1. Chapter 1: Mist

_**(A/N)**_ _Hey guys! Jhelle's here with yet another fanfiction in her paws. This one's a little harder to write than the usual since it's AU, but it was really fun planning out its plot. So anyways, I hope you'll like it!_

_*A few I'd like to point out before you read the story: Toph can **see**, and Aang's **not bald**_. This is AU so unfortunately there aren't any 'Avatar' business going on…

_And of course, the disclaimer: I ONLY OWN AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER IN MY DREAMS._

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**Chapter 1: Mist**

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Toph Bei Fong was a _princess_. She had everything.

And by everything, you really _mean _everything.

"Mother, I don't think more frills are necessary for this dress."

Born to a highly prestige and wealthy family, she was spoiled with almost anything money could buy even if she didn't ask for them.

"Nonsense, dear," her mother said as she circled her daughter in the overpriced dress she ordered for tomorrow's event. It fitted the girl a little too nicely. The skirts covered her feet and laced sleeves graced her arms. "The frills add to the design. It looks absolutely darling on you."

Toph scowled as she stood on a stool, her back was turned away from the full length mirror. A number of tailors and seamstresses tended to her left and right, sticking pins to the dress's skirts and some on her torso.

A seamstress inserted another pin and accidentally penetrated her hip slightly. "Ouch! Watch it," she yelped.

"My apologies, Young Miss," the seamstress said apologetically.

Her mother turned to her when she heard her yelp. "Toph, what did we say about your manners?" she questioned coldly.

Toph was tempted to roll her eyes but let out a small sigh instead, "I'm sorry, mother."

Poppy Bei Fong smiled at her daughter's immediate response. The Bei Fongs are just as strict with the use of proper words just as every noble family is. Just like every child born to nobility, the girl was taught in the proper ways of etiquette and manners. They molded her into the image of quite the obedient and reserved young lady they've dreamed of having. Toph's father was more than pleased with his 'courteous' daughter. Poppy couldn't help but marvel at the success her private lessons have taught the child.

Indeed Toph seemed like a well-mannered and properly tended young lady, but what her parents failed to realize was that despite giving her everything she could ask for, their little daughter was not happy.

She knew that they wouldn't understand her so she just kept it all to herself. Toph didn't feel the happiness that others could feel. That happiness didn't come from things that you could easily touch and hold. Her parents are forcing her to be something that she's not, expecting her to be elated in the process. But she just wasn't. They wanted her to be the demure girl that everyone expected her to be.

But Toph Bei Fong was anything than that type of girl.

She wasn't some _princess_ nor did she enjoy living in the so-called 'palace' she's imprisoned in.

She may seem so prim, proper, innocent and helpless on the outside, but she is stronger and more capable in the inside. Toph would give anything for a taste of freedom and true happiness even just for a day. She was sick and tired of being imprisoned and forced to do things out of her will.

Right now, much to her dismay, she has to bear with whatever situation there is. She doesn't want to hurt anyone – most especially her parents. And it would break their heart if she ever did.

But if she could do things her way, even just for one night, she would be long gone by now. And it felt good even just by giving it a thought.

When their servants were done with the fitting, the young heiress was told not to move from her spot on the stool. Toph knew it was best not to complain, so she stood with her back straight and head properly poised. Her mother circled her once more, a thoughtful expression written on her delicate features. She raised one of her daughter's arms to check the sleeve's fitting, and lifted the skirts slightly to check the hem's stitches.

"Well, nothing seems to be wrong with it no more," her mother mused as she carefully sets down the skirts. "You're as good to go, dear."

Toph couldn't help but feel more relieved than ever. She held her mother's offered hand as she stepped down from the stool she was standing. Dress still on, she started to head towards the double doors.

"Toph," she heard her mother call out. "We're not done yet."

"Mother, I thought you said that I was as good to go."

"But that does not mean that you can leave."

Toph huffed in annoyance, turned her heels and walked towards the middle of the room once more.

Her mother guided her to stand in front of the full length mirror so that she could take a full look on herself; seeing her reflection wearing a dress with excessive frills and bows made Toph want to gag. She thought she looked like some oversized blithe doll in a big dress and thick petticoat. She bit back the grimace.

_Oma, the laces are tolerable. But the bows look absolutely and most ridiculously _stupid_... I want them gone._

"You look lovely," she heard her mother say behind her. She did look pretty, but the dress seemed a little too much.

And well, it really was if you'd look at it. Poppy didn't seem to mind.

Toph's eyebrows furrowed but she forced a smile anyway. She didn't want to disappoint her mother in the slightest bit, but she wanted at least a say on the dress. "I…think it's pretty…_classy_," she struggled for the right words to say without giving an offense. "But… don't you think the dress is a little too much?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the bows," she gestured to her skirts, "seem to be everywhere. They're quite distracting, don't you think?"

Toph herself had agreed to wear the dress (even if she'd rather die than wear another one) a few moments before she actually saw it. Her mother told her that it was designed to her liking so Toph gave the woman a chance. But what she didn't expect was that it would be this _exaggerated_. It was heavy, too hot that she was sweating, and overly decorated. Toph never thought such thing was even possible.

It was itchy too. She tried to keep herself from scratching her thighs but she cannot withstand the discomfort the dress gave. She dug her nails into the fabric to get at least a good scratch. Lucky for her, her mother seemed a little too preoccupied to catch her in a very un-lady like act.

"But they add a nice touch, dear," her mother said sweetly. "Just like the frills and laces."

Toph tried not to shudder.

"Stop fidgeting."

"Please, mother. They make the dress look a little too voluminous."

Poppy sighed. She raised her index finger in the air just above her daughter's head, and waved it in a small twirling motion.

"Twirl."

Toph obeyed without any complaint, much to her irritation.

_Damn, this thing itches like hell._

The cream dress flowed gracefully as she twirled slowly. The skirts were like a rare fountain of frills and jewels. The miniature jewels on her torso sparkled as they caught the light from the windows. It was beautiful to look at. The servants secretly marveled at their work and Poppy couldn't help the smile that tugged on her lips.

But she couldn't ignore the fact that her daughter truly did seem to struggle with the weight. She understood it was quite heavy and the child was a little too small to support it. Maybe it was a bit too much.

When Toph was finished twirling, she was gently pushed in front of the mirror once more.

Her mother started calling a few seamstresses and tailors and asked her daughter not to move from her spot on the mirror.

"Alright," Poppy said hesitantly. "We'll remove the bows."

What she said was enough to make Toph happy, but she did not show it.

"But," her mother continued and Toph was afraid of what the woman might say next. "We'll add a few more jewels to make up for the lessening of bows. That way it won't be a total waste."

Toph's eyes widened for a split second and then she scowled.

_Great._

Indeed, Toph Bei Fong may be treated like a princess, but she wasn't some desperate damsel in distress. She's just waiting for the perfect opportunities. But right now may not be her very best. When it finally comes though, she won't waste her precious time.

**~*-((****o****))-*~**

Meanwhile in the other side of town, her complete opposite walked through the busy streets of the town.

Aang was a _nomad_. He had no proper settlement.

He was a boy Toph's age but they were a little too different in more ways than you could count. If Toph lived in a 'grand palace' with servants tending to her every need, Aang didn't even have a proper home. He traveled around the world with his companions as they skipped from town to town to study cultures and see the world itself.

His two companions have been by his side for almost four months now. Ever since they met Aang, they have been traveling along with the nomad. And since then, the three of them were on their own. Of course Aang didn't force them to join him; they merely chose to follow. And he has never been more grateful to have them by his side. They've been an inseparable trio since the beginning of their quest.

They were independent teenagers as their ages vary. Nobody was telling them what to do or how to behave. Unlike Toph who was seemingly capable enough, but was forced to act as if she's unable to do things on her own.

Spirits only knew how Aang and his companions, at their young ages could actually manage to do so.

They never backed down from adventure, especially Aang. He had the kind of freedom that the young heiress wanted. He was always free-spirited and elated despite not really having a real home and the right budget. Needless to say, he had the kind of life Toph craved.

Aang and his friends were visiting the city on their way to their next move which was a good distance from the town they're currently at. The streets were littered with carts, animals, goods and people. It was another typical afternoon in the streets of Gaoling.

The boy navigated his way happily through the narrow streets with two of his other companions in tow. One of them irritated, and the latter was nonchalant. They shouldered their bags with them and sported the mediocre apparels. Nobody seemed to regard them as anyone important or famous (not that they were) because they blended in perfectly with everyone else.

"Tell me again why we're here, Aang?" the irritated one asked impatiently.

"We just needed to have a pit stop until we move on to the next city, Sokka," Aang said cheerfully. "We'll spend at least two nights here to regain our energies. We'll find the inns first then we can rest. There's no rush in anything," he shrugged casually. "Besides, you've been complaining that you haven't slept in a _real_ bed in days."

"No, tell me why we're _here_," he pointed on the road they were walking on. Aang gave him a weird look as Sokka continued. "We're at an _extremely_ crowded marketplace and we're going deeper into it. I thought that we were looking for an inn."

"We are," Aang's female companion said. "That's why we're here looking for one. It's not that crowded, Sokka. You're over-exaggerating."

"But in the market place, Katara? There aren't many inns here, just so you know."

"Well, it's worth the try."

"Yeah, who knows," Aang said. "Maybe we'll find one."

"Always the optimist, Aang," Sokka sighed in exasperation.

They continue to weave through the crowd, stopping once in a while to wait for the other to catch up. Sokka grumbled softly as he trudged, complaining about crowds and his hunger. His sister Katara seemed to pay little attention to him. Aang was always in the lead seeing that he most probably knew where they're going. The other two followed him closely behind, all the while helping him search for an inn as well.

Aang stopped in the middle of the town square and decided on their next move. Gaoling wasn't such a big town but if you get lost then it could be a problem.

Sokka stopped beside him. "So where to?" he asked.

"Umm," Aang's eyes scanned the square's surrounding buildings and roads for their next possible move. He looked around him and can't help but notice the obvious discriminating separation of the social classes in the area. The town square seems to be the main border between the houses and shops of those in nobility and the homes and marketplaces of humble peasants.

It's unfair and rather intimidating to see marvelous looking structures towering over all the other houses that weren't even properly built. Aang scowled when he took notice of that. There was obviously a problem about equality among the people here.

Although, he wondered for a moment how would it be like to live in one of those houses far ahead. Aang never really had a permanent home so he couldn't really feel what it's like to settle in a house permanently.

There was this one house his eyes focused on that seemed to tower above all the others. From afar it looked like a king's palace. But in truth, it was merely the house of one of the wealthiest families in town – possibly even of the whole world according to some locals. Aang couldn't help but be enthralled. It was perched on the farthest part of the upper ring but it can be seen from a good distance. It was a majestic structure surrounded with white walls. A large gate at the center led to its entrance. On the center of the gate, there was a symbol imbedded that neither of them can make out since it's a little far away for the eyes to decipher.

Sokka seemed to follow his gaze and so did his sister. Aang didn't notice the two until they walked right beside him.

"Sooo," the older boy's voice cut him from his thoughts. "Are we gonna find a place to sleep now or are we just gonna stare at rich people's houses and pretend that we're living in them?"

Aang heard Katara give a small laugh and he laughed along. They could dream but the boy knew that that would never happen. Still, it would sound awesome to actually live in one of those mansions, right?

The trio turned to the opposite side of the square and just when they were about to leave, someone called out from behind them.

"I see that you are tourists and need a place to stay," a weary but friendly voice said.

Aang turned to the voice and found that it belonged to a friendly-looking old man. He was middle aged but the smile on his chubby face makes him look almost ten years younger. The young man smiled warmly in return.

"Yes. How did you know?"

"An old innkeeper would know, seeing that he's been on the business for such a long time," he chuckled to himself. "We know travelers when we see them. You're welcome to my inn if the three of you are interested," he paused shortly and added, "We also serve hot tea and good food at the Jasmine Dragon."

At the sound of the word 'food', Sokka instantly perked up. His stomach has been bothering him about food since their 'tour' of the marketplace. "We're interested alright," he said enthusiastically.

Katara stepped forward to give a curt bow and said, "That would be really nice, sir."

"Yeah," Aang said. "We were actually looking for a place to rest and spend the night in since we got here. Coincidentally, you came to our aid just when we were about to continue our search."

The man laughed in amusement.

Despite not knowing the man's name, Aang knew that they could trust him almost immediately just by looking at his face. He seemingly looked kind and harmless. His smile reminded him of someone familiar, but he didn't know who. He doesn't look any dangerous and plus, he approached them kindly so there's no reason for them to turn down his offer. Besides, Sokka has been complaining nonstop ever since their trip to the marketplace and it's starting to annoy him and Katara.

"The inn's not so far. I could lead you to where it is," he gestured for them to follow and they did without any delay.

He led them to a decent looking building that was large enough to be considered an inn. The first story was a small and simple tea shop that was filled with a good number people. Aang guessed it to be the 'Jasmine Dragon'. Tea must be famous here, seeing that many locals came in just to drink some fancy tea.

"Gaoling is famous for its tea," the old man said as if reading Aang's mind. "Many people come to my teashop every afternoon just to enjoy a cup of my famous jasmine tea. I could give you each samples if you'd like."

"That would be nice," Aang mused. He glanced back at his friends for approval. Katara looks tired and didn't catch his gaze while Sokka just yawned. "But we'd prefer to rest for now if it's okay. My friends and I are really worn out," he said.

He chuckled heartily. "But of course. I'll show you your rooms."

Just as Aang had predicted, the inn was at the second and third floors. They asked for two rooms to spend a couple of nights in or until they're ready to continue with their journey. The boys shared a room and lucky enough for Katara, she had a whole room entirely to herself. The rooms were not entirely spacious but they were comfortable in a warm welcoming way.

As soon as Sokka entered their room, he flopped down on the bed farthest from the window and mumbled something about 'sleep' and 'being too tired to do anything else'. Aang took that as a note not to bother the older boy. He was tired himself. They have traveled through sea for hours just to get to this town and it completely wore him off. He lay down on the other bed and allowed himself to rest a little. It wasn't so soft but compared to the bunk beds the crew provided them in the ship, this was much better.

Soon enough, his eyelids grew heavy and he found himself drifting to sleep.

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**To be continued…**

_*Guess who the smiling old man was (as if you still need to guess haha)?_


	2. Chapter 2: Fog

_**(A/N)**__I've been jumpy with my feels lately that I was a bit too excited to write this. Sooo…I promised myself to finish on May 1__st__. And I'm really happy that I didn't break that promise! Anyways, Chapter 2, people._

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**Chapter 2: Fog**

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That night, Aang had a dream.

The moment he started drifting off to slumber, a familiar darkness engulfed him as it separated him from the real world.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself standing not on his room's hardwood floor but on a moist, slippery surface. Aang realized that he was perched on top of massive tree root covered in moss. The green substance beneath his feet made it difficult for him to balance on, so when he felt himself starting to slip, he instinctively grabbed a thick vine to keep himself upright.

Aang let his eyes wander around the ecosystem to take in his surroundings. Everywhere he looked there were unmistakable clusters of vines and branches that were covered in moss or fungi. They seem to appear at random. The trees surrounding him were huge, twisted and definitely ancient judging by their thick trunks. Their roots were even a lot larger than the boy's body in comparison, which made it possible for Aang to balance on them.

He set his gaze from the trees to the surface below him. Greenish freshwater pooled like flood after the rain. Aang realized that there was no visible land surface from where he was rooted. The only things that prevented him from getting wet were the massive tree roots. Everything else around him were either submerged underwater or if terrestrial, covered in vines, moss and fungi.

The leaves of the trees were stories high from the ground and spread everywhere to form a roof. They shielded the light from the sun above him, allowing a large canopy to stretch the vast area, with little rays of sunlight to pass through. The only sounds that he could hear came from a few animals that chattered and cricketed around him noisily.

Through his observation, he knew that he was someplace isolated. It didn't take long for him to register where dreamland took him.

He was in a swamp.

Not just any swamp, _the_ Swamp.

He breathed in the earthly scent. The place smelled of something unpleasant but Aang decided that it was all part of the swamp's organic nature.

He wondered why of all places the Sand Man took him to a swamp. He could be on a mountain or a deserted island, or even flying in the skies with a large fluffy animal, but he never expected to end up in a swamp.

Then again, you can't really choose where your dreams will take you.

Aang sighed.

A silent moment passed. Then suddenly he realized something.

_Wait a minute. I just_ sighed... _In my dream!_

He tried it again just to make sure and exhaled heavily.

Gray eyes shot wide open in surprise.

He just _sighed_ in his dream _voluntarily!_

_No way…_

Aang did a double check and did all sorts of other things that he never knew he could do in ordinary dreams. He started to move his hands around, kick his feet outwards, rotate his head counter-clockwise and reverse. He shook his head and jumped continuously in the air like a child reaching for the cookie jar.

He paused. He did all those things voluntarily and consciously as if he was wide awake in the real world. He could see, hear, smell and even feel. What's even weirder was that he knew he was asleep in reality and was having a strange, realistic dream in a swamp.

Wait, how did he even _know_ he's in a dream? Doesn't your brain usually tell you that you're not dreaming when you really are?

Hoping that he could wake up and escape, he desperately pinched himself on his forearm and winced.

He felt pain.

A look of horror flashed through his features and he started to panic. Painful realization struck him hard that he nearly doubled over and fell into the water below him.

He was stuck here. In the Swamp.

_Trapped._

Aang fell to his knees. This place may be inescapable. He knew that he won't be able to wake up unless some miracle happens. Aang never experienced anything like this. Most of his dreams were incontrollable and he couldn't really use his senses other than his sight. His surroundings just feel so real that it was as if he were truly awake.

He buried his face in his hands and groaned. He has to find a way out of here or he'll be stuck in a marshy swamp for all eternity.

Aang forced himself to stand. He has to find an exit. It could be anywhere so he wasted no time trying to find it. He took cautious steps as he hopped from root to root, holding vines for support, careful not to accidentally slip on the moss and fall in the water. The swamp water obviously wasn't deep but he didn't want to get himself wet and filthy.

He took another step to another root, balancing himself in-between smaller ones with ease. When he reached the end of the tree, he noticed that the adjacent tree's roots were a little distant. There was a gap of water in between and it was large enough for him to possibly fall into. Aang hesitated, but mustered some courage to jump over.

He reached the edge of the adjacent root, but unfortunately, the poor boy slipped on the moss and fell on his back to the water. He was immediately drenched and it hurt where his bottom landed. He groaned from the slight pain of the impact.

