Book Four: Air, Part Two

"What are they going to start thinking?" Sokk asked as he gasped for breath, breathing in deeply. For a moment there, he thought he was going to pass out. He'd have passed out happy, but it would have been embarrassing.

"I think I can see it!" Zuko said after starting up the umpteenth hill. He began to run towards the formation of rock. He bolted into the first cave he saw and slowed to a walk when he saw what he found. He fell to his knees in astonishment as his frantic breath slowed. They were gone. They left in a frantic hurry, that was for damn sure. Half eaten meat and spilled tea that was still steaming hot lay on a table to his left. Zuko punched the ground in fury,
"DAMN! So close! How could they have known?"

Mai looked at her surroundings. All she knew was that the rebels were going to be attacked by Zuko and that one of their members was able to warn them so that they could escape into these woods. And that was from what she heard outside the cart she was in. It was a covered one and so she couldn't see anything. Her hands and feet were bound and a gag was around her mouth. They were obviously taking no chances.

But still Mai wasn't completely distressed. If Zuko found almost found her once she was sure he would find her again.

'But please hurry.'
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Akemi blinked around in surprise. Boy did they work fast. Akemi was kind of upset since she was left behind, but it was for the good of everyone. Besides if she remained with Zuko maybe she could cause more damage.

"I feel so bad. If I didn't faint you guys wouldn't have been delayed and you might have caught them."

Zuko breathed in deep and sighed. "No...It was my fault. I should have been in more of a hurry. " He stood up and looked at his friends, "Someone in the village must have tipped the rebels off." He glanced at Akemi as he spoke, "Aang, get Appa. We need a faster source of transportation."

Hiruki looked at the sky as he walked. He was frowning, which was rare for him. "There is a bad smell in the air....Oh perfect...Stars show themselves in mid-day...Great sign..." He said sarcastically and he turned to were they left Zuko and the others. "They may be in danger."

Aang nodded, frowning a little. How had the rebels been able to run away so quickly? He took out his bison whistle and blew, calling Appa.

He then turned to Akemi, "I guess this is where we part ways, Akemi. We may have to travel far from this village. We won't take you from your home."

"I already lost my home," Akemi said a little grim. "I mean my actual home is still there, but it's not the same as it was when I was living there. Besides I said I was traveling."

Akemi smiled hopefully at Aang. "But I don't have to go. The choice is yours."

"Well... I don't see a problem with it," Aang noted with a fron, "The choice is Zuko's. It's his wife that got kidnapped."

Zuko nodded, "I understand where Akemi is coming from, as do you, Aang. She can, of course, come with us." He walked out and waited for the Sky Bison to fly down.

Akemi silently thanked Agni for her good luck. But she also knew that her good luck could become bad luck very soon. If they began to suspect she was a rebel things could get very bad.

"Thank you Fire Lord," Akemi said formally bowing to the boy.

Zuko bowed his head to her in response. When Appa finally landed, Zuko got onto the saddle and stood in the middle, looking in all four directions. He sighed and looked back at Aang, "For now, let us head back to the village. We well see if anyone saw the rebels retreating."

"Good idea," Aang told him as he got on Appa himself, taking the reins as usual. He rubbed Appa's head absentmindedly.

IC: Katara

She joined Aang on Appa. Emotions rattled inside her. She was both angry and disappointed that they had missed the rebels, and thus Mai too. But at least now they had a definite lead.

They would catch them sooner or later.

***

IC: Toph

She laughed. "Can't you guess? They'll start thinking we're actual lovers, or something!" She blushed at the very thought, but she was still amused so it didn't embarrass her much.

"Well, we're going out. Doesn't that make us lovers?" Sokka asked her, not quite grasping the implications the word implied while grinning at the shade of red Toph's cheeks were turning.He wondered how red they could turn.

Akemi nodded as she climbed in with the others. She had never flown before in her life and was sort of looking forward to the experience.

"Sounds like a good idea to me."
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Mai was trying her best to at least get the gag off her mouth. After what seemed like an hour or so of struggling she got it a little looser. Tired, she glanced around the cavern again. It was mostly empty except for a few boxed of supplied. Mai was half tempted to toss them over the edge, but she knew it would be difficult. If they caught her who knew what they might do. So Mai just sat there.

Toph snorted into her drink. Did he honestly have no idea what she meant? Toph wondered how she could explain it to him without embarrassing him.

Well, maybe it'd be fun to listen to his reaction.

"We're in love, but that doesn't have to mean we're lovers." Toph smiled at him. "Sleep with me... make love with me... and then we'll be lovers."

"Oh.. Oh!" Sokka exclaimed, his face heating up in embarrassment. How did she know the word when he didn't? He was supposed to be two years older than her! He chalked it up to her being better educated than him.

"Well, I see how that could be a problem. I mean, we're sort of young for that and I don't want to make you work bad or anything," he said as he flushed an even deeper shade of red.

Toph laughed, but it wasn't cruel or teasing. He had just tickled her funny-bone. She patted his hand.

"Calm down, Snoozles. It's no big deal. And, really, I make myself look bad. I doubt there's anything you could do that'd make it worse."

"That's true," Sokka chuckled, remembering all the times that Toph had blatantly disregarded manners and common decency, "But then again, that's why I love you."

She blushed. "You liking me the way I am, the real me... That's one of the reasons I love you." She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "You finished eating? Suki and Jerrel might have the evidence we need by now."

Sokka smiled happily, knowing that this was about as emotional as Toph got. He squeezed his head and nodded, "Yep. I'm sure they've probably heard about us making out here already."

"What're they gonna do? Give us a lecture?" Toph snorted. "Please. Like that'll stop me from planting one on ya when I feel like it. Face it, Snoozles. You're stuck with me."

She stood from the table and waited on him to join her.

"Damn, that's hott," Sokka muttered to himself as he followed her. He suppressed a sigh. He liked being whipped. That was just sad.

They made their way up into the richer districts of the city. There, they hoped to run into Suki and Jerrel. Toph hoped they had found the evidence needed in order to take Hahn down. She also hoped the jerk was still here.

A large house loomed on a hillside. Toph wondered if it was the mansion owned by the guy Hahn was staying with.

Sokka looked the house over. It was rather big and over-decorated, definitely a nobleman's house. The owner was probably trying to be more important than he really was. He looked over at Toph and couldn't resist making a wisecrack.

"Your place is bigger."

Toph grinned. "The only guy richer than my family is King Bumi and the Earth King. Nobody else tops us."