training?"

"True," Katara said, slightly comforted at the thought, "However, its getting late and we need to find a place to hide for the night.. Zuko should be back now."

As if just realizing the time, Sokka looked towards the village when Aang flew in from above.

"Hey guys, why so serious?" He asked, then noticing the missing member from their party. "Where's Zuko?" he asked with concern, and Katara looked at him worriedly.

"We don't know." she whispered quietly, "Thats the problem."

Aang looked in the distance, "He's not back yet?" He stated curiously. As Aang had learned when they had first infiltrated the fire nation, duty and promptness were part of the culture. If Zuko wasn't back yet, there was a good chance something happened. Heck he hadn't even trained Aang that day and Zuko NEVER missed training. Aang frowned, as he continued to look in the distance. "I have a bad feeling about this." then turning to Katara, "We should go."and water beauty nodded in response.

Turning towards Appa, "Go find a place to hide, Sokka stay here with Appa."

"What!" Cried the young water tribe youth, "Taking all the fun for yourselves?"

"We'll give you extra helpings of the sausage that you like so much."

"I don't..."

"And Momo's extra share." The lemur looked at them curiously before squealing and going back to his meal.

"I'll listen to everything you say about scheduling."

"And I'll teach you how to make my latest invention!" exclaimed Teo.

"Really now?" he said, interest perked.

"And we won't tease you about non-bending anymore," relented Katara.

"Speak for yourself sugar queen!" exclaimed the blind bandit.

"Toph?"

Toph knew that voice, she had gotten used to it throughout their travels. That was Katara's 'don't you dare disagree with me, or else' tone. Before Toph had gotten annoyed with it, but over time she kind of learned to deal with it, besides it was kind of nice having someone worry about you here and there, so she agreed, at least partially. "Maybe for like a day." and her friends smiled.

"Well, Katara and I won't," stated Aang, and Sokka relented. "Besides, we need someone here to plan out the schedule for the next two days, you like planning things." offered the young avatar.

Sokka grumbled and scratched his chin, he did like planning, and Zuko did need to find the camp. He just really hated being left out of all the awesome city adventures. As his friends left, Sokka made a plan, when they got somewhere more permanent he would start something cool, a non-bender exclusive or something. Yeah that will do it! Perked up from his idea, Sokka happily picked up his sword and started training, if he was left behind, he might as well do something fun and practical at the same time!

Time seemed to pass quickly as he changed up his training, before long the boys had gone to bed, all save Sokka, who decided to wait for his friends.

"Take that! and That!" he cried as he battled a shadow opponent. "I am Sokka the stupendous, and you do well to run. Or I shall destroy you!" As if to emphasize his point, Sokka jabbed a near bye tree with all his might, or what he thought was a tree only to hear a high pitched scream, as the "tree" dodged and elbowed him straight in the gut.

"Ah!" He cried, losing his balance as he cradled the place the shadow had hit, falling to his knees as he did so. Slowly, Sokka gained his composure and looked up to see a pair of emerald green eyes, rosy cheeks and wild blonde locks in front of him. Sokka was enamored.

"Ah I'm so sorry!" she cried in concern, fluttering about the water tribe boy like a worried friend. "Are you okay?

Sokka was momentarily dumbfounded before clutching his stomach and bowling over in pain, "Ah it hurts," he lied "It hurts so much, I think you bruised my ribs!"

"Oh no!" cried the pretty girl as she placed her cool hands in the area he was holding. "let me check."

Sokka basked in the attention as she pressed her light finger tips all across his stomach. "Where does it hurt?" she asked in concern, "Here?" Then rubbing her hands to the other side of his gut, "Here?"

Sokka was trying very hard not to sigh in contentment, when she pushed a tad to hard on a wound that was not fully healed and he jerked in pain. Startled, the girl kneeled before him, one leg between his legs as she gingerly slid her fingertip under his tunic to find the wound. She was about to lift his tunic to see when she heard a rustling behind them.

"Sokka! Are you o..kay." he stuttered out as he saw the woman half straddling his friend. Haru turned a bright red, before taking a quick step back. The girl quickly jumped away from the young man, a bright flush across her face.

"Ah...ah..it's not what-"

"Haru!" exclaimed the disgruntled water tribe boy. He was just beginning to enjoy himself too.

"Ah...sorry about that," whispered the pretty young woman, "Are you the friends of Prince Zuko?" Then lifting the bag that the prince had handed her, "He gave me this."

Sokka stood staring for just a moment before registering what she was holding and snatching it from her hands.

"My bag! I was wondering where that went!" cried the young water tribe boy, "That guy...first he takes my clothes, then my bag... why I oughta..."

The girl just looked at him blankly, before blinking once and falling into a fit of giggles. He looked so ridiculous she just couldn't help it.

"A yes? I take it?" she asked coyly, and Sokka turned a bright red before putting it behind his back in embarrassment. He gave her a sheepish smile, before getting back to business with his poker face on.

"How'd you find us?"

"Zuko..." she squeaked, "I was showing him around when we were attacked and..."

"What? Attacked?" Sokka and Haru exclaimed together. "By whom?" Both were thinking of the deadly trio that had attacked them at the Temple.

"I don't know, some merchant. I think they knew each other. Please come!"

"On it!" Sokka called, and quickly placed his bag on his shoulder before taking a big step forward, secretly relieved they wouldn't be facing Zuko's crazy sister and her groupies.

"Oh no you don't, not without me anyways." stated the earth bender in response, Sokka placed his hand on the slightly older boy's shoulder, then looking at the others. Teo was the first to speak.

" Hey, Don't worry about us, this is important. We'll go back to the hideout with Appa, besides, the duke is getting tired."

"I am not, muttered the small eight year old before letting out a yawn and curling into a little ball. From Zuko's disappearance, to the search for resistance members, it had been a long day for everyone.

"Just be sure to come back okay."

"Deal." With that the trio turned away from there friends, but not before Momo cooed and flew to Sokka's shoulder, curling his tail around his neck. Momo wasn't about to be left without his favorite human again.

To be continued...

And that's that, I know super long compared to the others, but there was a lot of people to write for, or at least try to. Next chapter gets back to our favorite fire bender...and who else? Gasp...wait and see.