Aang pulled himself to his feet and scowled. He was dripping wet and smelt of something indescribable, almost earthly and organic. He was sure that for the whole duration of his quest to the exit, he'll have a stench.

Suddenly, he heard laughter in a distance.

He whirled around consciously to find the source of the voice, only to find no one. Aang shrugged, thinking maybe he was just imagining things, and continued to climb on to the next root.

When he finally managed to settle himself on the bottom of the tree, he heard it again – the unmistakable laugh of a young girl.

Her laugh was playful, inviting, almost like music to the ears. It was as if she was vying for his attention, which in his theory, was something that she was trying to do.

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion when she laughed again. He couldn't find the source of the voice, but at least now he knows that he's not alone.

Something white caught his eye when he turned to the left. Half conscious of what he was about to do, Aang followed it.

He was in the middle of the water whirling around in confusion when she laughed again, this time she was a little closer. Aang turned his head to the source of the sound. A figure clad in a white dress was standing on a branch high above him with a flying boar hovering beside her. Her face was a blur but he could see that she had black hair and had it elegantly tied to a bun. For a moment, he wondered what a girl in a fancy dress could possibly be doing in a swamp, wherein she could be staying within the walls of her house. Aang jumped high to the tree she was perched on and was surprised to discover that he could jump _that_ altitudinous.

Somehow he was having second thoughts of the situation being a realistic dream because normally, he couldn't jump twenty feet off the ground.

When he reached the branch, the girl with the mysterious face sprung to another tree. Aang jumped to follow her.

He grinned at his newfound ability. _Cool! I can jump from tree to tree now like a flying lemur!_

The girl laughed again from another tree, farther away from the one he saw her spring on and he continued to try and catch her.

"Wait!" he cried out.

The girl laughed yet again and Aang was starting to feel rather irritated. If she was trying to catch his attention, she was doing a really good job at it. Although, he did wonder if she was trying to lead him somewhere because she didn't seem like she wanted to talk but just follow. All she probably wanted to do was to play games with him.

She appeared on a tree branch behind him, laughing with mirth. Aang followed and then she disappeared once more.

"Where are you? I just want to talk," he cried.

Aang exhaled. He was beginning to get tired from all the chasing. He looked around him for her and spotted the girl below standing in the middle of the waters with her back turned to him. The flying boar that followed her earlier seemed to have disappeared.

"Who are you?"

Wasting no time, Aang jumped down from the tree he was perched on and grabbed the girl's shoulder. He turned her forcefully to face him, her features still hidden. Just when he was going to take a good look on her face, everything around him, including the girl, faded to white light.

**~*-((****o****))-*~**

"Aang…Aang!"

The boy slowly opened his eyes to find his roommate shaking him vigorously. His face had a worried expression written all over it, and his bed hair was in a total mess.

"_Whurt_," he said hoarsely. "Sokka?"

The older boy exhaled. "Oh thank La," the anxiety from his face faded as he let go of Aang's shoulders. "What the hell happened to you?" he exclaimed and threw his hands up in the air.

"Umm," Aang sat up, scratching his head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"What do you mean 'what do you mean'?! One moment everything was peaceful, quiet and serene, and the next thing you know, you started doing this random dance on your bed while you were asleep." Sokka stood up and imitated Aang's previous movements: kicking around and punching randomly in the air with the occasional jumping that followed. "You freakin' woke me up from this awesome dream I was having about a gorgeous moon spirit, then you started crying about 'just wanting to talk' to someone, and then before you know it, you were back to dancing again!"

Aang's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he tried to recall his previous dream, only to realize that he couldn't remember much. Almost everything was erased from his memory: the swamp, the trees, and even the girl he was chasing; he couldn't recall a thing. But surprisingly, somehow the only thing that he probably could remember was:

Laughter.

The joyous, playful sound of laughter that belonged to a young girl drowned in mirth.

The sound echoed through his ears as the wind blew from his window, caressing his cheeks tenderly. He looked out and realized that it's still a few hours until dawn. The sun hasn't risen yet and the whole town was nothing but silence. He must've woken Sokka up unintentionally in the middle of night.

He silently hoped that he didn't wake anyone else other than Sokka; the least of all Katara. He knows how cranky she gets in the mornings if she didn't have enough beauty sleep.

Aang must've been quiet for the quite some time, because suddenly Sokka's hand was waving in front of his face.

"Hello," Sokka nearly drawled. "Earth to Aang! You still there, buddy?"

He blinked in surprise. "Huh? What?"

"I was asking you what's going on in your head, but then you kind of spaced out."

"Oh," Aang said. "Sorry about that, Sokka. It's just that, I think I had this weird dream earlier, but I couldn't remember anything. I swear, it felt so real for a moment and then suddenly…it was gone."

Sokka pursed his lips. "You sure you don't remember a thing? It could be something serious."

His eyebrows furrowed. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, aside from the 'horizontal dancing' and shouting, you kinda did something else too."

Aang secretly hoped that he didn't do anything else other than the ones Sokka had mentioned. He never did have any 'problems' like snoring or drooling when he's asleep so this was a first for him. If dancing and shouting while you're slightly unconscious is bad enough, what could be worse?

"What?" he pressed.

He paused for a moment, deciding on a good way of telling him. "Well…" He scratched his chin.

"Well what?" Aang started to panic. Judging by the way that Sokka's mischievous smirk was starting to appear, he must've done something _really_ embarrassing.

He braced himself for what the young man was about to say.

"You jumped."

Confusion spread all over his childish face. Not sure if he heard it right, he tried again. "What? I…jumped?"

Sokka grinned. "Yeah, you _jumped_."

"Like…flinched?"

"Nope."

His face was priceless. "As in…stood up…and jumped?"

"That's right."

Aang couldn't believe his ears. He looked for signs of the older boy joking. "What the…_what?_ How is that even possible?"

"Beats me," Sokka shrugged tiredly. Judging by the look on his face, Sokka wasn't giving him any hints that he was joking about the matter. It made Aang even more bemused. "All I know is that while you were dancing, you suddenly stood on your bed and jumped a few times. I don't know why, but you did. It must have been from that 'dream' you were having. I tried to pull you back down but you just kept on jumping higher and higher." He explained. "I was about to call Katara for help but then you eventually settled down, and then everything was okay again."

At the sound of Katara's name, Aang's gray eyes shot wide open. The last thing he wanted to do was to wake her. She was pretty tired the other day that she needed enough rest to recover.

"Did…did I wake her?" he asked reluctantly.

"I hope not," he said. "You know how she is. If one of her mornings start bad, the whole week will be bad. You don't wanna risk it."

"That's…a little too over-exaggerated."

"Not really," Sokka yawned. "She'd help you if it were something serious. But having bad dreams isn't that much of a problem."

Suddenly, some small fragments of detail came rushing back to Aang. He tried to recall it being a bad dream, but he couldn't remember being attacked or hurt or chased away during his trip to dreamland.

In fact, he wasn't even chased by anyone. He was the one chasing something…or _someone._

But he couldn't recall who or what he was chasing.

All he could really remember was the laughter.

Then it hit him.

It was a _girl's _laughter.

A girl in a _white dress's_ laughter.

"But…it wasn't a bad dream." He spoke slowly, almost cautiously.

Sokka nodded weakly as his eyelids started to grow heavy. The young man yawned. "Whatever, Aang." He walked back towards his bed and dumped his body unceremoniously on his mattress. "I'm too tired to give you a therapy. Can't this thing wait 'till morning?"

"But Sokka, it's already morning."

"You know what I mean."

Aang allowed a small smile as he lay back down on his covers. He prayed that the spirits will allow him another chance of sleep. It's already been a really weird night for him and all he wanted was a dreamless slumber. But before he allowed his eyes to close, he turned to Sokka's side of the room.

"Hey, Sokka?"

"What?" he asked with a little irritation in his voice that wasn't hard to miss.

"I'm sorry about waking you up…and, messing with your dream."

"Its fine, buddy," Sokka waved him off. "Just go back to sleep."

**~*-((****o****))-*~**

One hour before the crack of dawn, she rose from under the covers.

She had never intended to wake up this early. No one's even awake yet at this time of day. But Katara was pushed out of bed by her growling stomach. She realized that they weren't able to eat the night before since she and her friends were too tired to take a bite out of anything. They merely flopped on their beds once they reached their rooms, not even bothering to unpack.

Well, Katara did her part anyway. She unpacked a few things but she didn't have time to organize them properly.

She was completely worn out that she didn't even remember falling asleep. The moment she laid her head on the mattress, she was devoid of her energy. She didn't realize how much she missed sleeping on a bed until she actually fell asleep in the inn. While she and her friends travelled, they've always slept on the ground with their sleeping bags and blankets wrapped around them. Beds were a rare occurrence. It was nearly foreign.

She dragged herself to the bathroom sink to wash her face. The cool water was refreshing and it removed the remaining chances of sleep to overtake her once more. She brushed her hair carefully and untangled some strands. Compared to her brother's, Katara's bed hair was even wilder. Her hair was thick, dark and somewhere between being wavy and curly. It's no surprise for the young girl when she wakes up in the mornings, only to discover that she's having a bad hair day. But Katara managed. She was used to this sort of thing.

Setting down the brush, she changed into the fresh new clothes that she had washed the other day. It was her usual blue dress that reached her knees, with white linings on the edges including the collar and the hem of the skirt. She slipped on some pants underneath and boots as well to complete her casual apparel.

Reaching to her neck, she gave a sigh of relief as she fingered her necklace. It was a blue silk choker with a small, perfectly round, pale larimar centerpiece attached to its center. The centerpiece of the jewelry was carved in an intricate, curling wave resembling the Water Tribe symbol. It was a valuable heirloom, passed down from her grandmother to her late mother. Now the trinket belonged to Katara. And she promised to take care of it as if it's the most valuable thing that ever belonged to her; which to her, it most probably was.

Katara never took it off the moment it she had first worn it. It was somehow one of the only things that she had left that bore the remaining memories of her beloved mother. Katara couldn't imagine her life without it. What would she do if she'd accidentally lose it? A part of her will be shattered and it would be as if someone took a huge part of her away.

Looking out the window, the azure sky was still in a deep blue hue. The sun has yet to bathe the town in glorious sunlight.

When she walked towards the mirror to check her reflection, her stomach made a low rumbling noise and she scowled. She clenched it tightly. She was hungry and needed something to eat immediately. But she doubted anyone was awake before dawn and was already on the go. The Jasmine Dragon probably wasn't even open yet. But her stomach was persistently demanding. It was starting to hurt from being empty.

She pushed all her thoughts away as her stomach growled even louder.

_Screw this, I'm starving._

Shaking her head, she opened the door to leave her room, hoping all the way that the Jasmine Dragon below was open.

Her stomach continued to distract her as she walked. Her feet made no noise as she made her way through the cemented floors of the inn. Everything around her was dark and quiet, covering the fact that everyone settling in the building was still asleep.

Katara found the hallway leading to the stairs. Still distracted by her thoughts, she turned a sharp corner to the left and …_BAM!_ She felt her body colliding with someone else's.

They lost their balance and fell to the floor, groaning in pain and shaking their heads. Katara didn't expect anyone else to be up this early. So what was this guy doing here?

"I'm sorry," she said a little hoarsely. "I didn't know you were there and…" The rest of her words died in her mouth. From her position on the floor, she slowly looked up to see who she bumped into. The room was dimly lit so she could barely make out the other person's features. However, she did realize that she bumped into a young man whose body was seemingly tall, firm and well built. He was wearing a simple long-sleeved shirt, pants and slippers. Raven hair fell over his eyes and hid half of his face. The sun must've just begun to rise; the windows allowed a little light to protrude making his golden eyes gleam when he looked at her. Katara gasped inwardly at the way his eyes seemed to pierce through her sapphire orbs.

"…I was…distracted."

For a moment they just sat there across from each other and stared. Katara's mouth was slightly parted as she watched him. None of them moved for a while as a wave of tension washed over them.

The boy kept his gaze locked on her for quite some time, his tawny eyes fierce and ablaze. He didn't look mad or anything. In fact, Katara couldn't tell what emotion he was displaying. His handsome face was cast in a shadow; the only things that were lucid were his eyes.

The stranger broke the silence when he cleared his throat a little awkwardly. He staggered as he picked himself up from his spot on the floor.

"Its fine," he held out a hand to her. Katara, still caught up in a daze, took his hand shyly and brought herself up to her feet.

She kept her eyes on him as he continued to penetrate her soul with his gaze. Suddenly, he looked away and Katara felt blood rushing to her cheeks in embarrassment.

The strange boy brushed passed her and walked towards the hallway she just came from, saying nothing more and leaving the girl in awe staring at him. Katara continued to watch him, caught up in a daze. When he was a good distance away from her, he paused when he reached the windows. He turned his head slightly over his shoulder to catch her eyes once more.

Her breath hitched in her throat.

When he turned, she caught a glimpse of the unmistakably large scar embedded on the left side of his face. Katara's eyes widened in shock at what she saw. The boy, feeling suddenly conscious, immediately turned his head and walked briskly away before she could follow him.

* * *

**To be continued…**

_A little scene from 'The Swamp' there. :)_

_You all probably know who the guy Katara bumped into was. So…I'm not gonna ask you guys to guess anymore *smiles* Reviews are highly appreciated. THANKS!_


	3. Chapter 3: Drizzle

_**(A/N) **__Happy Mother's Day to everyone! I wrote the first part of this Chapter in relation to it almost subconsciously. :v Give love to yo mommas, people!_

_*For those of you that were wondering what Toph's dress in Chapter one looked like, the link is in my profile._

_Now without further ado, I give you:_

* * *

**Chapter 3: Drizzle**

* * *

The sun was a good distance from the horizon when Toph woke up the next morning. Her eyes fluttered open delicately when she heard the knock on the double doors.

"Miss Toph?"

She sat up and yawned. Her hair was a hopeless mess and so was her bed; the comforter was sagging helplessly on the side and she reached out to pull it closer.

Another few knocks came from the door and she huffed.

"Come in," she said with slight irritation to her tone.

The door clicked open and a maid came in carrying a tray of china – the unmistakable scent of porridge filled her nose. "Good morning, Miss Toph," she said. She set the tray down tentatively on the bedside table next to the young heiress, and walked over to the floor length windows of the room to open the curtains. Toph momentarily shielded her eyes from the blinding rays of the sun as they hit her face.

The maid returned to the tray she left beside her young mistress and started preparing the girl's tea.

"How was your sleep, Young Miss?" she asked politely.

"Adequate."

The maid nodded and poured a cup of steaming brew.

"Your mother requests your presence as soon as you're finished."

Toph was not surprised to hear that. "Really," she gingerly accepted the cup the maid offered, and blew on its contents. "Why?"

"She did not say. But I have a feeling that it has something to do with the events tonight."

_Ah, yes. The party._

Toph frowned inwardly. "Can I at least have a change of clothes before I see her?"

The other woman nodded politely and set the tray in front of Toph. The girl inhaled the sweet smell of her breakfast. Porridge was her favorite in the mornings, and the chef's skill in preparing it never ceased to amaze her. She took the small spoon and slowly devoured it in a very lady-like manner.

Meanwhile, the maid crossed the room to her armoire to select her young mistress's dress for the short time being. Her family being extremely rich and rather prestige, Toph had an assortment of dresses to choose from. Unfortunately, the dresses her mother had asked to be made for her were far from her usual taste. They were too frilly, heavy, itchy, and a little too prissy for her liking.

But Toph wasn't entirely spoiled; she did have one or two dresses that she admitted that she had always liked. It was a simple green dress that she wore on the most casual occasions since it was unbelievably light, simple and comfortable.

The maid fingered on one of the 'obnoxious looking' dresses that Toph had always seemed to loathe. "What would you like to wear, Young Miss?"

_Cool, I get to choose what I wear this time. That's new._ She smiled to herself. "Do you remember that green and white dress with the long skirt?"

"The one with the ornate blossoms decorating the chest, Miss?"

"No, no, the one with the pink flower adorning the upper torso with some petals; you know the one with the long sleeves?"

The maid pondered, trying to recall the image of the dress. A smile crept over the woman's face when a picture started to form. "Ah yes," she said and she snapped her fingers. "Your casual summer dress; the one you wore two days ago while taking a stroll in the gardens."

Toph nodded. "Yes that one."

The maid crossed the room once more to open a second armoire and exposed more beautiful dresses. She browsed and surveyed each handiwork, checking for her young mistress's confirmation every once in a while. While she searched, Toph devoured the rest of her porridge, manners almost forgotten. When she was through, she slumped back on her pillows to wait for the maid. It didn't take too long before the woman pulled out the dress Toph was referring to earlier and set it down on the girl's bed.

Toph with a placid expression plastered on her face, wiped her mouth delicately and gently pushed the now finished tray away from her.

"Thank you," she said to the maid.

The maid bowed in response. She then guided the girl to the bathroom to fix her appearance. Her mother specifically told her to make her daughter look presentable, and she's not planning on disappointing Lady Bei Fong in any form or way.

**~*-((o))-*~**

Thirty minutes later, Toph was being escorted down the halls by her two body guards. To her left was a man; the latter, a woman almost as tall as the man. They walked on either side of her, plastering straight faces and bearing hidden arms under their sleeves. Toph loathed the idea of always being followed, guarded and watched by her bodyguards almost twenty-four seven. It's not like a kidnapper or murderer will pop out at any moment, right? The idea was humorous. After all, the estate was surrounded by impenetrable walls on the outside, and there are guards on patrol night and day even if it wasn't completely necessary. It would be close to impossible for someone to even attempt to kidnap her.

And they would do so at their own risk.

Toph personally trained herself in secret, learning mix martial arts for just the right amount of defense against any attempts. Living in a house with her identity almost hidden from the world, there really isn't much for her to do. So she devoted herself in practicing the art of defense at a tender age. When she reached twelve, she was close to out-ranking most of the superiors. Even at that young age, she could already do much damage – even capable of instilling permanent afflictions.

She never told her parents about her abilities though, in fear of them not being able to understand her. Or worse, her banishment in doing what she's most exceptional at.

And that is, training in the art of self-defense.

They made it to the double doors of her mother's bedchambers. A servant opened the door for them and Toph walked in poised, with a blank expression on her delicate face. Her bodyguards were on the wait just outside the room.

The room was larger than Toph's by comparison and it was lit by the floor length windows on the opposite wall. Golden, elaborate curtains gracefully adorned the windows' frames and all around her, there lay everything else that made the bedchambers look so elegant – including a king sized bed with a canopy in the far end of the room, and a carpet with the family's golden insignia draped across the marble floor. The place gave visitors an aura of tranquility and was almost perfect for a queen to sleep in.

