Toph panted heavily as she ran through Fire Fountain City, towards the giant statue of Fire Lord Ozai. She twisted around to face her pursuers, but yelped as a net encased her body and she fell to the ground. She pushed herself up onto her elbows, "How could you do this to me?!" She shouted angrily at Katara, who was standing in front of her, "You betrayed me!"

"You brought this on yourself." Katara retorted as she glared down at the blind girl and crossed her arms, turning away from Toph's prostrate form, "I had no choice."

Toph grunted quietly and turned her head in Katara's direction, glaring furiously as she was dragged away by several Fire Nation guards...

Three Days Earlier...

In a large clearing partially surrounded by cliffs, Toph shifted into a bending stance while across from her Katara bended two streams of water from the river behind her into her hands. Xiaodan stood between the two girls, glancing between them carefully to gauge their readiness before she turned her attention to Aang, who was crouched several feet in front of her and diagonally to the to younger girls.

"You ready, Aang?" She called out when he stood up straight and finished tying his Fire Nation school headband around his eyes.

"Yeah," Aang called back with a grin as he turned to face the three girls, "I'm ready for some training."

"Alright," Xiaodan said and she glanced between the three younger benders then jumped high into the air, airbending herself away from the three.

Aang took an earthbending stance similiar to Toph's, bringing one foot forward then the other. Once his right foot touched the ground, he picked up the subtle vibrations from the ground with his seismic senses, pinpointing where both Toph and Katara were standing.

Xiaodan landed nimbly on a ledge that jutted out from the cliff behind Toph and she sat down, letting her legs dangle over the edge as she watched Aang slid forward, easily dodging an earthen pillar that shot up out of hte ground where he'd been standing. She smirked proudly as he dodged two more pillars that appeared in the same manner then she nodded in approval when he ducked and redirected the water whip Katara launched at him.

Aang quickly twisted around to face Toph, earthbending a boulder from the ground and launching it at her. Toph smirked and held her hand up, easily catching the incoming boulder and stopping it, "Good job, Twinkle Toes. Visualize, then attack." She called out in approval then she launched the boulder back at him.

Safely out of way, Xiaodan leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees, observing the way Aang burrowed into a hole with earthbending to dodge the boulder. She winced sympathetically when the boulder instead hit Katara square in the chest, knocking her onto her back.

Katara scowled and glared in Toph's direction, "Maybe you should take your own advice, Toph!"

"What's that matter?" Toph quipped mockingly as she wiggled her fingers in a girly manner at the Waterbender while Aang earthbending himself out of the hole he'd created, "Can't handle a little dirt, Madame Fussy-Britches?"

"Ah man, not again." Xiaodan groaned quietly and covered her eyes exasperation at the fight that was inevitably about to start. She peeked out between her fingers, wincing when she saw Katara's twitching eyebrow and a vein throbbing in her forehead.

Katara scowled and raised her arms, waterbending a large wave from the river and sending it towards Toph. She smirked truimphantly as the wave completely soaked the blind girl, "Oh, sorry. Did I splash you,Mud-Slug?"

Xiaodan sighed again and shook her head as Katara created and ice ramp while Toph created an earth ramp before charging straight for each other. The two elemental ramps slammed into each a few feet in front of Aang and the two girls went flying.

Aang straightened from the defensive stance he'd taken and scratched his head, "Are we taking a break?"

Xiaodan opened her mouth to call out an answer when she was distracted by Sokka peeked out from behind the boulder he'd been hiding behind, an evil smile on his face. She watched him with a quirked brow as he jumped up and charged towards a still blindfolded Aang.

"Sneak Attack!"

Without turning towards the older boy, Aang casually lifted one arm and earthbended a wall of rock in front of Sokka, stopping him dead in his tracks. Aang lowered the wall back into the ground, causing Sokka to fall on his face, then he turned towards the Water Tribe boy, "Sokka, sneak attacks don't work if you yell it out loud." Aang chided as he lifted blindfold from his eyes.

