A few hours later…
Everyone is seated at the table for dinner. Katara and Zuko sit at opposite ends, ignoring each other.
"Yum Suki this is the best!" Sokka exclaimed between mouthfuls, gulfing one pork chop after the other.
"Glad you like it," Suki smiles, "because it looks like you and Toph are the only ones actually enjoying it." At this she gives a pointed glance at Katara and Zuko who seem to be off in their own worlds.
"You are very right Suki, what's your problem Sugar Queen?" Katara doesn't bother raising her head.
"Nothing." She mumbles.
"I know your lying. And where's Twinkle toes I haven't seen in him in a while." At this both Katara and Zuko jerks their head up. They glance at each other, then turn away, Katara's eyes saying an unspoken message 'I'm still mad at you' Zuko read.
"Now I know something is definitely up, both you and Sparky's heart rate doubled in speed!" No one utters a word. Sokka puts down his plate and pushes himself up from the table.
"You know what Toph is right, you two have been acting very weirdly." Sokka muses while stroking his chin. "So are you going to tell us your dirty little secret?" He strolls over towards Zuko, who breaks into a sweat.
"Wh… wh… what are you talking about guys? There's nothing going on." Zuko stammered, looking very agitated.
"You're lying! Sheech Zuko it looks like being a good liar doesn't run in the family, you need to take a few lessons from your sister."
"I think he passes on that Toph. But anyway that's beside the point. What are you hiding?" Sokka bends down, his face just mere millimetres away from Zuko's face.
"I… I… Well you see … I suppose… there may have been a slight misunderstanding between Aang and Katara…"
"I see, and may I ask what is this 'slight misunderstanding' that causes him to miss Suki's wonderful pork chops?" Beads of sweat run down Zuko's face.
"Sokka, leave him alone." For the first time during the whole meal Katara makes eye contact with someone.
"Hmm you're right, I shouldn't be asking Zuko, because perhaps he wasn't there." He looks at Zuko who's looking very intently on his food. "So Katara what was this misunderstanding?"
"That's none of your business Sokka." Katara folds her arms across her chest and glares at him.
"That's your opinion, but considering you are my little sister I think whatever affects you must also affect me." Sokka smiles and his eyes gleams with 'you can't get out of this one' look.
"Eurh! Fine, Aang was angry with Zuko because he and I are finally getting along, happy now!"
"WHAT?!" Sokka screeches Katara looks around and everyone is staring at her with their mouths wide open and Zuko is hiding his face in his hands.
"Why would he be annoyed with that?!"
"Because he thinks I've been ignoring him – which I haven't! Aang's just being selfish because he wants all my time to be spent with him which is ridiculous! He can't expect to have everything he wants."
"But that's just it Sugar Queen, Twinkle Toes doesn't have everything he wants, in fact everything he did have was taken away! Besides, correct me if I'm wrong but you have been spending a significantly less amount of time with the guy." Toph points out, eliciting a scowl from Katara.
"Don't act like you know more than me because…"
"I'm not acting like anything, I'm just stating facts or do you have a problem with that Sweetness?" Toph smirks ready for the upcoming outburst.
"What is your problem?!" The waterbender hollers with clenched fists.
"I don't have a problem, you obviously have the problem." The earthbender retorts as Katara's face fills with fury, a vein at her temples throb with anger, obvious for everyone to see but Toph.
"WILL YOU ALLL JUST BE QUEIT!" Zuko roars, the campfire bursts into a pillar of fire, everyone recoils and then the flame dies down. "There is no point in arguing, our priority is to find Aang before he does something dumb." Sokka and Suki nod their agreement, while the other two turn their backs to each other.
"I'm pretty sure Aang can take care of himself since he's the Avatar." Katara mumbles under her breath.
"Wow for once Sweetness isn't worried, this must be serious." Katara pretends she didn't hear that.
"Ok guys we should really start to look for him, I mean he's been gone for hours, anything could have happened to him, even if he is the Avatar, he's still a kid. Sooo I say we take Appa and…"
"What do you expect us to find him just roaming around?"
"Well didn't you find him in a cave using Appa?" Sokka says giving Katara a pointed look. "Lets go guys!" They all get on Appa and take off.
Few hours later…
"Erm Sokka we've been searching for hours and there's still no sign of him." Suki voices out everyone's thoughts.
"Yeh as much as I want to find Twinkle Toes I'm getting sick of flying, even Sparky over here is dozing off." She punches Zuko's arm and he jerks awake while rubbing his arm.
"Eh what was that for?"
"We are trying to look for Aang not to doze off."
"Erm yes of course I was just taking er a break." Katara raises an eyebrow at him, at which he looks away.
"Hey guys, down there I see something!" Suki points at a silver glint in the dark. Katara and Zuko huddles to the side of the saddle to take a glimpse, and indeed there is something shinning from the reflection of the glistening moonlight. Sokka pulls the reins to land.
"Hey isn't this Aang's staff?" Zuko questions with a slightly worried expression. The group crowds around him.
"Yeh and why is there an arrow sticking out of it?" Sokka examines the staff and turns it over in his hands.
"Guys something is not right here, Aang wouldn't abandon his staff willingly like it was nothing, its like the last things left from the Air Nomads." Suki said, thinking of a reason for Aang's strange behaviour.
"That's because he didn't willing left it," Sokka looks everyone in the eyes with a grave expression, "he was ambushed." He bends to his knees to inspect the footprints, takes a sample of mud with his finger and smells it. "And I have a bad feeling I know who took him." The group stares at Sokka of the possibilities of who it could be and come up with not a very pleasant result. Even Katara knits her eyebrows together wearing a concerned expression, because even though she's angry at Aang she never had the chance to tell him she did care…
"Guys there's a big group of people coming and I don't think they're friendly!" Toph shouts feeling the heavy vibrations of the earth. Then a huge blast of fire causes the group to disperse and take their fighting stances. Before soon a sea of arrows are raining from above; Toph forms an earth roof, the makes a mini fortress
"How are we meant to fight with a hundred and one arrows ready to hit us!" Sokka complained.
"It's worse than that." Everyone gawks at Zuko thinking he's gone crazy.
"How in the world can it be any worse than, firstly Aang has been captured, secondly we are being attacked, thirdly we can't defend ourselves from the attackers because of these arrows and fourthly…"
"Because these arrows contain a chemical that will knock us unconscious in no time, then they won't have to fight, we will find ourselves being shipped off to some cell or to be executed. And that's how it can be worse." Team Avatar takes a big gulp and looks at one another with a 'what are we going to do now' look. Not long after they hear rumbling.
"Oh no they are breaking in."
"Give up Zu Zu, we've got you cornered." Everyone's face is plastered with horror, its Azula.
"Oh no anyone but her. Why couldn't it be Combustion Man, why?" Sokka weeps bitterly on the ground.
A/N: Hi sorry that this chapter is kinda boring and not action packed, but I knew I had to write a chapter that ties everything together and to make sense for the rest of the plot. Hope you liked it :)