Only the room did not belong to a queen, but merely a woman who is considerably one of the richest ladies in the whole world.

Poppy Bei Fong was sitting by her dresser facing a mirror when Toph arrived. A servant was brushing her hair, and another was applying her make-up. She smiled pleasantly when she saw her daughter walk up to her modestly.

"Good morning, mother," the girl greeted and did a curt bow. "You called me for some important matters, I presume?"

"Yes I did, darling," Poppy said without turning to her daughter. She looked at her through the mirror and suddenly took in her daughter's appearance. Her eyebrows furrowed. "Toph, dear, what are you wearing?"

She swallowed. "A dress, mother."

"Didn't I tell you to stop re-wearing the same dresses over and over again? You have four armoires of new dresses exclusively made for you, but still you wear the old ones," she sighed. "I'm beginning to think that all that money I spent for your wardrobe was for nothing."

Toph bit her lip and set her guilty gaze on the floor. "But I like this dress. It's light, comfortable and I love it; it's my favorite. Besides, the design isn't so bad if you look at it." She paused for a short moment and added bravely, "I can go back and change if you want me to."

Poppy waved her hand dismissingly and sighed in exasperation.

"Never mind, take a seat. This won't be too long."

Toph obediently took her seat on one of the velvet chairs, folding her dress neatly and placing her hands on her lap.

"As you know, there will be an important event tonight," her mother started. "And I expect that you will look rather presentable in front of our guests. There will be nobles, rich folk and important people attending this evening's event, and I want you to be on your best behavior. Your father and I expect it."

Toph almost snorted. She already knew about the party and her parents' oh so important guests. Why did the woman have to go over it again? She wasn't a child anymore who couldn't grasp whatever was being explained to her.

"Some of our business associates and friends from nobility might even be bringing their children… particularly, their _sons_. I will introduce them to you, one by one, once they arrive. It's part time that you get started in finding yourself a boy, Toph. And I'm most certainly sure that at least one of them will take some interest in you. I mean, who wouldn't? After all, my daughter is a charming young lady."

The girl's eyes widened in utter shock, but did not dare to argue with anything that her mother had just said – even if a number of protests were itching to get out of her throat.

_Oh so this is why she called me here…_

Her mother turned to her, and the servant doing her make-up stopped in mid application of her mascara. "You remember that dress I had you try on yesterday, yes?"

Toph nodded absently.

"That is what you're going to wear tonight. I'll have it laid out."

What she said wasn't at all surprising. Toph's eyes narrowed as another scowl threatened to form.

Poppy turned her head back to the mirror and the servants continued on with their work.

"You will have a lathering bath two hours before dusk and your maid servants will be doing your hair, make-up and everything else necessary to be done before the party. Your dress will be ready by then and I'll have them make sure that you wear your shoes this time. We don't want you running around the ballroom barefoot. It isn't proper."

Toph so badly wanted to scowl and protest angrily, but all the years of training herself in keeping her emotions hidden always got the best of her. She hated wearing shoes. They're painful, uncomfortable and she couldn't even walk on a decent pair. Her feet have always been sensitive and she loved walking around barefoot – even during the most formal events. Why do people still need to wear shoes if their dresses only hid their feet?

Even at that present moment, her feet were naked. But she kept them hidden under the hem of her dress, as if exposing them would be a scandal.

"You'll have your bodyguards to escort you to the main hall where we will greet the guests, and then they will take you to the grand ballroom where dinner will be held," her mother continued. "After which, we will introduce you to our business associates and their sons."

For a moment, her daughter's eyebrows drew together almost intensely. But Poppy was a little too preoccupied with her own business to notice.

When the servant was done doing her hair and make-up, she stood from her spot on the stool turned to her daughter once more. "Maybe if we're lucky, Toph, you might actually like one of them." She sauntered gracefully towards her. "They're very rich, polite and decent young men who came from important families. Try not to show some distaste in them, dear. Give them a chance to interact with you. They're sons of our friends and it would be nice to have someone rich and handsome to take care of you someday."

_Okay, that's it. Mom's talking crap now._

This time, Toph really couldn't hold herself no more. Isn't it a bit too early for her to choose her courtiers already? She's only thirteen for spirit's sakes! Boys have never been her top priority… nor were her future amends for that matter. She never took interest in those sensitive topics. They've always bothered her to no end.

"Mother," she said, unaware that her voice was shaking. Her mother was being ignorant and she couldn't take it anymore. "I'm only thirteen. Isn't it a little too early for you to be planning this for me? I thought the party was for business purposes _only_."

"It is," she stated simply. "But it offers the perfect opportune moment for you to mingle with young people your age."

_Yeah, but for very different reasons._

Since she was a child, Toph being sheltered from the world for her own 'protection' didn't help much with her social life. Meaning, she didn't really have many friends. Heck, she didn't even have _any_, for that matter. She grew up being timid and demure, always hiding during parties and events. Her parents didn't want foreign influences invoking her, so they concealed her from the public.

But now, her mother was suggesting on her _mingling_ with other people her age but for clearly a different purpose:

Matchmaking.

Not for the sole reason of making new acquaintances.

Toph felt herself shudder.

Poppy yet again failed to notice and leaned down to place her hands against her daughter's pale cheeks. "Not to worry, dear," she pushed a stray lock of hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. "I'm sure that you will do just fine tonight. You'll be surprised at what might actually happen." She smiled genuinely and Toph forced herself to smile back. Her mother then kissed her forehead lightly.

She withdrew herself from her daughter and stood upright. "Well, that is all," she said. "I have a big day in making sure that all our plans for tonight will be pushed through to ensure that this evening will be a success. So your father and I will be very busy."

Again, she was not surprised. They were _always_ busy to even discover what she's been up to lately.

"Try not to cause any trouble, dear," she said and Toph nearly scoffed at her mother's words. "Your lessons are canceled today so you can prepare yourself for tonight accordingly." She smiled again before she dismissed her. "Now off you go. I'll see you tonight."

Toph nodded. And with that, she stood and walked out of her mother's bedchambers, without saying another word.

**~*-((o))-*~**

Earlier that morning after Katara bumped into a mysterious stranger, she continued on down the stairs to the Jasmine Dragon. Upon discovering that it was still closed, she decided to just return to her room and wait for her other companions. She lay down on the mattress for a good few minutes, humming silently to herself, all the while tolerating her hungry stomach. Soon, one hour had passed and the sun was finally a good distance in the skies. When she felt her stomach growl for the umpteenth time, she cursed and stormed her way to her brother's room and demanded that they move faster so that they could finally have breakfast. Sokka was eager and did not waste a minute, but he took forever to drag himself out of the bathroom. He grinned stupidly when she started tapping her foot in impatience. And at the same time, Katara still had to coax Aang out of bed, who groaned protests as she continued to pry.

But soon enough, despite all the trouble, she finally succeeded. And not long after, the three friends made their way down the steps to the Jasmine Dragon, looking completely refreshed and well rested.

When the old innkeeper saw them descend, he smiled in a welcoming way from his place on the counter. "Good morning! I assume you're all well rested? I can see it in your faces: you look much livelier! I hope our rooms were comfortable enough."

"They were great, thanks," Aang smiled as he took a seat in one of the tables. The two siblings followed and took the seats opposite from him.

"I apologize for being quite rude yesterday," the man said and the trio looked at each other in confusion. Before anyone could interject, he said, "Apparently I did not get to introduce myself to you when we made our acquaintance."

The innkeeper sauntered over to them, tying his apron. He then fished a small notebook and pen from his pockets. "I go by the name..._Mushi_. I'm the innkeeper and founder of this wonderful establishment," he said with a smile that never seemed to leave his weary face, and they smiled back. "What can I get for you three?"

Before Aang could give the man his order, Sokka was quick in asking: "Do you have anything with meat?"

"We have meat buns and rolls if that is okay."

"That'll do. I'll take…" Sokka counted his fingers. "…six of the meat buns and six of the rolls."

"Sokka!"

"Make that eight of the meat buns: two of which are for my picky sister."

Katara glared at her brother. "I'd like to place my _own_ order, _thank you_," she turned to the old man and smiled up at him. "I'll have some cinnamon bread and a cup of your famous jasmine tea, please? I want to know what's so special about it that got the people talking."

Mushi scribbled down the notes in amusement. "Of course," he turned to Aang. "And what can I get for you, young man?"

"I'll just have some fruit, if that's okay."

Sokka gasped, feeling offended. "Aang! Are you serious? _Fruit?_ You've got to be kidding me."

"Umm…what's so bad about fruit?"

"If we're on the road you gotta need to eat a bit of protein. You barely have any!" He held up Aang's skinny arm and pointed at it. "See? You need meat! You're a growing young man and you need it. Take me as an example: I have muscles because of the protein. You on the other hand, are full of skin and bones."

"What? No I'm not. I just have… _smaller_ muscles. They're just not like yours."

"Exactly! They're not like mine. That means you need more meat than I do."

Katara giggled. "Not like his? Maybe it's because Sokka's aren't even muscles, Aang," she teased. "Maybe they're _fats_."

Sokka glared at his sister and Aang covered his mouth to laugh.

"I'll have you know that this is _pure_ meat," he pointed on his bicep.

"Yeah right," she scoffed then turned to Aang. "Don't listen to him." And then she said to Sokka, "If Aang wants to keep his culture, you should respect it."

"But he still needs meat! No excuses."

His sister rolled her eyes and groaned in exasperation.

The old man has been watching the display and laughed an amused chuckle. "There's absolutely no problem. If that's what your friend wants, so be it." He scribbled on his notebook again. "Would you like anything else?"

"The tea that Katara ordered," Aang said. "What was it called again?"

"Jasmine tea?"

"Yes, that. I'd like a cup of that, please."

Mushi nodded and scribbled again once more. Afterwards, he folded the notebook back into place and kept it in his pockets. "I will send someone in shortly with your orders ready," he bowed to them politely and left for the kitchen.

Once the man was out from their sights, Sokka said, "Nice guy."

"Yeah, he is," Aang said as he played with the salt container. He grinned. "He just can't stop smiling can he?"

Katara nodded. "He's got that positive aura that's just so contagious."

"Yep," Sokka agreed, "I wish most old people were like that. Happy…zest?" and then quickly changed topics before anybody could interject with something else. "So, what are our plans today, oh so brilliant task manager?" He referred to Katara who rolled her eyes as she pulled out a memo from her pocket.

"Well, we're running low on food supply, so I guess we should restock in the marketplace."

Her brother groaned. "Not again! We just got there yesterday."

"I know, but we were there for a different purpose. This time, we need enough supplies before we head to Omashu. It's a pretty good distance so it would help if we have enough food and water."

"Wait a minute. We're heading to Omashu?"

"Yeah. Aang wanted to see his old friend King Bumi again so that's our next stop."

"…Oh," Sokka's eyebrows furrowed upon remembering the old goon. He shuddered at the memory.

"After that," Aang said. "What do we do next, Katara?"

"Well, I guess we could look around the town. We could see the plaza, the shops of nobility, and there might even be some events that are happening randomly around town. I think we should check it out. You know, make our visit worth remembering." She smiled. "I heard that Gaoling is famous for a lot of things."

"Really? Like what?"

"_Tea."_

The trio whirled their heads around and saw a waiter holding their orders, standing beside Katara. He was tall with pale skin, and a green apron was tied securely around his waist. His eyes lit up like embers of a flame despite being almost concealed by his dark hair. He may not be looking at her but Katara thought for a moment that he looked rather familiar. That was when he did her a favor by turning his face towards her, and she gasped silently when she saw the horrible flame shaped scar on his left eye. Her eyes widened when she realized that this was the young man that she had bumped into earlier.

He cleared his throat and tentatively, almost a little too cautiously placed the tea in front of her. Sokka and Aang may have their eyes on his scar as well but he didn't seem to bother. The young man's eyes narrowed and he tensed for a moment. He was not making any eye contact with any of them. There was an uncomfortable silence in their table until the old innkeeper walked up to them carrying an extra tray of Sokka's meat buns and rolls.

"Ah, nephew," he said. "You forgot this. Our customers must be hungry. They haven't eaten since they got here."

"One tray at a time, uncle," the young man said to him.

He chuckled. "Of course, we wouldn't want any accidents." He aided his nephew in placing the food in front of the trio. Sokka rubbed his hands together in anticipation, and Aang snatched his gaze away from the waiter's scar to let his eyes fall on the neatly sliced, mouth-watering fruits before him.

"Allow me to introduce my personal assistant," Mushi said while setting the tray down. He clamped a hand on the young man's shoulder. "This is my nephew Zu – uh…_Lee._"

He coughed and Lee narrowed his eyes.

Aang smiled at him a wide, friendly grin, "Pleased to make your acquaintance." He held out a hand for him to shake. "I'm Aang, that's Sokka, and that's his sister Katara. We came all the way from the South Pole."

The boy did nothing but scowled at Aang's general direction and merely glared at his outstretched arm. The younger boy seemed to notice his negative attitude, and the smile that was once plastered on his face slowly dissipated. He placed his hand down.

Mushi cleared his throat awkwardly. "Lee here is quite…uh…_troubled._ But not to worry! He has a good soul. He's been helping around ever since we settled into this establishment.

Meanwhile, Katara's gaze was still transfixed on the handsome boy with the scar that she didn't seem to notice the food placed in front of her. Aang tapped her forearm lightly and she turned to him.

"Katara, your tea is getting cold."

She nodded, cleared her throat and took a bite out of her bread.

By then, the boy had just finished serving them their food. He bowed to them, a smile not once creeping on his face. "Enjoy your meal." He locked eyes with Katara, who finally seemed to regain enough composure (despite her heart beating wildly in her chest), for a good five seconds before he turned to leave. Then he was gone, disappearing into the kitchen.

"Well, that was awkward."

**~*-((o))-*~**

After they finished with breakfast, Sokka had asked the innkeeper to wrap the remaining buns and rolls in a bundle for future purposes. The old man happily complied and wrapped the food in a neat cloth. He offered to store it for them in the kitchen safely until they planned on retrieving it. They smiled and thanked the man before proceeding to their respective rooms.

An hour later, they found themselves strolling in the marketplace, just as their memo directed; this time, with Katara in the lead. It was fairly another busy day in the streets of Gaoling since there seemed to be clusters and clusters of vendors and goods almost everywhere. It wouldn't be a surprise if a bystander will attempt any theft since most of the shops and carts in the dusty marketplace were drawn closely together, and the vendors were easily distracted by their customers.

Katara navigated her way through the crowd, all the while making sure that she wouldn't bump into anyone accidentally. Aang and Sokka were in tow just behind her carrying a woven basket meant for the goods that they plan on retrieving.

They entered shop after shop for the past hour, purchasing the supplies needed as they went, making bargains when necessary, and getting junk for free when they're lucky. It was not long until their basket was almost bloated with goods, and the money they had spent proved all their worth.

After another two hours of shopping, Katara finally felt her legs growing tired and giving in, and Sokka started to complain about the heat and exhaustion of carrying his sister's 'junk'. Aang was the one who suggested that they take a break by the fountain in the town square until they're ready to continue on with their task. The inn was a little far and they still have a number of things left to do before midday, so it wouldn't hurt to take a break for a short moment.

They rested there by the fountain, with the trees surrounding them providing shade, allowing the wind to cool their backs and the stone fountain to give them a serene calm. Katara leaned her back against the base and sighed pleasantly. It wasn't long until she felt herself drifting, allowing her eyes to close and a short power nap to overtake her.

Unfortunately, her two companions also found themselves in the same state she was (thanks to their exhaustion), that none of them bothered to ask the other to keep watch. Soon enough, the trio were leaning against each other fast asleep, the basket of supplies tucked under Sokka's arms.

A few minutes later, Katara managed to open her eyes. She was beginning to think that she's becoming more easily fatigued ever since they got to the city. She squinted to take in her surroundings, and realized that they were leaning against the foot of the fountain in the square. There was a head on her shoulder and she found Sokka leaning against her. Aang was on the boy's other side, his back against the fountain. Both of them were fast asleep. Smiling, she decided that it wouldn't hurt closing her eyes once more. After all, their basket was full and getting another one would mean travelling back to the inn…

_Wait a second._ Her eyelids snapped open and she sat up, looking around her frantically for something important.

Realization then struck her like a heavy blow when she discovered that what she was looking for wasn't there to begin with.

The basket.

_It's gone!_

She gasped and scrambled up to wake the two boys, shaking them frantically, "Sokka! Aang! Wake up."

Aang was the first one to open his eyes, Sokka followed shortly after. He sat up as he took in, slower than a snail-tortoise, his sister's panicked expression.

"What's up, sis?" he rubbed his eyes from sleep and Aang stretched beside him.

"The basket, Sokka. Where is the basket?"

"What basket?"

"The basket with our food and supplies… The one you guys were holding earlier!"

"Oh _that_ basket," he grinned and for a moment Katara's face softened. "Don't worry. I have it here somewhere…" he looked around him for it but found nothing. He shrugged, stood up and walked around the fountain searching for it but still found nothing. He felt panic and fear slowly creep in to his system. He turned to his sister a little too suddenly and she nearly jumped back in surprise.

"Where's the basket?" he asked hurriedly in dread.

"I don't know," she said, her voice nearly strangled. "I thought it was with you!"

"What's going on?" Aang stood up and walked over to them, concern written across his childish face.

"The basket with the supplies," Sokka said. "It's gone."

"What?!"

"I know!" he was gesticulating wildly now and his voice was high in alarm. "I swear to Tui and La, five minutes ago it was sitting comfortably under my arms and next thing I knew it was…it was…"

He didn't need to finish his statement for them to realize what happened to their basket.

"It was stolen," Katara said slowly.

Sokka sank into his knees and started pulling on his hair. "Oh spirits why? How could I have been so careless? I was so stupid! _Stupid!_ The stuff in there was worth an entire bag of copper pieces gone to waste."

He continued to blame himself despite Katara's best efforts in comfort and reassurance. The bystanders watched the scene without much interest. The square wasn't entirely packed with people but there were a few passerbies stopping by once in a while. No one bothered to approach the trio in their current situation.

"…It's my fault," Aang said silently, looking away.

Katara approached him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "No, Aang. It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself." She reached out subconsciously to touch the choker that graced her neck for some reassurance on her part. Suddenly she stiffened. She may not have felt it before, but she realized that there was something empty. She tried again, but the necklace that was once there a few minutes ago was suddenly…

_Missing._

Her body tensed again and her other hand came up to touch her neck now bared of the heirloom. Aang seemed to notice her sudden change of movement. He turned to her and was shocked to see panic clearly written on her pretty face.