Xiaodan smirked and leapt of the ledge, using a little airbending to propel herself towards the two boys. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she dropped into a crouch and swiped Aang's feet out from under him with her legs. She laughed loudly as she caught him in her arms before he could hit the ground and she affectionately ruffled his hair, "Sneak attack."

Aang huffed with good natured annoyance and playfully swatted at her hand, "Xia! Not cool!"

Xiaodan merely grinned at him before airbending them both into standing positions. Suddenly, she squawked in surprise as mud splashed against her left leg and she glanced to the side, "What the...?"

She pulled a confused face and glanced at Aang with a quirked brow before turning to look back at Toph and Katara as they wrestled in puddle of mud, their hands locked together. Toph grunted and scowled at Katara before she sneered, "Hungry for a mud pie?"

Katara gave an wordless shout of outrage when Toph kicked mud in her face and she backed away from the younger girl, wiping the mud from her face. She snarled at Toph as soon as her vision was clear and she lifted her arms, "I'll give you a mud pie!" She stomped forward and bended a liquid-y stream of mud at Toph, knocking the blind Earthbender onto her front.

Xiaodan heaved an exasperated sight as Toph growled and lurched to her feet, earthbending a short pillar under Katara's feet and sending her flying towards the side of the cliff. She spun around and charged towards the older girl, but was jerked to a stop at the last second. Toph yelped and thrashed around for moment, by the grip on the back of her shirt didn't loosen.

"That's enough you two." Xiaodan commanded sternly and she easily pulled Toph's light frame away from Katara so she was standing beside her, "You're not supposed to be fighting each other." Aang, along with Sokka, stepped up to the edge of the mud pit the three girls where standing in and scratched his head in confusion, "Uh, yeah, I thought we were supposed to me training me?"

Katara flushed slightly under Xiaodan's amused look and she pushed off of the cliff wall and ineffectually brushed at the mud covering her clothes as she took a few steps forward, "Very well, pupil. I believe we've had enought training for today." Lifting her chin under the bemused looks of her friends, Katara turned and calmly walked away.

Xiaodan shook her head and let go of Toph's shirt then trudged through the mud towards the two boys. Toph shook her head and turned towards her three friends, "Hey, while Katara cleans up," She earthbended the mud covering her body as she spoke, "Let's go have some fun!"

"Yeah!" Aang exclaimed while Sokka pumped his fist in the air with a cheer, "Yes!"

Xiaodan and bobbed her head in agreement, "Alright, let's go. Aang, don't forget your shirt." The younger scurried to grab his shirt then rushed after Xiaodan, Sokka, and Toph as they headed towards the nearby town.

"Look at all those messenger hawks!" Sokka exclaimed in awe as he tilted his head back to watch several messenger hawks flying in and out of a large coop the group of four friends were walking past, "Ya know, I've been thinkingabout getting one for myself. That way, I wouldn't have to talk to anyone. I could just send them messages."

Toph snickered and tilted her head towards the older boy, "I gotta say, I like the idea of not talking to you."

Sokka huffed and glared irritatedly at the blind girl walking beside him. Xiaodan laughed and draped her arm around Toph's shoulders, leaning in to whisper loudly, "I totally agree with you."

"Hey!"

"So, guys," Aang cut in before Sokka could beginning ranting at the two snickering girls and he turned to face them, holding up a silver coin, "What are we gonna get with our last silver piece?"

Toph suddenly stopped walking, causing Xiaodan to pause beside her, and canted her head to the side with a smirk, "We can get more money." Sokka and Aang, who had walked slightly ahead of her, turned around to look at the blind girl with confused curiosity. Toph gestured to the street below the one the group were on, "Right there."

Xiaodan craned her neck to see around Toph and peer at the lower street interestedly while Sokka and Aang walked back over to them. She observed group of men standing around two men sitting at a low table with three upside down shells on it. Her brow quirked upward as she watched the man in front of the table set some money on the table before the second man lifted the shells to reveal that the middle one had a rock underneath it. The man behind the table placed the shells back down and began moving them around rapidly.

