Book Four: Air, Part Two

"Nope," Sokka agreed, smiling at the delightful shade Toph's face turned in response to his touch. Why hadn't he noticed her before? She was beautiful and someone whom he could see spending his life with.

IC: Ty Lee

Ty Lee nodded silently, she knew just how scary Zuko could be when enraged, and it was pretty. Her attention was soon grasped by Hiruki. "Likewise." Ty Lee said with a slight smile.

***

IC: Suki

"Let me go!" Suki said struggling against the man as his friends laughed. She tried to use her Kiyoshi trainning, but from the way the man was holding her, and how tight he was hold ing her. "I said let me go!"

***

IC: Jerrel

Jerrel looked around, he noticed that no one was trying to help Suki, not even her fellow employees. Jerrel sighed and got up, he walked over to the table where the man and his friends were sitting while holding noto Ty Lee. "I believe she said to let her go." Jerrel said.

Akemi made her way over to the tent that served as the cafeteria. She wasn't exactly hungry, but she knew that people talked when they ate, so she was hoping to find out what was going on.

Akemi wasn't so high up that she knew why they had taken the Fire Lord's wife. She didn't really care to know, but she knew it might be important to find out.

IC: NPC Rebel

"Hungry are ye, Akemi?"

An older man, his hair graying but still tall and strong, grinned at her from one of the many benches laid out for the rebel's benefit. He waved her over to sit with he and his fellows.

"Bout time you joined us lowly folk," he joked. "Been busy, have ye?"

***

IC: Toph

She smiled up at him, and sensed his own reaction. Growing a little bold, she said, "If you want to kiss me Snoozles, kiss me. I can't really appreciate you staring at me, or whatever, you know."

Akemi just nodded at the man and took a seat next to him.

"I have been busy. We have to be ready if the Fire Lord comes searching," she told him and the others at the table. She never referred to Zuko by name. She felt that he didn't deserve that kind of respect. "And eating is part of it. Don't want to be straving if we are attack," she said with a small smile.

Sokka blushed. Was he staring at her? How did she even know he was? Smling a little, he leaned in and kissed her. He murmured, "You're getting better at this with practice."

(Where should I bring Aang in?)

IC: Rebel

The old man laughed. "Definitely not!" he snorted, grinning at the young woman. He thumped her on the back. "So eat up, girl! It looks and tastes terrible, but, hey, we can't complain. It's bound to be better than ol' Zuko's eatin', eh?"

***

IC: Toph

"Well, good," she said, smiling and blushing some more. "I don't really think I'd like it if you got tired of kissing me."

***

OOC: Aang should be with Zuko's group.

Aang nodded at Zuko's orders before turning to his girlfriend, "Come on Katara. I think I know of a few places to check around here."

*

"I wouldn't like it either to tell the truth," he told her with a tease. He smirked a bit, "I love to make you blush."

IC: Katara

She nodded. "Okay." Katara hesitated, and then added, "Maybe we should tell Zuko. He would want to know if you had anything in mind."

***

IC: Toph

"And you're lucky I like you, or I'd hit you for teasing me like this," she said, turning an even deeper shade of red. Toph rubbed at her face in a vain attempt to get rid of the tell-tale blush. "You're the only guy who makes me do this, you know."

"I guess," Aang said with a nod. He knew what Zuko was going through, after all. He remembered back when he had a vision of Katara caught by the Dai Lee.

*

"That just makes it more special, doesn't it," Sokka told her with a grin. He kissed her cheek, "And you hit me enough as it is. Back where I come from, that's called domestic violence."

IC: Toph

She snorted. "Well, now it's a show of affection. You know that's how I show I like you. I hit you a lot, so that just means I love you, you big idiot." To prove her point, she punched him in the arm and followed up with a kiss.

Sokka smiled and returned the kiss, gently wrapping an arm around her. He made a note to himself, however, not to let himself get too distracted by his girlfriend. They were on a mission after all and he didn't want either of them to get hurt.

"I love you too, Spirits help my arm," he told her with a grin.

"You're just a big baby. You bruise worse than Twinkle Toes. And that's saying something!" she said, laughing.

She snuggled closer to him, and lay her head on his shoulder. They had a few more minutes to spare, after all, so why not? And there was no one around but Sokka, too. She could cuddle all she wanted to, and not have to worry about being teased.

"Hey, I happen to have very sensitive skin!" Sokka argued, though he knew that she didn't really mean it. He smiled at her. He'd never admit it, but he liked cuddling with her. It felt so nice and made him feel so happy.

"I guess all the thick stuff went to your head, then," she teased, poking him in the side playfully. "Wouldn't have you any other way, though, Snoozles."

Toph craned up her neck so that she could kiss the side of his face. She could almost feel the sense of happiness flowing off him and into her. His heartbeat, at least, was smooth and steady. She liked that.

His happiness mirrored her own.

"Thanks. You're great too," he teased her back, twitching a little when she found his side. Knowingly or not, she had found one of his ticklish spots. He kissed her again and laughed a little, "Remember when we used to watch people do this and make fun of them?"

"Yeah." Toph smiled at the memories. "Good times. And this doesn't count. We're not nearly as fuzzy as those other dummies." She held his hand, lacing her fingers through his. "We're still cool when we hang out."

"Hypocrite," Sokka calledh er fondly as he squeezed her hand back, "Though, it is hard to be as fuzzy as someone that calls their lover 'turtle-dove'."

"That's just stupid," said Toph, snickering. "Don't ever call me that, by the way," she added, nudging him a little with her elbow. "That one nickname you gave me works just fine, thanks."

"Okay, Angel-Eye," Sokka told her with a grin. He looked into them. They were beautiful, even if she couldn't use them.

Toph sighed and shook her head. "You're a goof," she said, poking him in the arm. She kissed his cheek and stood up, stretching her arms. "We'd better get going. It feels like it'll be evening soon, and we don't want to be on this road when night comes. Bandits and all that."

"We'd kick their butts," Sokka told her with a grin as he took her arm and began to walk again. He muttered, "And I'm not a goof."

"Yes you are. And I'm a brat. No biggie, Snoozles," she said, giving him a quick, but warm, hug. "I love you."

"I love you too, Toph," He told her with a grin, "Now, where should we search first? The inns?"

"We'll probably have to check those," said Toph, nodding. "The waterfront too, where all the docks are. If Hahn and his buddies went to the port, like we think, he'll have had to docked there. We can find his boat, and ask around."