"K-Katara?"

Her voice came out strangled when she opted to speak. "…My necklace is gone too..."

* * *

**To be continued…**

_Whew! That took longer than the usual. Reviews are highly appreciated~ _


	4. Chapter 4: Rain

_**(A/N)**__ I just turned sixteen a few days ago. Huzzah! That means that I only two more years 'til I'm finally legal! (Hawhawhawww) :P_

_*Also, I changed the genre from Romance/Adventure to Romance/Drama since it fits the story much nicely. (And since I'm also taking a huge step in writing drama-fics as you could see)_

* * *

**Chapter 4: Rain**

* * *

"_K-Katara?"_

_Her voice came out strangled when she opted to speak. "…My necklace is gone too..."_

…

As soon as the words left her lips, Katara felt numb.

"No…"

Gradually, all the color drained from her face and she tensed visibly. _This couldn't be happening._ Her two companions watched in apprehension as her hands flew to her neck and collarbone to desperately double check, triple check, and then even attempt a fourth try if, by any chance, she had miscalculated…

"Sis?"

She hadn't.

The one thing she had treasured the most was truly gone, taken along with their basket.

"No…"

Katara couldn't believe it. With all the problems starting to arise, the sole thing she dreaded the most just had to partake–even with her greatest efforts of prevention. As much as it pained her to think, it was all true and it made her feel incredibly despondent. She had been careless; their basket was stolen: a whole bag of copper pieces gone to waste. And in less than a day, an heirloom that could've cost a fortune had disappeared as well. To top it off, the misplaced Larimar pendant was the most precious thing that Katara had ever taken possession of.

And now, because of her imprudence, it was robbed.

What would her mother feel? Her grandmother would have never forgiven her for such carelessness.

_No…_

Stars danced across her vision; the world around her seemed to close in and she suddenly found it hard to breathe. When she felt her weight give in and her knees initiating her collapse, Aang and Sokka were instantly on either side of her for support.

"Katara!"

They caught her just in time before her full weight even touched the ground. Her sudden fatigue had alerted both boys even before their female companion felt her knees buckle. Sokka was quick enough to take hold of her arm and shoulder when he sensed the abrupt change in the air.

"Aang!" Sokka vociferated in distress as he continually tried to support his sister's limp weight on his arms. One look at the older boy's face and it was enough to tell that he is clearly in panic. His sister doesn't just faint randomly! She's taking the situation a little way too much.

"Hold on, I'll go get help," Aang said hurriedly, and he stood to go. But suddenly, he was halted by a girl who had witnessed the scene amidst the small number of by-passers. As soon as Aang saw her running towards them, he paused from where he stood.

"Wait! Let me," She said as she knelt beside Katara and took hold of her arm and shoulder, asking Sokka's help for support. "She needs air; help me sit her by the fountain."

Together, they half-carried and half-supported the slightly unconscious girl and settled her to where the auburn haired stranger had asked them to. She then loosened the collar of Katara's tunic to allow an easy access for respiration.

"What happened to her?" She turned to ask them, and the two boys blurted out their explanation animatedly, piling the events one on top of the other in alternate turns.

"Well, something came up," Sokka started.

"Yeah. We were shopping at the market district hours ago – "

"– carrying a huge basket of supplies. We've been shopping and restocking for hours until we felt the need to– "

"– when we decided to catch our breaths for a short while. So we–"

"– so we rested here by the fountain. Right here… "

"Our basket of supplies was _still_ with us, mind you. And – "

"Wait. Still?" The girl intervened and arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean by 'still'?"

"What?"

"Well, you two said that you _still_ had your supplies with you. What did you mean by that?"

Sokka scratched his head. "Well, that's the thing. We did." When she continued to show him signs of confusion, he quickly added, "Past Tense."

The girl nodded slowly, taking it in and putting it all in place. "So you're trying to tell me that it just what? Disappeared?"

"Um, yeah. Sorta," Aang said.

"More like stolen actually," the other boy added.

She nodded again, eyebrows drawn together as she focused her gaze on the girl leaning against her brother's shoulder. "And then what? She just… fainted? Just like that? Don't you think that's a little bit too…? "

"Melodramatic?"

"Yeah, that. And quite erratic."

"Well," Aang started, slowly and hesitantly. "Something else happened. You see, our stuff wasn't the only thing that had gone missing. She had this necklace –"

"Which was by far, was one of the most valuable things she's ever owned," Sokka intervened. He ignored the look the younger boy was giving him and continued. "It was a Larimar pendant taken along with the basket. At first she didn't realize it was gone until she felt that her neck was bare. It was a shocker since she doesn't really go anywhere without it. She's never taken it off. What's even harder to believe was that Katara is usually a light sleeper. She would've felt the thief removing the necklace from her neck…but she hadn't."

Just as he had finished his explanation, he felt his sister stir. Katara's eyes slowly fluttered open and she groaned displeasingly. "Wha…what happened?"

Her brother gave a sigh of relief and muttered, "Oh thank the spirits."

He aided Katara as she sat up. Then she took one look at her brother's face and squinted. "What happened?" she repeated.

"You fainted."

"I… what?" Then she looked frantically around her, suddenly alarmed. "Where am I?"

"We're at the town square," a girl, who was obviously someone she's never met before, said beside her. "I saw you collapse and then you passed out. It's a good thing that nothing was too serious or we would've had a problem."

Her eyebrows furrowed. So she fainted? That's a first. She's never fainted before, not that she'd remember any situation involving these.

"That's weird," she mused. "Why did I faint?"

"I was hoping you would know why."

Katara rubbed her temples absently. "I need some water."

Aang was instantly up on his feet, and with a curt nod, he took off to snag a pouch of clean water. The fountain water may have been fresh but it was clearly unsafe to drink. Algae littered about making the fresh water look green, slimy and murky.

He came back three minutes later with a pouch filled with clear liquid. He handed it to Katara who took it gingerly.

"Thanks, Aang," she said.

She drank the cool water, taking slow sips at a time while the others watched her absently. Once she was through, she handed the pouch back to Aang.

Sokka had been debating the whole time whether to break the news of the reality of the situation to Katara. She may not have remembered anything before she fainted. It was in these trapped situations when he felt the desperate need of someone else's help to aid him. Luckily, they may or may not have found one already. His sister just doesn't faint over something petty and random; and no, the heirloom was anything but the former and latter. He would have to risk telling her eventually even if it the stakes were incredibly high. Knowing her and based on the previous results, she might not take it in a calm state.

But somehow, he decided to wait for her to discover it herself.

And no, he didn't wait too long.

While he was still brooding over his thoughts, Katara was already aware of her bare neck and collarbone. She was touching the spot absently, eyes downcast.

"Katara?"

Her expression was unreadable when he tried peering at her. But when she turned her face slightly towards his, it all became clear.

"…my necklace is gone, Sokka," he saw her lip quiver, her tears threatening to fall. "I thought it was just a dream until…," her voice cracked. "Mother would never forgive me!"

Sokka put his arm around her a little awkwardly. Sadly, he didn't really have the briefing on how to handle these types of sensitive situations. Katara was crying now. He had expected her to, but her tears were meek and she didn't feel the need to wail or sob like he thought she would. She leaned her head against her brother's shoulder, fresh tears soaking up his sleeve.

The auburn haired girl that was sitting beside them had placed a hand on her shoulder, and Aang had kneeled in front of Katara, rubbing his hand soothingly on her knee.

"Shh, Katara, it's okay. It's not your fault. Your mom would have understood."

She allowed her tears to pour for a while, and then mustering all her strength; she took a deep breath and withdrew from her brother's shoulder. Katara raised an arm and wiped her tear streaked face. "We have to get it back," she said determinedly.

Aang nodded and Katara stood to go, the others followed suit.

The girl who had been with them spoke up, "Right on. But I think it would be best if you have another few extra pairs of eyes. You'd need it."

"Huh?"

She smiled at them sheepishly. "Oh, sorry about that. What I meant to say was: you'd probably need some help in finding it." She moved to stand in front of her. "I know a few friends that could help and I'd be willing to join in as well. Gaoling is a pretty big town and you'll need someone who has a massive familiarity with the streets. If that necklace was of great importance to you, why turn our backs to it?" She smiled and gave a curt nod. "I'll have them informed right away. Your thief will be captured in no time."

The trio couldn't believe their ears.

"Wow, thanks," Katara said.

If she could've been honest, Katara was more than happy to have someone so willing to help them. But that little voice at the back of her head kept telling her that trust was a valuable thing.

Before the girl had a chance to turn and leave, her brother had been quick to stop her. Somehow, Katara assumed that she and Sokka were sharing the same thoughts and speculations. "Wait," he said and the girl paused. "Who _are _you?"

She just gave him a sly smile. "Trust me. In these types of situations, I'm someone you'd need."

"Yes, but what I meant was: what's your name?"

She turned to face them fully, the smile never once leaving her pretty face. "My name is Suki," she shrugged one shoulder. "I'm the commander and leader of the Kyoshi Warriors."

**~*-((o))-*~**

Truth be told, Suki was exactly the type of person they needed currently at the moment. They were lucky to have her willingly volunteer.

After some necessary introductions, they found themselves navigating their way through the busy streets and alleyways with Suki in the lead. The warrior had told them that they needed to be agile and they did not question her. She knew that she only had a limited time (despite agreeing to help them), so she couldn't afford to put a single millisecond to waste. She walked with long strides, her pace increasing in almost every step she took. They had to move briskly just to keep up with her. It seems as if Suki really does know her way around Gaoling, because not once did she stop and ask for directions or scan the area for a familiar landmark.

Sokka moved quicker than his comrades, and was following the Kyoshi warrior closely behind. Aang and Katara did not bother slowing him down. When a pretty girl was in sight and within range, the young man would not hesitate to pour out the 'natural charm'.

And said charm works almost all the time.

_Almost._

"So you're a Kyoshi Warrior, huh?" Sokka asked when he finally fell in step with her. Suki slowed her pace down a bit to allow the others to catch up. The young man continued, "I'm a warrior myself."

"Really?" She sounded incredulous, but her tone was teasing. "From what brigade are you, then?"

"Brigade? Well, uh… we don't really have a specific name for our group back in the south…" he scratched the back of his neck. "We do have a lot of denominations, though. And I mean _a lot _of 'em_…_really awesome ones too."

"Okay. So what do they call you guys?"

"Uh," Sokka pondered for a decent name for his so-called brigade. "The Sokka… Boomerang…Brigade? The Boomerang Team? The…"

Suki chuckled and he found himself blushing from slight embarrassment. Okay they weren't such good names, but he couldn't have thought of better ones. Worse, they sounded more like questions than straight-forward statements.

"Those are pretty weird names for a brigade, don't you think?"

"Nah, I think they're pretty…classy. You know, 'cause we 'boomerangers'… erm, boomerang _wielders_ use these for weapons." He fished a nice looking boomerang from his bag and, without losing his hold on the weapon, made a show of swooshing it in the air, narrowly impaling someone on the head with its semi-sharp edges. "We also have clubs but they're pretty deadly and heavy and… um, I don't think I have one with me right now."

Suki laughed mirthfully, a pleasant sound ringing in his ears. Because of that, Sokka found himself wearing the biggest grin that ever graced his face.

"We Kyoshi warriors have weapons, ourselves, and armor complete with warrior paint." She smiled and gestured to her casual apparel. The girl was clad in brown pants and on top was a green tunic. "Right now however, I'm not in uniform since the morning was supposed to be my day off. But despite not being officially in uniform, it's still part of our Code and duty to help anyone in need. That's why I had agreed to be of service to you." Hastily, she added with a genuine smile, "Oh, and also because I'm willing to help. Your sister looked devastated back there. I couldn't just leave and let you guys be on your own now, can I?"

They took a turn to the left of another narrow street, and Sokka felt Suki's pace quicken a few notches. They jogged to catch up with her.

"So where are we headed to again?" Aang asked from behind them, stumbling slightly.

"To the Kyoshi Headquarters: Gaoling Chapter," Suki said, over her shoulder. "We're taking the shortcut. It isn't very far from where we're currently at, but we need to hurry. We wouldn't want to attract any unwanted attention."

The street had led them to the entrance of the main forum and they found themselves amidst a huge crowd lining up the streets. Suki easily slipped past clusters of people, all the while making sure that the three teenagers behind her were still in tow. While maneuvering, Sokka nearly bumped into a large, burly man, but Katara was quick to grasp her brother's forearm to keep him steady.

"Hey, why so many people?" Sokka asked as he pushed past clusters of individuals.

"There's a parade at midday," Suki said over the noise. "The nobles and aristocrats from all around the world are coming, so this is how the citizens welcome them when they visit Gaoling."

Sokka peered over and indeed there was a procession of carriages, flags, banners, performers and palanquins making their way through the cleared streets. Music blared from all around and armed guards were stationed in almost every corner to keep the parade secure. The common people waved and cheered for the nobles as they passed. Some of those participating in the parade would throw coins to the townsfolk and the peasants would scramble on their hands and knees to get their share.

Suki had managed to grasp an airborne gold coin before someone else could snatch it. "Rich folk," she shrugged, and tossed the coin to Sokka who fumblingly caught it. "Figures."

They continued to move since Kyoshi warrior had asked them to keep going despite the procession. With all the people and the parade it was hard not to get distracted. And something had already caught Sokka's attention despite Suki's orders.

One particular carriage being pulled by four white crane-llamas appeared in his range of sight and the young man's curiosity bubbled within him. The carriage's exterior was painted in lovely baby blue and elaborate designs were carved intricately along its surface. Sokka found himself straining to peer in the interior, and he caught a glimpse of someone seated demurely inside as the box continued to move in a moderate pace. It was girl with long, gorgeous, silver hair; her face was cast in the shadows but Sokka could already tell she was pretty. He squinted to see her more clearly, and had endured slight difficulty due to his distance from the carriage and the mass of the crowd. His troubles were spared when the girl did him a favor by turning her head slightly towards his direction.

Sokka's breath was caught in his throat when deep zircon blue eyes met his.

_Holy Tui and La…_

The girl smiled prettily, but all the boy could do was grin dumbly in return.

Normally, Sokka would have found every girl he'd lay his eyes on naturally pretty. But the girl (who was obviously a royal) sitting inside that carriage was by far one of the most beautiful girls his eyes had ever seen. He felt his mouth go dry when he saw her wave shyly at him.

Completely distracted, Sokka didn't feel his sister tugging on his sleeve forcibly; yanking him to keep up with the rest of them. He didn't realize that he was already far behind until Katara had berated him.

He took one more look at the blue carriage but it was already moving away and far out of his sights. Sokka shoulders slumped in disappointment.

When they finally regrouped with Aang and Suki, Katara made a mental note never to let go of her brother's wrist. They couldn't risk having anyone fall back – not with the number of people pressing in on them.

"Do they hold these parades often?" she asked, pushing past a cluster of individuals, dragging the still mildly dazed Sokka along. "I mean, are they even necessary?" Sure, it was a stupid question but Katara had to ask otherwise.

"On the rarest occasions," Suki snorted. "Only when someone of 'great importance' comes to town. Compared to the big cities like Ba Sing Se, international aristocrats, royals and nobles only visit Gaoling when there's a gathering in the Bei Fong's Estate."

"The Bei Fongs?" Aang furrowed his brows. "Who're they?"

"The richest people in the South," she shrugged nonchalantly. "From what I've known, they've held the grandest formal gatherings since the family business reached its peak. Tonight is probably another one of those 'grand parties' complete with their festivities and merrymaking…Although I haven't a single clue on the specific occasion."

"Have you ever been to any of their parties?"

"Nope. And I'm not getting my hopes up."

Sokka shrugged and mused, "Rich folk. Figures."

The Kyoshi warrior glanced to her left and found an empty alleyway leading to another street. "Let's take a shortcut. We'll be able to avoid the crowd if we squeeze in someplace narrow." When they turned towards the deserted road, she squinted in the far distance to seek a familiar landmark. Upon spotting one, she beamed, "I think I know where this street can lead us."

**~*-((o))-*~**

After another ten minutes of walking and avoiding crowds and busy streets, they finally made it to the corner belonging to the Jasmine Dragon.

"Hey, Suki," Sokka said when they stood in front of the establishment. "Would you mind if we stop by for a while? I'll just snag a few things, won't be too long."

"But…uh," Suki hesitated. Judging from the position of the sun in the sky, it meant that it was already in the later part of midday. They seriously needed to keep moving if they still wanted her help. But the Kyoshi captain relented otherwise. "Okay, but make it quick. I'll just wait here."

Katara stepped forward. "I'll go with him. I need to make sure he won't stay for a nap. And plus, I need to retrieve something, too." Suki nodded. And with that, they took off hurriedly towards the inn.

Suki sighed and subconsciously tapped her foot on the pavement. She glanced to see Aang still standing silently with her. Bemused, she raised a questioning brow at him.

"How about you, Aang?" She said and he turned to look at her. "Don't you have anything you need to retrieve in there?"

He shook his head with a big grin. "Nope, I'm good."

"Oh. You sure?"

"Yep, I'm sure."

She shrugged. "Okay then."

And so they settled in an awkward, uncomfortable silence.

Aang hummed silently, pacing around in a small circle. He looked around to find something interesting to focus on besides the inn and his companion while waiting for the two siblings. Suki did the same, but all the while making sure that the boy won't go astray without her supervision. From what she had observed over the past hour, Aang was, in a way, quite flighty. He might just take flight when something interesting could attract his attention.

And sadly, from where he's standing, something just might.

She watched as Aang continued to wander in circles within her range of sight, still humming to himself. Suki found it rather entertaining and amusing just by watching the younger boy. What could he be thinking about? A small smile crept to her face when he began another round of pacing. Suddenly and without warning, she saw him pause and tense visibly. Suki's eyebrows furrowed when the boy's expression hardened. He leaned over slightly and squinted towards the alleyway to her left.

Suki followed his gaze, "Aang? What is it? What's wrong?"

He didn't answer for while as his eyes strained to see. _No way… It can't be, _he thought_._ And then without warning, his expression brightened and he beamed, "I think I found something!" He started to run towards said alleyway, leaving the puzzled-looking Suki. "I'll be right back!" He said over his shoulder and gradually increased speed.

"Wait, Aang! Don't!" Suki protested and tried to stop him by grasping his clothes, but Aang was fast. Faster than what she had expected him to be when he took off. Before she could run and follow him, he was already far out of her sights. Suki groaned in aggravation. She should have known he was also easily distracted. Her conscience told her that she should have asked Sokka and Katara to take him with them, and she highly regretted not tying him securely to a pole.