"Are you suggesting what I think you are?" The female Airbender asked in bemusement.

Toph smirked and nodded her head slightly towards the group of men, "This is where you seeing people are at a disadvantage. Everyone guesses wrong because the dealer moves the rock at the last minute." Her smirk widened into an expression of smug triumph, "But I can feel it with my earthbending."

Sokka and Aang grinned with excitement and looked at Xiaodan for approval, Toph turning her head towards her as well and raising one brow. Xiaodan looked between the three younger teens then sighed and waved her hand dismissively, "Fine, what could it hurt."

Sokka, Aang, and Toph exchanged gleeful grins and darted away, heading towards the stairs that would take them to the lower street while Xiaodan followed at a more sedate pace, her hands folded behind her head.

The group of four reached the scam artist's table just as he finished moving the shells around and had rearranged them in a horizontal row in the middle of the table. They hovered near the back of the small crowd as the gambler pointed to the middle shell, which the con artist picked up to reveal nothing underneath. The gambler covered his face with his hands, sobbing in distress as one of his friends helped him to his feet and led him away.

Xiaodan sighed and lowered her hands from her head, folding her arms over her chest as the small crowd shift. She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes when the dealer caught sight of Toph, his eyes lighting up with maniacal glee.

"You there." The dealer called out with a smirk, "Wanna play a friendly game?"

Toph tilted her head in confusion, an innocently befuddled expression on her face, "How can I possibly play?" She asked sweetly and she waved a hand in front of her face, "I'm blind."

The dealer's smirk widened, "You don't have to see to be lucky."

Toph took a tentative step forward and carefully lowered herself to her knees, crawling forward slightly while feeling around for the table. Biting her tongue to keep from laughing at Toph's helpless act, Xiaodan crouched beside the younger girl and grasped her hand, placing it carefully onto the table. She took a step back to stand in between Sokka and Aang behind Toph, who dug into her sash and pulled out the group's last silver piece then she placed it on the table.

The scam artist lifted the three shells and showed everyone the rock that was under the shell in the middle then he lowered the shells and began moving them around rapidly. Toph's lip twitched into an invisble smirk when she sensed the dealer toss a rock from his sleeves into each of the two empty shells. The dealer stopped moving the shells and leaned back with a smug look on his face as Toph pointed towards the shell on the left. The smug expression quickly turned to one of surprise as he lifted the shell, revealing the rock underneath it.

"Flamey-O, Toph." Aang praised with a grin while Xiaodan patted the younger girl's shoulder, "Good job, little sister."

"Wow." The con artist commented as he placed tossed two silver pieces next to the one Toph had bet, "Fancy guessing. You are amazing at this." He smirked and shuffled several silver pieces in his hands before flipping them between his knuckles, "Would you like to make the game a little more interesting?"

"More interesting?" Toph repeated in that innocent manner and she tilted her head to the side curiously, "How?"

"Well, let's say you toss in your friend's fine sword there," The man pointed at Sokka's sword then grabbed up a large bag of money and held it up with a smirk, "Then I'll put up twenty silver pieces against it, and that's more interesting."

Toph snatched Sokka's sword and placed it on the table, "I'll do it for forty silver pieces." Sokka made a strangled noise and stared at them with his mouth wide open. Xiaodan placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze before looking back at Toph and the dealer.

"Forty silver pieces it is." The dealer agreed and he dropped several more coins into the back before he began moving the shells around, faster than the first time.

Toph leaned forward slightly and smiled slyly as she easily sensed the two rocks the scam artist moved into his sleeves. She waited until he went to move the third rock into his sleeve then she inconspiciously clenched her hand, earthbending the pebble back underneath the shell without the scam artist even noticing. He stopped moving the shells and Toph smiled, pointing to the shell in the middle.