_Great._ That just added to the delay of the mission. Now, they need to find him before some misfortune happens. Sighing, she made her way inside the Jasmine Dragon to alert the others.

**~*-((o))-*~**

What caught Aang's attention wasn't something big. In fact, it couldn't have been bigger than an ordinary house cat. Although, he knew for one that the creature was most certainly something he had seen before, but hadn't for a long time. And the boy couldn't help the rush of energy, excitement and happiness that captivated him all the same.

A little winged lemur had been hiding beneath the dreaded shadows hoping that no human being would be able to spot him. But unfortunately, its luck had proved it wrong that day. The human currently chasing him right now was not only agile, but also immensely determined to catch him.

"Hey, wait!" Aang hollered, trying to grasp the lemur by its tail, laughing playfully all the way. The animal screeched angrily and flew a few feet higher.

_This is so cool! _Aang thought as he narrowly dodged a moving cart and vendor._ I never thought there would be winged lemurs in this city. I thought you'd only find them in the Southern temples!_

He continued to chase the creature through narrow streets, and at the same time nimbly avoiding the people and merchandise blocking his way. The animal thought that he'd have him trapped or distracted by leading the boy to a busy street. But then again, the situation proved him wrong for the second time of the day. Not only was the boy easily dodging things as he continued to run, he was also more inclined to be hot on his heels.

Aang laughed mirthfully, dodging another cart of cabbages and knocking a few of the goods down. The vendor cursed at him but all he heard was muffled sounds of anger. Another few steps of running and he narrowly avoided the herd of cattle crossing the intersection. Aang stumbled slightly. The lemur sought this as his chance and picked up speed. The boy had just two seconds of recovery until he was happily chasing the winged animal again.

There was no specific location as to where the animal was leading him, but Aang couldn't care less. He was determined to catch it no matter what. It's not every day that you find a creature so rare and vulnerable dwelling in the streets of a busy city. This lemur could be the last of its kind and he was not about to risk losing it.

Now, if only he could think of a better tactic on how to capture it then things would have been easier.

But right now, his mind wasn't functioning properly for some reason and he couldn't get the gears to turn. Aang was stuck to mindlessly chasing the poor animal.

The lemur was still flying skyward when he led the boy through the empty and narrow alleyways. Aang laughed giddily, the joyous rush of adrenaline consuming him. The animal had crossed an in-between building intersection overhead and then suddenly, upon crossing it as well, Aang's body collided rather painfully with someone else's.

A stranger coming from the right intersection had crashed into him, and instantly he was lying on the cold stone pavement. When the boy landed on his back forcefully, he groaned as he felt sharp pain. Aang heard something skitter on the floor above his head, but the pain from the impact had dulled most of his senses and it was massively painful to move.

The stranger's hooded figure had landed ungracefully on top of him with a girlish grunt, shortly after he had hit the ground. And judging from the sounds the person had made, she was definitely a young female.

When the lemur had become aware that Aang had eerily stopped laughing and running, it took the opportunity to glance behind him and, upon seeing the boy pinned on the ground by his 'saving grace', he chirped triumphantly. The winged creature flapped his wings and soared higher, determined to find even better hiding places. You would never know when the boy might plan on chasing him when he recovers, and he most certainly did not want to risk that happening again. He had enough adventure for one day.

Meanwhile, Aang's whole body ached from the pain of the impact as he unsuccessfully struggled to move. He groaned and tried sitting up but unfortunately, a body was pinning him back to the ground. He raised his head slightly to see who he had bumped into, only to discover that her identity was mostly hidden under a green hood. Exasperatedly, he laid his head back on the rough pavement and faced the sky. Maybe chasing flying lemurs will have to wait.

The stranger's full weight was on him, making it difficult for him to breathe and move. But surprisingly, her body was soft and light. He tilted his chin sideways and found that her head was on his shoulder facing away from him, just beside his own. Her arms and legs were sprawled in awkward positions, which made it even difficult for him to move. Aang's cheeks turned pink. He wasn't so sure if he was blushing due to the embarrassing situation, or for the fact that his lungs were starting to fail him.

He wheezed audibly, trying to push the girl off of him, and to his misfortune, she hadn't made a single movement. But then seconds later, he felt her stir.

"Hey, you okay?" Aang inhaled, taking in as much air as possible while he had an advantage. The girl had started to lift her head tentatively from the floor, making small displeased noises in the process.

Face still masked from him, the stranger said nothing. Aang had been curious to know what her face might have looked like and he debated on whether he should purge her hood or not. But thankfully, he found the action unnecessary. For when the girl adjusted her weight on him, her hood fell off revealing a mass of dark hair tied to a messy bun.

Aang grunted in pain when she propped herself up on her elbows, poking his chest as hard as she could. He grimaced, despite the pain, and he felt the need to adjust her position on him. He lifted his head slightly to see her properly and he frowned. Her face was still hidden behind her bangs. But then he saw her finally lifting her head to face him, and so he waited in anticipation…

He froze.

She was really pretty.

Aang had never been in this situation before. He never even knew that it could happen to him. But just by looking at her face, he couldn't help but think that he had found the missing puzzle piece to a mystery he hadn't solved. Her comely features were rounded and youthful like his; her skin was a natural pale color with a slight tinge of pink coloring cheeks. Her lips were rosy and (he gulped) teasingly soft, and a cute but pretty nose protruded from the center of her face.

Aang felt his mouth go dry and heat rise up to the tips of his ears.

Messy bangs covered half of her features and were close to concealing most of her face. But thankfully they haven't concealed the two important things that could have defined her whole identity:

Her eyes.

And as for her eyes…

_Spirits…_

Never in his thirteen years had he ever come across a person with eyes like those. They were illuminating majestically, a gorgeous jade but slightly foggy in color. For a minute there, Aang thought that the stranger was blind until he realized that her eyes seemed to pierce through his more intensely, every passing heartbeat.

He gulped. She may look really pretty, but gradually, it was starting to become really scary.

Of course, his momentary fantasy was short lived because her glare had already intensified. Suddenly, and without warning, the girl snarled and shoved him away from her. "Move it, you Airhead!" Aang was shoved empathetically back to the ground and she fumblingly scrambled to stand on her own.

The boy watched to see her towering over him. But before he could say anything, she was already re-concealing herself with her hood, yanking it over her head and straightening out her dark cloak.

"Look," he started as he began to pull himself up on his feet, slightly wincing at the pain on his back. "I'm sorry. It was an accident!" The blush that was coloring his cheeks just a few moments ago had disappeared. "Are you hurt? Or injured anywhere…?"

The girl ignored him as she looked frantically around her surroundings for something. "Where is it?" she hissed under her breath, whipping her head around her.

Aang mimicked her actions. "Where's what?"

She moved over to where he was standing and then he saw her pause, staring intensely at the floor behind him. Aang followed her gaze and saw what she was staring at.

His grey eyes widened and he gasped.

_Could it be…? No way…_

"Is that…?" He managed to croak out.

Before it could register to him what was happening, the girl had already dived for the Larimar pendant on the floor. He followed suit, attempting to grab her by the hood of her cloak. But she had already taken off before the attempt.

What in the Spirit World was Katara's necklace doing with her? Shaking his head of his thoughts, he braced himself and ran after her.

The girl was fast, but she hadn't gotten a good distance away from him so he had managed to catch up with her. After all, he was a fast runner and he had the stamina. She continued to sprint; gradually increasing speed the closer he got to her, until she was able to lead him to an open forum bustling with people. Taking this as an advantage, she used the oblivious bystanders and individuals as an aid to conceal her. But unfortunately, Aang was fairly agile and aggravatingly nimble to avoid any collisions.

The girl gasped when she looked over her shoulder to find him hot on her heels. Suddenly, she made a sharp turn to a small pathway, and Aang narrowly collided with the wall. Luckily for him, Aang was able to pull himself away before his collision successfully.

His chase with the lemur had been petty. But this chase right now is serving an entirely larger purpose. The Larimar pendant her hand was clutching rightfully belonged to his friend.

"Hey, wait, stop!" He hollered. "You need to hear me out! That thing belongs to someone I know!"

But the girl did not slow down nor did she consider him being truthful. If anything, she sprinted even faster. Aang sensed her pace quickening and he gradually increased speed to catch up with her at arm's length.

"Please, just here me out!"

"No," she snarled at him. "You have no idea what this thing is!"

Aang almost skidded to a stop at what he just heard. What possible danger could the pendant have that she felt the need to take it? More importantly, where could she have gotten it in the first place? The determined look creeping to his face was enough to say that he desperately _needed _to get it back and demand those answers from her.

She led them towards the town's borders, the forum separating the higher and lower classes. Thankfully, fewer people littered said forum. Upon reaching the edge, Aang's distance from her became less than an arm's length. He took his advantage without hesitation and hurled himself at her, tackling her to the ground. The pendant skidded across the concrete, becoming far too distant for them to reach. They wrestled to get it. Aang unsuccessfully tried to pin her down while keeping her arm out of reach of it. But the girl was strong and she elbowed him forcefully on the ribs. Aang grunted and clutched the sore spot. She took his momentary distraction as an advantage and leaped towards the heirloom.

Unfortunately for her, Aang had recovered quickly and was quick enough to stop her. He tackled her once more before her hand was a mere ten inches away from Katara's necklace. He twisted one of her arms between them and she writhed in pain.

Aang winced slightly at the noise she made. Had he hurt her? Tentatively, he loosened his hold on her arm to lessen the discomfort. But his hold was still firm and strong that she could not pull away.

"Let. Me. Go!" The girl growled angrily and cursed at him with every single vile language she could think of. Aang, however, was unmoved despite her offensive words. He reached forward and strained to snatch the necklace for himself before his grip can weaken.

Just when he was almost able to touch the edge of the ribbon, a pair of silk shoes was standing in front of them. Then a calloused hand reached down and took the heirloom from its place on the floor. The duo froze and craned their heads upward to see a smug looking young man, holding up the piece of jewelry in his hand. And judging by the type of clothing he wore, he was obviously a rich noble. There were two guards standing on either side of him, positions on full alert.

"My, my, what do we have here?" he said thoughtfully, stroking his chin and gazing at the necklace with mild consideration. He peered at the two teenagers still entangled on the floor. "Two little thieves fighting over one little necklace. What pity." He leaned over towards Aang and said snidely. "Desperate little rat-weasels aren't we?"

Aang wanted so badly to protest but wisely kept his mouth shut upon seeing the two guards towering over them. They were large, well-built soldiers and, judging by the stern looks on their faces, were ready to pummel him before taking him in custody if he becomes rather defiant.

Upon the mere recognition of the nobleman, the girl underneath Aang had wiggled herself free from his grasp. Surprisingly, he had allowed her to move. Then, she wasted no time in an attempt to conceal the rest of her face with the hood of the cloak she was wearing. It was clear enough that she wanted to keep her identity a secret.

The nobleman withdrew from Aang and gazed upon the necklace again. "What precious stone," he mused as he rubbed his thumb absently across the smooth surface of the pendant. "Obviously an antique… I still haven't gotten a gift to present for those rich tenants tonight. It would be a shame to just attend the banquet without anything to give." The man sneered at the two teenagers still on their knees and smirked. "This would make a perfect gift for the Bei Fong daughter."

Upon hearing those words, the girl's sudden reaction was quite hard to avoid. Aang turned to see her body tense visibly.

The young man gave the two guards beside him a clear go signal. "Arrest those two thieves." They moved to haul the duo to their feet. The two teenagers struggled in the guards' vice-like grips. "We'll need to teach them a lesson or two for stealing jewelry."

Aang's face twisted in to utter panic. They didn't steal anything! Well, at least he knew _he_ hadn't.

"But I didn't do anything!" he cried. The guards kept their grips on them. "Let us go!"

"Your display had convinced me of the contrary," the man said, turning away and sauntering over to the shops of nobility. He left the guards to do as they've been told.

Aang watched with a mortified expression as the girl beside him bellowed and struck her captor's ribs with a powerful blow using her elbow. With one forceful thrust of her foot, she kicked him exactly where Agni doesn't shine. The guard cried out and let go of her instantly. But the girl wasn't finished. She did a double take and, without any trace of hesitation in her eyes, she spun and gave the man a roundhouse kick to the head. Aang winced when her foot came in contact with the guard's cranium. Then, the large man's full weight fell to the floor and immediately, he was unconscious.

Aang's jaw dropped. Where and when did she learn how to that? The man was twice her size!

Afterwards, the girl wasted no time in escaping. She sprinted away towards the opposite side of where they came from, not even bothering to look back and see if anyone was hot on her heals.

Aang watched her go and had the craziest idea to follow what she had done. But the guard holding him was fast to react. The man avoided his every kick and thrust nimbly, even pulling a few of his own without losing his grip on him. Aang grunted in frustration. The man was large and broad but how come he couldn't find a way to hit him? And then suddenly, the craziest and most genius thing that he could have possibly think of crossed his mind. He jumped as high as he could and hit the man's jaw with his crown.

Pain wrung from the inside of the guard's head. The blow itself was powerful enough to loosen his grip on his captive. Aang wiggled free from his grasp and he was detached from his hold. Then without slight hesitation, he sprinted towards the direction where the girl had run; hoping and praying to the spirits that the guard won't consider going after him.

* * *

**To be continued…**

_Yeah, I think I've overdone it a bit… Tell me what you think C:_


	5. Chapter 5: Shower

_**(A/N) **__Okay, this one took a little too long to finish, so to make up for that, I made this chapter extra long. (School was to blame!)_

* * *

**Chapter 5: Shower**

* * *

If the spirits hadn't looked kindly upon her, she would've been blind for all eternity.

And sadly, she had only been lucky to be deemed a reconsidered decision.

Thirteen years had passed and the memory was still fresh on the parents' minds. When their little daughter was born, words could not describe how they had felt: the mother had cried pure tears of happiness, the father couldn't keep the genuine smile off of his usually stern face, and the midwives and servants themselves surrounding the new family were equally enthralled to see the little angel bundled up in her mother's arms.

That evening, the Bei Fong household was beyond doubt in real ecstasy.

Poppy Bei Fong had cried tears of joy. Her tiny daughter was beautiful and healthy, with a complete set of toes and chubby fingers. As they gazed lovingly at her, they saw that she had no signs of deformity or flaw–not even the slightest bit of an imperfection. She was absolutely perfect to the eyes of those who had surrounded them, and her parents would not allow anyone to say more than what had been said...

That was until their little girl opened her eyes and what they saw was something they truly hadn't anticipated:

A monochrome.

_White._

It had been traumatizing to say the least, upon discovering that their daughter's eyes were a milky fog when she had first opened them. All previous thoughts of giving birth to a flawless baby had dissipated from the mother's mind, and the woman had found it hard to absorb. The father had not been any better. Upon seeing his daughter's supposedly perfect eyes, the man became as tense as a rod. His hands shook in fear whilst examining his daughter's pupils; his tongue had become numb despite his commands.

Their tears of happiness turned into streams of devastation.

It may have just been an assumption, but it was clearly obvious what their daughter was incapable of…

However, that had been their mistake.

Regardless of the situation, it had taken them a long process to assimilate, but the fog had just been an illusion that both had failed to fully understand. They had been blinded by ignorance that they hadn't been able to incorporate what had truly been important.

Their daughter was _alive_.

She may have been flawed, but she was a living, breathing, and beautiful baby girl.

Their baby's eyes may have been concealed but they had no right to accuse her thoroughly of being blind. What they had failed to discover until sometime later was that she had the sight that she most rightfully deserved, despite the illusion that the fog had provided.

Her vision was clear and she could see normally just like everyone else with a natural eyesight.

The girl had been spared from a horrible fate, even if the colour of her pupils remained a pale jade. She grew to become strong, independent and capable of handling things on her own, so why do her parents still treat her as if she were walking blindly into oblivion?

**~*-((o))-*~**

After successfully eluding his captors, Aang finally stumbled within the perimeter of the Jasmine Dragon.

He was panting; face crimson from all the running he had done. It was just after he had finally managed to slow down that he realized that he hadn't really gotten a chance to catch his breath properly. All that adrenaline he had once possessed had been thoroughly drained from his system, and there are no doubts on how the effects had overwhelmed him. With each new step he took, he felt a familiar wave of nausea rise. Any passer-by could take one look at him and assume a collapse at any given second.

Aang trudged his way heavily towards the main entrance, dragging his feet along with him. Upon setting his foot through the threshold of the foyer, the boy glanced up to see three pairs of eyes looking gruesomely at him. To their disappointment, their stares barely caused a reaction. Aang merely pushed the door open and allowed his full appearance to be made known.

The Jasmine Dragon's front lobby was half-empty, which was considerably queer since the main desk should never be left un-manned. Seeing that his friends had somehow made the foyer as a private lounge, Aang found himself alone and defenseless, standing face to face with three _clearly_ displeased-looking teenagers. By the way their eyes bore themselves into him like they intended to pierce his soul, there was no escape.

That aromatic and serene, positive atmosphere he had expected to perceive had become a mere fantasy.

Sokka was the first to speak, which wasn't a surprise since it was obvious that he had been itching to say something since Aang had crossed the doorway. When he strode to stand before him, the older boy crossed his arms and glowered.

"Would this seemingly guilty-looking little boy care to explain what in Tui's _fins _is wrong with himself?" he asked sardonically.

Aang blinked and rubbed the back of his neck, perplexed with the situation. Had he done something wrong? Seeing Sokka disappointed was not extremely rare, but the fact that his attention was being focused on _him_ among all people, Aang couldn't understand why. It seemed so uncharacteristic of his friend to appear this hostile.

When he pulled his hand back, sweat had coated his palm.

He must've been silent for a moment, because the next thing he heard was Sokka's foot tapping on the wooden floor.

"Well?" The older boy raised an eyebrow, wanting an explanation.

"Umm…did I…did I do something wrong, Sokka?" Aang asked innocently.

"Oh I don't know, _Aang_. Why don't you ask yourself that?"

Katara, who had appeared neutral earlier, took a step forward and tried to administer the situation as calmly as possible. "Aang, what you've done got us really worried. If we hadn't convinced Sokka to wait, we would've been in the streets right now still looking for you." She frowned. "Why did you run off like that? Something could've happened to you."

Oh. So that's what he did wrong.

Aang blinked and looked away shamefully. He hadn't really expected anyone to miss him in such a short period of time. It had been an unnecessary disturbance that had caught his attention, and it's no doubt that they'll be frustrated with him, but he couldn't quite comprehend why it seemed such a big deal to them.

Not really knowing how to explain, he chose to remain silent.

Unfortunately, Sokka's glare was still directed at him, and Aang realized that his silence must have made things worse.

"What are you just standing there for?" Sokka asked him, and he flinched. "Explain yourself!"

"Look, I…I didn't mean to," Aang stuttered apprehensively. "I'm sorry! I know that I've cost us a lot of time, and I'm to blame. There's no describing how guilty I feel right now." Bravely, he lifted his head and forced himself to look his friend in the eye. "I promise to make up for it, Sokka. Really, I will."

For a moment, Aang saw Sokka's scowl falter a bit and he felt himself relax. However, to his absolute disappointment, the young warrior forced the glower to return. "That didn't answer Katara's question."

Aang broke the eye contact, aware that if he'll continue to hold it, he'll get anxious and waver despite the efforts to stay defensive. "I know. I just..." He sighed dejectedly. There wasn't much of an assurance that if he'll finish that statement it will cause any improvement. He had already apologized. What more could Sokka want from him?

Looking at Aang, Sokka felt a slight pang of guilt penetrating his armour of defense. Had he been too harsh on him? Perhaps he had. He wasn't always this serious and angry, and Aang had never been used to him being mad, so as much as he forced his indignation to stay, sympathy took the better of him. The young warrior felt his expression soften.

"Look," he said with a small sigh. "You're thirteen, I get it. You get really curious, and I know what it's like to get excited over things that are downright cool, but you should've at least have had some sensitivity. Where did all that go?"

"I know, and I'm sorry," Aang said, as if he wasn't tired of repeating the same thing over and over again. "It's just…I saw something really interesting, and I didn't intend for it to happen, but it got me hooked. Before I was even fully aware of it, I had already begun chasing it around the streets."

Suki, who was sitting on one of the stools, spoke for the first time since Aang had arrived. "What was it that you saw?" Her brows narrowed curiously. "I hadn't been able to hold you down because you pretty much just took off."

"I saw a winged lemur hiding behind one of the crates in an alleyway."

"A lemur?" Katara gasped. "You mean those frail little things with the big stripy ears?"

"Yeah, those. The one I found looked pretty lonely and scared. Naturally, I somehow felt responsible. This isn't where they're supposed to be; they don't belong in cities like this."

"Where _exactly_ do they belong?" Sokka asked speculatively.

"In the green ecosystems where fruit is abundant," Aang explained. "Lemurs don't normally thrive in cities. It's just not their natural habitat. They belong to the forests and mountains near the Southern Temples. I figured that if I take the little guy with us, I could bring him home."

A strange type of silence settled within their group. So this is what Aang's top priority had been? Animals? It sounded rather outlandish to affirm that they've just sacrificed a large fraction of their time for an endangered species' sake.

"No way," the Kyoshi Warrior said in mild disbelief. "I thought those things were extinct."

"They're actually pretty rare and admittedly, I had thought of the same thing," Aang said with a small nod. "But when I actually saw one before my eyes, it just challenged what everyone else thought."

Sokka's expression was barely readable. Admittedly, he had no idea on what to speculate – half of his mind was telling him to throw a fit on how stupid this is, the other half told him that perhaps something positive had been brought about despite all the adversities. He decided on neither. If there were something in-between both options, then he'd probably take that into a consideration.

"Woah, woah, woah," he said, holding his hands out in front of him. "Hold on. Let me get this straight: we've wasted around what? Twenty minutes just waiting for _Aangy_ here to finish chasing flying rats? Do you have any idea how stupid that sounds?"

"It was a lemur, Sokka. Not a rat."

"Whatever! It doesn't matter. My point is: whatever escapade you've gotten yourself into had caused us a great deal of time. Now, we face the consequences."

"But, Sokka," Aang pleaded. "I said I was so–"

"No. Don't say it. You've already said that. One clear apology was enough."

It had been rude to cut him off, but Sokka had already chosen the former. It was a petty act. Aang bowed his head dejectedly, but to his surprise, Suki stepped forward in the younger boy's defense.

"Sokka," she said, narrowing her eyes at the older teen. "You can't blame him for everything– "

"Of course I can, Suki," he said, matching her expression. "It was his fault for that we–"

"No. Don't blame him for that. He's just a kid. He said so himself that he didn't mean it, and I trust him." She took a deep breath. "I should've been the one to blame."

Sokka was confused. "What are you talking about? You didn't–"

"I didn't stop him from leaving when I had the chance. I was the one responsible for him."

A mild type of laconism followed. Now that she had voiced it, Sokka suddenly felt stupid for taking all his frustrations on Aang. He realized that everyone had been at fault, but he only blamed his main subject. If he and his sister didn't stop by the inn to retrieve something, Suki wouldn't have been held liable for Aang's fleeing, and the boy himself wouldn't have left if something – or someone – had held him down. He acted like child. Well, he was and Sokka understood that, but the boy himself should've been more mature for his age.

"Suki, it's okay." Aang said, turning to the Kyoshi Warrior, surprising her. "I admit my mistake."

"What are you–"

As politely as possible, he held up a hand to stop her. "No. There's no need for that. If it helps, I'd say that sometimes things can lead you to roads that you never expect to come across." They stared at him, confusion written on their faces. Aang merely smiled good-naturedly.

"What are you talking about?" Sokka said speculatively. "Nothing good has happened ever since you've disappeared. It only led to more problems."

"Well...during my chase with the lemur," Aang started with the slightest bit of hesitation in his tone. "I accidentally bumped into someone. She collided with me – she had been running as well, so the force of the impact kind of brought us down."

"You _slammed_ into someone?" Katara gasped. "Are you hurt? Did you break anything?"

"I'm fine, Katara. Barely a scratch." The boy smiled at her concern. "Anyway, the collision was rather painful, but who knew pain could bring you such luck?"

"'Bring luck'?" Suki whispered to the girl next to her. "What does he mean by that?" Katara shrugged her answer.

Sokka yawned and waved a hand at the boy dismissingly. "Can you just get straight to the point?"

"Okay, okay." Aang paused shortly for dramatic effect, his gaze travelling from one anxious face to another. "This girl I bumped into, she has the necklace."

The silence that followed was deafening.

Now they understood what Aang meant about finding luck amidst a crisis.

Katara stood there, slack-jawed. She tried to speak, but her throat wouldn't allow it. She felt the surging waves of relief crashing down on her, and suddenly felt the warm sensation of hope rekindle.

"She has...my...?"

Aang smiled and nodded his affirmation.

"Spirits, Aang, why didn't you just say so?"

Sokka stood. "Wait, wait, wait," he intervened, stepping in-between them. "You said that you bumped into someone, and she was a girl?" He looked to Aang, and the younger boy nodded once more. "And you're saying that she has the necklace." Aang nodded again. "Well, is it still with her or do you have it with you? Are you even sure it was Katara's necklace? It could've been something else."

"Umm..." Aang scratched the back of his head. "Well, if I have it with me right now, I'd give it to you without delay. And no, Sokka, I was certain it had been Katara's. No doubt about that. And as I could recall, the girl _had _it with her. But while I chased her, I guess it sort of slipped off from her hold."

There was a small laugh. "You've been chasing girls, Aang?" Suki said slyly, causing the younger boy to blush. "Did your little lady-friend have a name?"

"Yeah, I've been wondering the same thing." Sokka rubbed his chin in consideration. Under different circumstances, he would've smacked Aang across the back and congratulated him without cease. Here was the little boy only five minutes ago, now chasing girls, becoming a young man. He couldn't help but feel satisfied with that.

"Uh...," Aang said nervously. "That's a funny thing, really. I never got to ask her name. She ran away before I had the chance."

Sokka's shoulders visibly slumped in disappointment; his momentary bubble of happiness diminishing.

"...although she had been rather _pretty_..."

Sokka beamed from within, his temporary triumph and pride returning. That did it. Aang just made him proud. He smiled acutely, mostly to himself. It was almost a surprise that Aang didn't notice. The younger boy was too pre-occupied hiding the faint stains of red on his cheeks, turning away from them and playing with his fingers.

"So where is the necklace?" Katara said, inadvertently hauling both Sokka and Aang back to reality. "If Aang had been certain, that girl could be our best lead."

"I told you, guys, she _had_ the necklace. Now someone else has it," The younger boy said.

"Wait, 'had'? What do you mean? Did she...?"

Aang moved to sit on one of the couches across from theirs. "We sort of bumped into a rich-looking noble and his two guards when I tried to pursue her," he explained. "The guy thought we were thieves and that we stole the necklace, so he called on us and confiscated it."

Suki frowned. "So you're telling us that the necklace is with him now?"

Aang rubbed the back of his neck again and shamefully looked away.

"Aang, why didn't you go after it?!"

"I'm sorry!" he held his hands up. "I would've done that but then he asked the guards to arrest us. Luckily, we escaped, but I know that they're probably still out there looking for me...and her – wherever she is."

Sokka groaned and slammed himself back down onto his chair. "Great. Just great." He sat up. "You know, our 'secondary lead' could've taken us there already without problem, but I guess that factor is clearly not available anymore."

"Secondary? What had been the first?" Aang asked.

The older boy gestured to Suki. "Kyoshi Warrior assistance."

"Oh. Well, we could still use that, but this time, we'll be targeting a specific noble."

Katara drew her eyebrows together. "Aang," she said. "This noble you bumped into…what did he look like?"

Aang made a face and scratched his brow thoughtfully. He hadn't really gotten a full look on the young man, but he was sure that he could at least remember what he had clothed himself with. "Well…he was young. Kind of your age, Sokka, but he was wearing really classy clothes and–"

"Classy?" Sokka fingered his tunic. "What's wrong with this one?"

"Sokka, be quiet." His sister glared at him. She turned to Aang. "You were saying?"

"Like I said before; he was a noble, and he was young. He had tan skin, long, dark hair and he wore expensive-looking apparel..." He cocked his head to the side. "His shoes were of satin, I think."

Suki looked thoughtful. "Do you think he's a local?"

Aang made a face and shook his head doubtfully. "Probably not. As I could recall, he said something about being invited to a banquet and he is still without a gift to present, so my best guess is that he's here in the city for tonight's grand party. Could that mean that he had taken part in the parade?"

Suki pondered for a moment, tapping her finger on her chin. Suddenly she paused, gasped audibly, and the three other people in the room whipped their heads towards her, giving their full attention. Her face was lit up with recognition. "Hold on," she said excitedly. "Banquet? The parade?" She stood. "I think I know where we can find him and the necklace tonight. If we're lucky, we might even find the rest of your stolen things."

"Really? Where?"

Moving to stand before them, she began. "There's a clear reason as to why I am not in uniform today and why I needed to hurry. You see, the girls and I are elite warriors trained through an ancient Code, and we have dedicated ourselves to protect this city, and the neighbouring towns, no matter what happens. However, despite our work being clearly responsible for public security, our task tonight will serve a different purpose."

She paused and waited for anyone to ask what the task was, but when no one had, she concealed her disappointment by voicing out the answer.

"We were given full authority to secure said party tonight. The hosts themselves appointed us, and it's against the Code to decline."

"The hosts?" Katara asked. "

"The richest people in the south." Suki smiled with a shrug. "The Bei Fongs."

_The Bei Fongs? _Aang's mind was voicing out its awareness to the sudden comprehension that he had heard the name before Suki had even mentioned it.

"The name sounds familiar…," he mused.

"Did the man mention anything about the Bei Fongs?" the Kyoshi Warrior asked.

Then it hit him. It came crashing down like a cascade.

"_This would make a perfect gift for the Bei Fong daughter."_

"…He did," Aang said slowly. "I remember him saying something about their daughter; that the Larimar choker would make a nice gift for her..." He stopped. His eyes grew wide. "Wait!"

_Then that would mean..._

Sokka smiled smugly and he smacked his palms together. "Well, folks," he said, eyeing them each, one after the other. "Anyone got a plan on how we'll climb those walls?"

**~*-((o))-*~**

_SLAM!_

The sound of doors being shut reverberated throughout the room, causing the vibrations to bounce off the walls. It startled the two maids who were in the middle of changing their mistress's coverlet. They looked up to see the young heiress leaning against the oak wood, her gaze transfixed on the floor.

"Miss Toph?" the younger maid said. She stood, clutching a pillow with both hands. Toph didn't do much as to regard her with a mere glance. As if they weren't even in her presence, she pushed her weight off the doors and moved to one of the armoires. Idly, she brushed her fingers against its smooth mahogany exterior.

One of the servants moved tentatively towards her. "Is everything alright, young Miss? Are you looking for something?"

Toph didn't face them when she spoke. "No, it's okay. I'm fine." She crossed the room to close a floor-length window and its curtains.

"Are you sure, Miss?"

"Yes. I'm sure." She peered at them over her shoulder. "But if you really insist to help, it would be very convenient for you to leave my room for a moment."

The two servants glanced at each other, clearly hesitating to abide by the girl's request. Normally they would've done so without complaint, but seeing their young mistress acting quite differently, they felt worried about the condition. A few short seconds and passed and it was only moments later that the duo finally relented and left the room just as their young mistress had asked.

Once she heard the doors shut behind her, Toph wasted no time and quickly shut the rest of her windows' curtains closed. The sunlight behind the rich silk enveloped the room in a mossy green, but it provided just the right amount of light that made navigating still possible. Toph then ran to the armoire she had touched seconds ago and yanked the doors open, revealing its well-organized interior full of dresses, shoes and drawers.

Staring into the closet's contents, Toph's knew that she had chosen the right one among the others. Whatever personal item she was looking for is hidden within the folds of her wardrobe.

She drew her eyebrows together, took a deep breath and stuck her hand out in-between the thick materials of the dresses. Blindly, she guided her hands as they searched for a specific box hidden deep within the closet. When she felt her fingers brush against something cool and metallic, her face broke out into a triumphant grin. Using both hands, she hauled whatever she had discovered out of its hiding place.

"Hello, you," she said with mild emotion, holding the metallic box in both of her hands. It was a simple chest with a rusted iron lock and keyhole fastened in between the lid and body; chapped, beige paint coated its surface, and when she shook it, something equally metallic rattled gaudily from the inside.

She suddenly whipped her head around in alarm. Surely nobody had heard when she had done that. It would be close to impossible since she was exclusively alone in her room, and she had made sure that chances like these would be kept secretive. What she will unveil inside the chest will serve her a large purpose, because whatever she had lost was worth pursuing once more despite all the risks.

Toph crossed the room to her left bedside table, and she bent to pull the lowest drawer open. A second later, she extracted a small key. Taking her time, she inserted the key into the box's lock and twisted. A faint 'click' was heard before it unlatched open.

Toph's expression was placid as she stared into the box's contents: an ordinary pair of iron brass knuckles enamelled in a rusty shade of gold was piled one on top of the other unevenly. She reached to grasp one with her hand. Holding it on her palm, she set the box down and jammed her fingers into the weapon's holes.

The mere girl of thirteen clenched and unclenched her fists, taking in the feel of iron wound around her fingers. The metal felt thick and heavy. She couldn't recall the last time that she had held the weapon. It had been considered a scandal for a prestige noble to carry such device even in private, but whatever purpose it will serve tonight will surely convert the weapon into a necessity.

She promised herself that she will bring it back. One small item can cause the lives of a number of innocent people.

**~*-((o))-*~**

It was dusk; the sun was closer to its final descent, and darkness threatened to engulf the town in shadows. A mundane labourer would know that the hour meant to retire from the day's work, but not everyone is mundane. To the trio crouching behind a wall, dusk meant the starting point of a brilliant plan's execution.

Sokka peered cautiously at the street adjacent, using his hand as a shade; his eyes squinting at the far distance. They were huddled closely behind one building's wall, facing directly towards the left of the Bei Fong mansion.

"It's getting darker," Sokka mumbled to the duo crouched behind him. Katara had her back pressed against the wall; Aang was sitting loosely right next to her.

"How long 'till Suki gets here?" the other boy asked tiredly.

Sokka turned his gaze back towards the sky and watched as the last of the sun descended the horizon. "Not too long from now," he said with a small satisfied smirk.

Clothed in _commoner's garb_, aristocrats thriving within that area would question them if they'd expose themselves 'underdressed'. So in order to stay safe and secure, they opted to remain in hiding. The fact that they were in the Higher Class's Borders among all places made it even harder for them to appear ordinary.

As the minutes pass, the streets gradually began to clear as the people file into their homes. The sky had faded into deep obsidian blue, making the stars that glittered across the heavens appear more brilliant. Glowing lanterns lined the streets, and households illuminated from within.

Suki arrived minutes later, dressed in full armour complete with make-up and the headpiece attached to her head. On one hand she was clutching a faded satchel, and on her belt hung twin metallic fans on either side of her waist. For a moment they didn't recognize her when they had laid their eyes upon her, but then she spoke and it gave her identity away.

"Suki!"

"Guys," she said. "I got us what we need to get in." Extending her arm, she handed the bag to Sokka.

The older boy opened the bag and pulled out a busboy's cap. He stared at it, perplexed. "Where'd you get this?"

"Somewhere in there." Suki smirked and pointed at the estate behind her. "I saw some servant boys wearing something like those, so I thought that instead of me taking you in there underdressed, we might as well enter in _style_."

"Nice." Sokka grinned.

Katara peeked inside the bag and frowned. "None for me?"

Suki smiled and said, "Yours will be here pretty soon. My warriors are still in the process of retrieving it."

Whatever that meant, Katara didn't want to ask.

The boys changed inside an empty stable, leaving the two girls outside to wait for them. A few minutes passed and then Sokka came out, now clad in green, fidgeting uncomfortably with his pants.

"They're too small," he whined, gesturing at the pant legs that stopped above his ankles. The material only reached his lower shins even if he had already tugged them lower.

"Loosen it, then," Katara said.

"I can't! Suki, did this belong to a little kid or something?"

Suki giggled and treaded to where he stood. "No," she said, eyeing his pants with an amused grin. "That's supposed to be for Aang. I think he took the longer one by mistake."

As if on cue, Aang stepped out of the stables wearing the pants designated for Sokka. Clearly they didn't fit him; they covered half of his feet.

"Umm, guys?" Aang said. "I think Sokka and I should switch."

"You think?" Sokka scoffed and walked back into the stables with Aang following closely from behind.

Moments later, after the boys rejoined them, another Kyoshi Warrior appeared within their line of sight. The young girl was dressed similarly to her captain with the exception of the twin braids protruding from her head and connecting to the headpiece. A bag was strapped across her back, and twin fans dangled from her belt identically to Suki's. The warrior was whirling around her, looking for something, and when she caught a glimpse of Suki wave over to her, she beamed and did a cartwheel towards them.

She landed on her feet with a gymnast's bow just in front of her captain and Katara.

"Your third-in-command, reporting for duty," she said enthusiastically.

Suki regarded her with a smile. "Ty Lee, you got here just in time."

"I could've gotten here soon, but I ran into an old friend of mine. She was nice enough to stop for a chat. I really missed her…" She unstrapped the bag from her back and handed it to her commander with a big grin. "Anyways, I got what you need. It wasn't hard in finding one. The servant I talked to was a _really_ nice guy." Her expression was wistful.

"Thank you," Suki said, passing the bag to Katara. "This one's for you. You need to change immediately so we can carry out what we need to do. Don't forget that we only have two hours, so we have to make this as quick but as neat as possible." Katara nodded. The older girl turned to her comrade only to find that she had caromed to where the boys (that had recently re-appeared) were now standing. Ty Lee was leaning towards Sokka, giving Katara's brother some eye candy. Suki suddenly felt a prickle of annoyance pierce through her. She scowled, despite herself.

Meanwhile, Sokka felt his throat constrict on the fact that a girl caked with scary looking warrior paint was leaning towards him. Her arms were folded at her back, and a creepy grin was plastered to her face. He choked on his greeting.

"Hi, _Cutie_," Ty Lee purred and took another step towards him. Sokka's back met the wall. "I'm Ty Lee. What's _your_ name?"

The older boy gulped. "S-Sokka..."

"That's a funny name for a funny guy."

Suki cleared her throat, straining not to sound irritated. "Ty Lee?"

"Yes?" she asked, the word raising an octave higher as she prolonged it. Ty Lee's gaze was still fixated on Sokka, and Suki fought the urge to yank her away by her braids.

"Will you help Katara get dressed? We don't want her to be late for the party."

Instantly, Ty Lee's expression changed, and Suki felt relieved when she finally withdrew from her captive. Sokka dropped to the floor with an exhale. The perky girl then spun on her heels and beamed happily. "Of course!" she said. "It'd be a crime to go to a banquet underdressed. I'm going to make her look gorgeous!"

With that said she bounced over to where Katara was standing and grabbed her hand. The Kyoshi Warrior pulled the bewildered girl along with her and practically dragged her way, ignoring Katara's screams of protest.

Suki watched them leave and rolled her eyes. There really are some things you can never control.

"Is she always so..." Sokka asked, coming to stand next to her.

She turned and made a face at him. "So 'what'?"

"You know…hyper? Perky?"

"_Overly-enthusiastic_?" Suki supplied with a chuckle. "That display wasn't even half of it." She started to walk towards the path where the subject matter had dragged Sokka's sister. "I'm going to go after them to make sure your sister won't end up looking like a clown. Otherwise, we would have no chance of an entrance. Ty Lee likes pink so I might as well be there." And with that, she strode away.

**~*-((o))-*~**

Suki's instructions had been simple. As soon as she, Ty Lee, and the now elegantly yet modestly-dressed Katara returned to where the boys were waiting, the plan was ready for a full execution.

When the girls appeared, Aang had to fight a blush from surfacing at the sight of Katara.

She was clothed in a silken white dress with lovely green details sewn to the collar and sleeves. She walked elegantly, poised and confident. A floral headpiece was attached to her head, and a pair of golden earrings that dangled with her every movement hung from her lobes. She had applied make-up, but the artificial colors appeared unnecessary. Because even from a distance, there was no denying the fact that she looked undeniably beautiful.

They had agreed beforehand that they will need to separate once they are within the vicinity of the mansion. Aang and Sokka were to enter through the entrance at the back, where the busboys and servants were stationed. Suki and Ty Lee on the other hand, unanimously volunteered to act as Katara's escorts when they enter through the front gates.

As they made their way through, the escorts wore reserved expressions. Katara sauntered, poised with a fan over her lower face concealing her painted red lips. Ty Lee had been agile enough to retrieve an invitation from one of the attending guests that had stridden passed them. Without the slightest difficulty, she easily snatched the scroll hanging out of the aristocrat's pocket. It humoured her when the woman barely even felt the rolled parchment leave her thick garments. When they met the end of the line of the guest attendance, the Kyoshi Warrior slipped the invitation into Katara's hand (with little of the latter girl's knowledge and awareness on how she had managed to get one).

"A little word of advice," Ty Lee whispered to her before leaving. "Try not to deny anything. Just go with the flow and pretend that it's natural. Wish you all the luck!"

At that point, they were to separate and proceed to their stations, and from there, Katara was left to become independent.

As she stood waiting in line, her palms began to feel cold even if the atmosphere was humid. Katara couldn't recall the last time she was forced to hide in the verge of a disguise. Her adventures with Sokka and Aang weren't always safe and the endings were commonly unclean, but admittedly, this is something she certainly hadn't tried before.

When Katara reached the man in charge of the guest attendance, he regarded her with a suspicious eye. "Good evening, miss." He held out a hand. "Invitation?"

Katara's hand almost shook when she passed him the scroll whilst keeping the open fan to her face.

The man cleared his throat and examined the parchment. Katara constantly kept her expression concealed behind the fan. She was anxious, but she shielded her emotions. When she heard him speak again, it wasn't something she had expected to hear.

"Welcome, Ms. Sapphire Fire," he said with a small bow and reverent smile. He handed the invitation back to Katara, who took it with a flustered smile. She definitely hadn't expected _that_. Hastily, she stepped out of the line and proceeded to the front doors of the mansion, all the while straining not to break down into fits of laughter.

_Sapphire Fire? _She chuckled silently. _What kind of name is that? _If she were to blend in under the guise of a different name, so be it. After all, this could be the last time she could have this opportunity.

**~*-((o))-*~**

It took them a while, but the two boys finally made it to the back entrance. The place wasn't hard to locate since most of the servants clad in the same garb as theirs were proceeding towards the same location. The two blended in with the young men without much problem. To their relief, none regarded them with suspicious looks or questionable glances.

"Ehem."

Sokka and Aang slowly turned and craned their heads upwards to see a tall man looking sternly at them. He must be the employees' Head, due to the fact that he looked like he held much authority.

"What are you two doing here?"

Aang glanced at Sokka nervously. The older boy kept his eyes locked on the man before them. "Uh…"

"I thought I told you just five minutes ago to cater. Did you not understand?"

Sokka quickly recovered. He shook his head. "I…uh…we…" he looked to Aang who appeared just as confused as he. "We…just had to check a few things before doing that." The older boy laughed nervously. "Yeah, that's right. My–_our_ apologies, sir. W-We're on it!" He grabbed his friend's arm and dragged him away, leaving the Head servant in a confused state.

As soon as they were out of earshot, they immediately stopped walking. Sokka had dragged Aang to the kitchens where some of the busboys, chefs and caterers administered the food.

"That was close." Sokka let out a heavy breath of relief, leaning against the brick wall.

"I thought that he looked suspicious," Aang said.

"He did." Sokka nodded "But he didn't catch on to the reality, so we might as well consider ourselves lucky."

Just then, another young man passed them, carrying two empty trays in his hands. He paused when he saw the boys. "Hey, you two," he called sternly. Sokka instantly scrambled to stand erect. "What are you still doing here? Get out there and cater!"

Sokka saluted in a joking fashion. "Absolutely!" He grabbed a tray full of finger foods and walked out the door. Aang silently followed suit, picking up his own plate of miniature delicacies.

When they have exited, they were met with a reception of grandeur and opulence. Sokka and Aang stared in awe.

The Great Hall was crowded with aristocrats and royalty, all dressed in expensive materials of satin, silk, and velvet. There was an assortment of hues, representing different countries and their cultures, but the colors that stood out the most were the richness of green and gold. In almost every corner, men were chatting among themselves while busboys tended to their every need. The women, looking highly sophisticated in their polite and demure manners, ate and spoke delicately in polished tongues. The room was painted and furnished with beige, gold, platinum, and assorted hues of green. Massive floor-length windows exposed a brilliant full moon, and a diamond chandelier hung in the middle of the ceiling, its suspended jewels gleaming gloriously.

The first time Aang had been in a place like this was during their visit to the King of Omashu. King Bumi's palace was enormous, extravagant, colourful, and encrusted in various gems, but his throne room itself was a lot smaller compared to the Bei Fong's Grand Ballroom.

At the far end of the wall, there, embedded onto the green plaster, was a symbol carved in metallic gold. It was the well-known family insignia; the Flying Boar in its majestic glory and elegance.

Aang squinted. There was something familiar about that boar, but he couldn't quite put a finger to it. It was a vague perception.

If they had strain to listen, they would've heard the classical music playing somewhere at the corner.

"Woah."

He turned to see Sokka staring in awe. The older boy was pointing to something in front of them, and Aang's gaze instantly followed the direction of his finger. What he saw next made his jaw drop.

_Food._

"Woah..."

There, in the middle of the room, was a long table crowding with the evening's cuisine, overflowing with their abundance. Aang's stomach twisted and he felt his mouth water. It was only then that they realized that they hadn't really eaten anything ever since the first phase.

"...Do you think it'd be okay to...?" Sokka asked inadvertently, eyes still fixated on the banquet table a few feet away.

Aang was tempted to nod and take a step forward, but he was quick to catch himself before he even had the chance. He shook his head to clear the distraction. Sokka took it as a negative response, and he let his shoulders drop. The food will have to wait.

The younger boy was quick to grab the attention of young man before Sokka could change his perception. "We can't afford to get distracted, Sokka. We don't have time for that..." he glanced around him and hissed, "see anyone familiar?"

Sokka shook his head. "Aside from the goddess of abundance herself standing before us and beckoning us to consume? Then, no. None. All I see are rich people that I don't even recognize. What about you?"

Aang frowned. "Not yet."

"We should split, then. We'd be able to find the man faster if we do. He's a dude in green, right? Easy. We'll just act like our disguises meant to cater, and we'll be able to find the man in no time. Sound good?"

Aang seemed hesitant. "I don't know...I guess that could work."

Sokka grinned. "Great. I'll meet you back here in ten minutes. Keep a sharp eye for anyone that we might know and _try_ not to run off again. Later."

And with that, Sokka strode away to serve the nobles beckoning him for their food.

Aang wandered amongst the crowd, keeping a sharp eye on anything, or anyone that could've looked familiar. He tried to recall what the man had looked like, but his memory kept the identity as vague as possible. He frowned. He may not have captured the physical appearance, but he knew that he was a man of green. Easy enough. It was a practical and uniform color. Unfortunately for him, more than a half of the people in the room were clad in the same earthly hue, and at least a fourth of them were youths.

Sighing, Aang continued his pursuit, careful to observe the young men in his perimeter for any source of familiarity he could grasp. When he reached a corner of the room, he realized that he had probably strayed too far. From his location, diagonally, he had a clear view of a part of the reception. People were moving slowly, socializing with one another. His fellow 'co-workers' appeared to be spinning in every direction, that the young boys were almost hard to miss. Aang's disguise worked as a camouflage among the busboys and he had no trouble with blending in. However, since he wanted to keep his veil in place, he knew that following their movements will turn the veil opaque. He turned his heel to walk back into the crowd, but before he could take another step, someone grabbed the back of his tunic and yanked him forcibly backwards.

He was pulled towards the back of a well, and he unintentionally stumbled with a yelp. The jerking movement caused him to drop the tray of finger food by accident, and effectively spilling most of its contents onto the carpeted floors.

Fumblingly, he was dragged into a hallway by the hand that was still fisted on his shirt. Once his captor had made sure that they were out of the Hall's prying eyes, the hand yanked him hard and he spun to face his abductor. Aang squeezed his eyes shut in fear, but when he reopened them, he came face to face with an irate face that looked oddly familiar.

_Wait a second._ Aang blinked twice. He had seen this person before, and he knew it. Her features themselves vociferated it. Pale face, black hair, fierce green eyes…

_Jade orbs…_

Aang's eyes widened.

_Oh no._

The girl's frown deepened into a scowl. "What are you doing here, Twinkletoes?"

* * *

**To be continued…**

_OOC-ish? Sorry. xD Let me know what you think._


	6. Chapter 6: Downpour

_**(A/N) **__If this gets plenty of reviews, I'll have a surprise for everyone before I post chapter seven. C:_

* * *

**Chapter 6: Downpour**

* * *

Under the pretense of a busboy, keeping a low profile was a task made easy. No one bothered him, nor had anyone questioned him of his business and purposes. He was simply there to cater – or at least, that's what the public thought. His entire function for the night served him a very different intention.

Sokka had never been to such a formal and exclusive reception. He had never dreamed of adapting to the formalities and the prestige, much less fancied the high society's apparel nor wanted their highly craved statuses…

Well, save for a few exceptions that defied those theories. If there was anything the young man would dream to be rich of, it'd be in the form of platters piled high with the multitudes of food he could possibly consume–particularly those with large portions of meat as well as seafood. A man doesn't simply become rich in jewels, money and clothing. He can also become wealthy in the form of an overflowing cornucopia filled to the brim with its abundance.

Very poetic, wasn't it?

Oh, how he could dream.

Following the sounds of chattering and music, Sokka maneuvered through the crowd, hoisting the platter in both of his hands. He moved in a discreet manner whilst keeping a sharp eye for anyone acting rather suspicious in his regard. There had been a few whose eyes he had caught, but none of them looked as if they're hiding something other than exclusive positions, territories and worthy gossips. He opted to pay more attention to the men than the women, since the former is most likely the one containing his target.

He tilted his chin upwards to see above the people's heads. Everywhere he turned, something gleamed from the corner of his eye. Whether it glistened from the apparel of an aristocrat or the accessory of a royal, it caused a distraction. The young man always wondered how these people could have so much yet the commoners barely even have a piece of silver to provide themselves with.

He moved to the center of the hall, where he and Aang had parted. Things would have been much easier if he could find Suki, but the Kyoshi Warrior had other matters to deal with and therefore was nowhere to be found. He was on his own independently.

As he neared the banquet table, the scent of delicious food intensified and upon reaching its perimeter, the aura immediately began to overwhelm him. The busboy stood there, grounded on his spot, gazing longingly at the food before him. He breathed in the aura of a delectable cuisine, and the sweet scent of cinnamon and spices filtered his lungs. The smell alone made him crave the fare. His mouth began to water, and his stomach, despite itself, began to complain. The poor boy could not find the strength to pry his eyes away. Whatever the reasons as to why his legs had betrayed him by carrying him here, he will surely regret it sooner if he doesn't seek command and steer himself away.

It had only been a matter of time before his saving grace came. Sokka was about to reach for a tart when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Excuse me," a meek and feminine voice spoke from behind him. The color of snow caught the corner of his eye, and he spun to face its owner. The diversion was enough to haul him back to reality. "Do you know if…_oh_..." She stopped when they came face to face.

Sokka's eyes widened a fraction when he took in her appearance: she was attractive; with mocha skin, and strikingly beautiful zircon irises. He saw that her hair was hued alabaster–the color of snow. The girl looked young, about his age and from what he could observe, she definitely appeared to be part of the high society. The young woman was clothed in an elegant indigo dress that complimented her neutral colored hair, and she wore lesser accessories compared to the other women in the grand ballroom.

Something glinted from above her, and he craned his neck slightly to see that it was her headpiece – a silver crown embellished with rare sapphire jewels. Its centerpiece curved into the shape of the moon, and the rest of its design was spiraled into an intricate-looking handiwork.

A pinch of familiarity oozed itself into his mind, and Sokka found himself recalling as to when he had seen a girl with pearly white hair before. Suddenly, his eyes lit up in recognition. This was the same girl he saw riding the blue carriage earlier during midday. She had waved to him–well, at least, that's what he had assumed–and now, here she was, standing before him.

_Spirits._ He had thought she looked attractive from afar, but up close, she was even more strikingly beautiful.

Sokka realized that he had been staring – the confused look on the girl's face told him so. It had only been convenient when he finally recovered; it saved him from all the embarrassment that was sure to follow. He cleared his throat before he spoke. "May I help you, miss?" he asked.

She smiled at him, a shy yet charming gesture. "Forgive me, sir, but I thought you were that attendant I was speaking with earlier. He appeared quite like your person when his back is to me…" she trailed off. It was a quiet change of behavior, and Sokka watched bemused as she cocked her head to the side. A confused look embedded itself onto her pretty face. "Wait. You look rather familiar," she said slowly. "Other than what I had suspected earlier, have we met before?"

"Who? Me?" His eyes widened in bewilderment as he pointed a finger to himself. Had she known of their agenda? As tempting as it was to confirm what she had just assumed, Sokka found himself shaking his head, despite himself. "I-I don't think I remember." He nearly stumbled at his own words. "If we had, I would've recalled. It must've been another guy, but he most definitely wasn't me."

"…Oh." She sounded disappointed, or at least, that's what the young man thought he heard.

He rubbed the back of his neck and half-smiled. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay." She didn't sound convinced, but she smiled genuinely at him anyway. "I often mistake a lot of people for whom I've seen before, so it's no surprise that it happened again. I thought for a moment there that you were someone I know, or saw rather. I don't exactly have the chance to meet a lot of people so I can always remember a face, but I guess mistakes happen more often than usual nowadays." She chuckled lightly.

"I do?" the busboy grinned, amused. "This might sound a little weird but, who did I resemble?"

"Someone I've seen in the streets this morning, actually. I know this sounds a little unusual, but it felt like I knew him way before I've seen him."

Again, Sokka felt the nagging feeling of wanting to confirm what she had just assumed, but he forced himself to stay put and not utter a word that would give him away. If he wanted to remain hidden under his disguise, completely anonymous and keeping a low profile, even if this young woman didn't seem like threat to him and their mission, then he mustn't speak with regards to himself. He opted for something different to respond. "Well, he must've really been a special guy since you can remember his face but not his name."

She chortled mildly. "I haven't even had a chance to speak with him."

"You haven't? Well, that's pretty sad. How come?"

"I was in a moving carriage and he was standing amongst the crowd. You may think of me as someone who's crazy, but I honestly hoped to have a chance of meeting him. He reminded me of someone, you see."

If Sokka hadn't been under a disguised, he would have appeared rather smug upon discovering that a really hot noblewoman had been yearning to meet him. He was _sure_ it had been him. Who else could it have been?

"Well, you don't need to feel bad, miss," he said. "Everyone makes those kinds of mistakes. Heck, even I've done it myself countless of times. The resulting numbers could barely fit my fingers!"

She smiled sweetly at him in return. "Thank you. I appreciate that."

He shrugged with a crooked grin, and did an informal bow. "My pleasure."

"_Princess!"_ They heard a man's voice holler from behind them. Sokka jumped and nearly dropped his tray of mini delicacies, slightly startling the girl standing a few feet across from him. "Princess Yue, where are you?"

_Princess?_

"I'm over here, Hahn," the girl with the alabaster hair said placidly. Sokka turned to her and suddenly felt self-conscious to be in the presence of a royal. A _princess_? Had he been just conversing with a real princess? How could he have been so stupid? Here he was, talking to a royal whilst constantly addressing her informally. What had he been thinking?!

A few heartbeats later, and a handsome young man dressed in blue appeared from amidst the throng of noblemen. He pushed his way towards Sokka's companion, and upon reaching her, he grabbed her elbow. She did not fight the gesture nor did she show any signs of protest. "Where have you been?" he asked her, concern lacing his tone. "Your father's been looking for you. Do you've any idea how difficult it is to find you with all these people…" he stopped and finally took in Sokka's presence before him. The boy merely stood there, his facial expression difficult to comprehend. Hahn frowned at the presence of the servant. "Who's this?"

"Uh…" Yue smiled nervously and tried to explain. She struggled a bit, ineffectively fighting the grip the man had on her. "This is a…_friend_ of mine. He kept me company while I was…_lonely_ and disoriented all by myself." She awkwardly gestured to the busboy. "Hahn, I'd like you to meet…"her voice faded upon realizing that they haven't introduced themselves properly. Luckily, the young man was fast to act and save her all the trouble.

"Hey," Sokka said with a small wave. "I'm just a busboy, don't mind me." He laughed shakily and held out a hand for the nobleman to shake. "Pleased to meet you!"

Hahn merely looked at Sokka's outstretched hand in repulsion. "Right," he said. "What is your business with my fiancée, the Princess of the Northern Tribes?"

_The princess is his fiancée?_

"I…uh…" Sokka rubbed the back of his neck, not really knowing what to explain or justify. He should have known she had already been betrothed. It was a common thing for the children belonging to nobility. How much more if the girl was a royal?

To his surprise, the princess spoke to his defense. She turned to his fiancée and tugged on his sleeve. "Hahn, we were just talking."

"A _busboy_. Speaking to the princess." He chuckled dryly, as if the mere thought of it is humorous. "Tell me," the noble said, ignoring his intended. "Do you have a name we can address you with?"

It sounded more of a distasteful insult than a real question. Sokka ignored the fact that it was. The man was repulsive, but he clearly was not worth it. "I don't think it'd be proper to give away such a 'common name'."

"_Common_?" Hahn raised a brow. "What are you talking about?"

"My name will not be of much value to you once I make my identity be made known, but if you truly insist, then let's start all over." Sokka forced a cheeky grin and held out a hand, balancing his platter of food with the other. "Hey there, I'm Sok–_uh_…"

Would it be proper to give away his name? He knew he shouldn't, but it would be no harm to the mission. After all, by the end of the night, he was sure that his name will be forgotten. He half-hoped it wouldn't, though, for the sake of the princess.

"Sok_-uh_? What kind of name is that?" Hahn repeated, unsure if he had pronounced the name properly, but he toyed with the rest of the uncertainty, humoring the name. Sokka hadn't been too clear on his introduction, but he most certainly did not appreciate the disrespect.

_Idiot._ He cleared his throat. "It's Sokka. Sorry about that."

Hahn drew his eyebrows together and eyed him suspiciously. "Not too keen on our name, aren't we?"

"I am. I just…didn't know if it'd be proper to introduce myself so casually."

Hahn did not appear as if he was convinced, but he waved it off. "Right." He tugged on Yue's arm, and the princess turned to him. "Come, princess. Chief Arnook is waiting."

The princess nodded reluctantly and allowed Hahn to lead her away, but not before bidding a proper farewell to her newfound acquaintance. She turned to wave a good-bye to a confused-looking Sokka. "Nice meeting you, Sokka. I'll see you soon." And with that, the couple disappeared among the crowd.

Sokka felt himself wave back a second too late.

"See ya…"

Even if his first encounter with the princess hadn't been a hundred percent success (before her stupid ass of a fiancée came, it had almost been too successful), he hoped to see her again and that everything she told him was the truth.

**~*-((o))-*~**

_Twinkletoes?_

Aang stood there blinking, frozen and with an incomprehensible expression on his face.

The moniker didn't seem to have that much effect on him and surprisingly, it was the least of his concerns. What felt more significant to him that moment was the fact that he was currently standing face to face with the girl who had he had collided with earlier, and had fought with to retrieve Katara's necklace.

It was her–he was sure of it! How could he deny or doubt the truth? Who else could have recognized him? He hadn't met anyone else who looked like her other than her own person.

Tonight she looked different, though. Dressed in a cream dress with frilly skirts decorated with miniature jewels, she looked rather charming. Anyone who saw her would voice the same thing. Her unkempt bangs that had concealed her pale eyes earlier had been parted on either side of her face to reveal her porcelain features. She wore a bit of jewelry, and the accessories were enough that they complemented her entire appearance accordingly.

He kept his eyes on her, quite overwhelmed with how she dressed. If there was any way he could describe her appearance, he would conclude that she was, in no doubt, dressed for the occasion.

The boy realized that he had been silent for quite some time, because the next thing he saw was the girl crossing her arms across her chest and raising an expectant eyebrow at him. "Well?"

Aang stood there rooted on his spot. What he answered the girl wasn't exactly what he felt proper to respond: "How did you know it was me?"

She scoffed. "Please. It's not as if I couldn't remember. Plus, if you're supposed to be busboy, then you're pretty bad at pretending to be one."

He suddenly felt self-conscious. "I…I was? But I thought I was doing pretty okay."

She rolled her eyes. "Up until now, that is." She shook her head pitifully. "You just answered your own question by asking me that, and even if you hadn't, it's still clear that you are. You're pretty conspicuous. I've been to these kinds of things plenty of times so I could tell if there are defects or problems with the people around me. Servants are supposed to be well-trained, and sadly, you just defied that factor earlier. You did something, and unfortunately, that little act of yours gave you away. You've been caught way before you even knew it."

"_Monkey feathers_," he muttered in disappointment. "Well, I guess I'm no expert, but seriously, how did you know who I was?"

"Does it matter? There's no backstory, and even if there was, that's all there is to that, Twinkletoes; I know you. Period."

Aang rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. He had suspected that the girl knew what he wanted from her, but how was it possible that she knew of their plan? Had she been spying on them this whole time to know of their whereabouts? The thought made him feel suddenly conscious with what she could be capable of.

Before he could even stop himself, he asked her: "What are you doing here?"

"Isn't that supposed to be _my_ question?" she countered, taking a step forward, forcing him to take a short step back.

Aang looked away. "Look, I…I came here for something. You probably know what it is already, and I'm not leaving until I get it back."

She snorted. "It's not _yours_, and yes, I know what it is." She reached into the folds of her skirts and extracted a small item. The boy's eyes widened and he gasped when he saw it. She held the Larimar necklace before him, suspended. The varnished stone gleamed as the light illuminating the corridors reflected its surface.

Aang pointed to the heirloom in bemusement, his mouth hanging open like a cat-fish. "Where did you get that?"

She smirked and twirled it around idly in a counterclockwise motion, gripping one of the ribbon's edges and allowing the rest of its weight to take a spin. Aang had to restrain himself from grasping it from her careless fingers. "Does it matter?" she asked, lifting a brow. She momentarily stopped pivoting the trinket, and the boy held back a sigh of relief. "It's none of your concern."

He glared at her. "It is if that thing belonged to a friend of mine."

"Well then your friend had just provided someone with a very 'friendly' component. I had to go through all that trouble just to get this back, and now that I have it, there's no way I'm letting this go again." She twirled the heirloom once more, with a purpose of irritating him this time. Aang forced himself not to yield and snatch it from her hand, because the action could destroy it instead of preventing the impending accident.

"What are you talking about?" he said whilst keeping his eyes locked on the spinning piece of jewelry, ready to pounce at any given moment if her fingers slip. "You can't keep that. Don't you already have boxes of jewels to play with?"

Suddenly, she was right in his face, her glare threatening to melt him right on his spot. Aang guessed that he had probably said too much. "Do you have any idea what this thing is?" When he didn't answer her, she snarled, "You don't know, do you?"

"It's a precious heirloom," was all he said. "That's all I know, and if you don't give it back, you'd be stealing from someone who only had that one piece of jewelry she considered as her most prized possession."

The infuriating girl moved even closer until he was forced to take a few steps back. The twirling stopped. "You don't understand! I'm not being 'defiant' because I want to add this to my so-called 'collection'. I am not what you think. And no, this–", she pointed to the hanging piece of jewelry, "–this is not what you think it is, either!"

"Okay, okay! Calm down." He held his hands up in front of him in defense. She continued to glare at him, obstinate to her intentions. "Look, if you want to convince me of something, it'd be really convenient for you to just…_explain_ to me. The more calmly, the better, alright? There's no need for violence when it's not necessary. If you want, I'll even introduce myself to you so we can start over in a truce." He held out a hand with a friendly grin. "Hi, I'm Aang." When he saw that she merely stood there staring at him, he nodded to his hand and motioned for her to take it. "Go on, shake it!"

Before coming to the banquet–or even before entering Gaoling, for that matter–, Aang had hoped to make new friends while they were on their mission. He knew that it was close to impossible since they were in a hurry, but that didn't stop him from being hopeful. This girl, no matter how infuriatingly stubborn she was, could most likely be the only friend he could make tonight.

He watched her as she kept her focus on him, expression still very much bitter, much to his aggravation. Then, without warning, she huffed and spun on her heels. She walked away from him, feet leading her towards the hall she had come from.

The boy was left standing alone looking confused. His hand was still held out waiting for the shake that never came. He recovered quickly enough to stop her before she can go any further.

"Hey, wait!"

She continued to move away, farther from the boy who had tried to make amends, gradually increasing her speed with every new step she took until her strides were large enough to possibly elude him. Aang was fast to catch up with her, though.

"Hey." They were walking side by side now. He grabbed her arm to stop her, and she did briefly enough to shoot him a menacing glower. "Did I say something that offended you?" he asked.

"It's not what you said, Twinkletoes." She didn't look at him while she spoke. She jerked her arm forcibly from his grasp, and he was forced to free her temporarily. "It's about the fact that you want to negotiate. I can't have that."

"Well, you could have just told me and not run away like you just did!" Aang exclaimed feeling very much offended. She could've just done that, could she? Why did she have to be so difficult to understand?

Without warning, she spun to face him fully, jabbing a finger squarely to his face. "Listen you," she hissed. "Whatever reason you have to be here in this party, trash that. You have no business here, and you most certainly aren't leaving with anything. You got that? Now, I want you to turn your puny little ass the other way around and leave before I do something regrettable."

"You can't make me leave. I only came here for the necklace, and that's it. I don't plan on taking anything else that I don't need." He was glaring now, despite his efforts to remain calm. "I'll leave when I have it. You won't see me again, and I'll assure you of that." If she wanted to be stubborn, so be it. He'd be stubborn as well.

"Ugh! Do I have to tell you again? You. Cannot. Have this. There are good reasons as to why but I can't tell you any of it!"

"And why not?"

"Because…because I can't!_"_ She growled and stalked away from him, her indignation boiling into steam above her head.

He ran to catch up with her once more. "Can't you just tell me what's your deal with – "

"No. Go away. I've had enough of you."

He continued to persist, and now that she had transformed him, there was no turning back. It was her fault; she had triggered something in him that forced him to be. "Don't you have trunks of jewels to play with?" he asked. "Why take this one among all the other trinkets you could possibly–"

"I said, '_leave_'!" she growled menacingly. The tone was enough to make a grown man cower.

He stayed where he was, unyielding. Despite the feeling of fear creeping into his system, he willed himself to stay. He grasped her arm again, gripping her elbow with enough force to hold her down. "I am _not_ leaving until I get what I came here for."

She stubbornly yanked her arm away from his grip, and then, she did what he had least expected her to do: she cried for help.

"Guards, guards!" she yelled theatrically. "Help!"

Aang reacted upon instinct. He scrambled to move before the girl could scream even louder. He ran to hide behind a far wall, concealing himself totally against a thick marble pillar. Not a moment after he had fled, he heard the sound of feet running towards the girl he had left alone by the corridor.

"Miss Bei Fong," he heard a man's voice say. "What happened? Are you hurt?"

"We thought we heard your cries for help," another guard said.

Aang strained to listen to their conversation from his position behind a pillar. He had half-expected the girl to point to where he was hiding, but what he didn't expect was for her to feign vulnerability. "I…I thought I heard someone. I got scared…"

There was a sigh from one of the guards. Aang continued to listen even as the voices gradually began to fade. "You know your father doesn't want you wandering around without supervision, Miss Toph. Come; let's take you back to your mother."

And with that, they left the hallway leaving Aang alone to brood. The sound of their footsteps withered until he could barely hear them anymore. There had to be a different alternative route on how he'll get that necklace back now that he knew where it was. That girl (what was her name according to those guards? 'Toph', right?) will most likely devise of a way to hide it from him, and he himself should formulate his own plan to counter it…

Wait a minute. Did that guard just address her as 'Miss Beifong'?

**~*-((o))-*~**

Katara wandered amidst the crowd, still under the guise of a noblewoman's name. The real Sapphire Fire could be lurking around hoping to find the thief of her name at any given moment, and she suddenly felt hyper aware of the possibilities of being exposed.

Despite the temporary new name, she still felt self-conscious. She kept her painted lips and chin concealed behind the fan. What if someone knew Sapphire Fire and would question her? Katara hoped that she wouldn't be discovered. It was the worst thing that could possibly happen to her during the mission.

Thankfully, no one had bothered her nor questioned her yet, but there could be some circumstances that things like those could not be avoided.

Ty Lee should have been mindful about choosing the noblewoman for Katara to replace. In the high-society, names made up a huge percentage of their entire identity. No one knew for certain, but there were a few theories that stated that their wealth and statuses only came as a second or a third in specific order–the latter one trailing behind like an attachment, more so–and compared to the name, the two only described the person and not defined his entire being.

Katara moved discreetly, careful not to step on the dress she wore whilst straining to stay upright. The fabric of her attire was long and it covered her feet. It wasn't entirely difficult to move, but the seamstress could've added a slit or two. The silk would tear if she would attempt a large stride. Hopefully she wouldn't find the need to run from anyone tonight. She'd be more inclined to fall behind due to her dress.

She felt the need to be desperate. The candle was burning; the wax had gradually begun to melt. She had yet to find the two boys who had promised to meet her. Sokka and Aang could be anywhere catering the guests and feigning to be of service to the aristocrats. She hoped that they're moving accordingly to their plan. They were here for a reason and she had made sure to drill that into their minds before they had separated.

A random servant passed her, carrying his tray of delicacies, and for a moment she thought that it was her brother and Aang, but she was mistaken. The young man was too tall to be Aang and he visibly slouched as he walked. His platter passed her, and from the smell it carried, the food piled above it was most definitely something delectable. The aura penetrated her sense of smell and Katara immediately felt the sudden urge to consume.

She felt hungry; she knew it. A small protest came from her stomach, and that was when she realized thar she hadn't really gotten a chance to eat anything before the plan's execution. Suki didn't include a pre-dinner to their order of business.

She moved to the center of the room where a few nobles crowded over a long banquet table. Where were they? They're supposed to be here by now. Judging by their time difference, they were sure to have entered before her, so where could have they gone?

Katara began to examine one busboy after another as they passed her, but none of them provided any single bit of familiarity she could grasp. The Grand Ballroom covered a large area, which meant that her comrades could be hiding anywhere. She prepared to move from the center of the room and back to the throng she had emerged from. Fan still concealing the lower half of face, she searched for the two boys amidst the people. The girl planned to cover all four corners of the room first to find a good angle, but when she reached the edge of the hall, a shadowed figure, moving meticulously behind the far adjacent wall, caught her eye.

She frowned and turned to where she had thought she saw the shadow, but when her blue eyes finally came to focus, it was as if it had only been part of her imagination. There was no one there. That's funny; she was sure that she had seen something, and it had almost humored her that it moved too quickly and disappeared like vapor. The girl swallowed her doubt and sauntered to where she had thought she had seen the figure.

It hadn't been a few moments after she entered the new corridor when she saw a shadow move again. This time, the locomotion was slow, almost as if the intruder aimed to move as gingerly as possible. When she started to approach it, it suddenly turned and fled further down the hall.

All her doubts immediately dissipated when she saw what had occurred. Katara felt anxiety making its way to her system. This man could be an assassin for all she knew. She suddenly felt the urge to call for help, but when the man moved deeper into the corridors, Katara doubted that anyone would come running to her aid. Instead, she mustered all her courage, lifted her skirt, and followed him.

Of course, she knew that the figure was a 'he' the moment he turned his back. His physique could not deny himself.

Anxiety. That's what she had felt while she attempted to pursue the intruder. Katara had just entered the similar hallway he was in when he fled to another adjacent one. She was about to go after him when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She gasped and prepared to fight whoever had touched her, only to find that it was a stern looking man with authority written in his entire identity.

"This area is off-limits," he said, folding his hands behind his back. "All guests should only be allowed in the Grand Ballroom and are not permitted to wander anywhere else in the house. I'm afraid I'll have to escort you back, miss."

Katara tried to speak, but when she did, her voice was shaky due to the anxiety that had arrived before her recovery. "R-right. Yes, I knew that…I just...thought that my parents are here. I've lost them and…I guess I've strayed too far."

The man nodded curtly. It was only then that Katara finally caught his appearance: he was a middle-aged man with a queue hairstyle; long braided hair protruded from the back of his cranium and the inked strands continued to trail down his back. His beard looked sharp and neatly-trimmed. His face plastered a stern expression, but gradually his frown began to diminish until a small smile broke forth from his features.

"No worries," he said with a masked expression. He feigned concern, but Katara had already picked up what was in contrary. Even if he was smiling, he looked quite sinister. "I'll escort you back to your parents."

He offered her his arm to take her back to the Grand Ballroom, and the girl complied hesitantly. But before they could leave the hall and disappear, she daringly turned to take one last peer on the shadow she had just chased, and found a pair of illuminated golden eyes watching her intently. She gasped inaudibly. His gaze seemed to be penetrating her soul, and she knew immediately who it was. When she saw that his one eye was much smaller compared the other, all was confirmed.

The man had a scar.

It was Lee.

* * *

**To be continued…**


End file.