The dealer reached for the middle shell with a smirk, "Sorry, little lady, but-" He cut himself off abruptly as he lifted the shell and stared intently at the rock resting innocently underneath it, "Huh?"

"I won!" Toph cheered and she snatched the back of money off the table while Sokka grabbed his sword and the group ran off before the dealer could get his wits about him.

"That was awesome!" Xiaodan crowed and she grabbed Toph's hands, twirling the younger girl around before embracing her tightly, "Youwereamazing, Toph!"

Toph grinned proudly and haughtily tossed her head, "Thanks, I know."

Xiaodan laughed and danced a little in place before gesturing towards one of the shops, "C'mon let's get some supplies." She led the way into the shop and grabbed a couple of baskets, handing them to the other three before taking her own then the group made their way through the shop.

Laughter caught Katara's attention and she looked up from the soup she was cooking to stare in shock as Xiaodan, Sokka, Aang, and Toph walked towards the camp, laughing and carrying baskets full of goods. She looked at the baskets the four had dropped to the ground with curiosity then she glanced up at the four, "Where did you guys get the money to buy all this stuff?"

"Toph got us money." Aang explained as he grabbed an apple from one of the baskets, taking a bite out of it as he sat down, "She scammed one of those guys in town who moves the shells around all sneaky-like." He made a sneaky expression and mimicked the scam artist moving the shells with his hand, oblivious to Katara's disapproving frown.

Sokka plopped down and grinned widely at his sister, "She used earthbending to win the game! Classic."

"Ah," Katara replied nonchalantly, "So she cheated."

"Hey!" Toph protested as she took a bite out of the apple Xiaodan had placed in her hand, "I only cheated because he was cheating!" She smiled smugly and took another bite of the apple, "I cheated a cheater. What's wrong with that?"

Xiaodan picked up one of the baskets and walked around Katara as she folded her arms over her chest and frowned at Toph, "I'm just saying this isn't something we should makea habit of doing."

"Why?" Toph demanded and she sneered slightly, "Because it's fun? And you hate fun?"

"Toph." Xiaodan rebuked calmly as she finished moving the baskets closer Appa's saddle and began organizing the supplies, "Don't be mean."

"What?" Toph mumbled around a mouthful of apple, "It's true..."

"I don't hate fun!" Katara snapped and she grabbed Momo, placing him on her head like a hat, "See? Fun!" The others stared at her blankly as the lemur slipped off her head and screeched at her indignantly before running away.

"Katara," Aang said seriously as he turned and lifted his headband slightly to reveal his Airbender tattoo then he bowed to her, "I'll personally make you an Avatar Promise that we won't make a habbit of doing these scams."

Xiaodan quirked a brow and rolled her eyes slightly,'Wonder how long that will last...'

Xiaodan folded her hands behind her head and followed Aang, Sokka, and Toph the towards the entrance to Fire Fountain City at a sedate pace, idly staring at the fluffy white clouds decorating the sky as she walked. She was distracted from her cloud-gazing when Sokka called her name impatiently and she turned her gaze towards him, quirking a brow questioningly.

"Are you coming with us, Xia?" Aang asked before Sokka could open his mouth and he bounds on his heels excitedly as he waited just inside the town's entrance with Sokka and Toph.

Xiaodan shrugged and shook her head, "Nah, I wanna look around the market for a bit." She smiled wryly when Aang pouted slightly in disappointment, "I'll come help you guys cheat the cheaters in a little bit."

Toph grinned in her direction and quipped teasingly, "You're loss, Xia. We'll see you later."

The three began walking down one of the streets while Xiaodan turned down another, heading towards the market. She turned to walk backwards and called out to their retreating forms, "Try to stay outta trouble!"

The three made various gestures to show that they'd heard her and she shook her head, smiling wryly as she turned back around and continued strolling down the street towards the market at a languid pace. She hummed lightly, if slightly out of tune as she walked while occassionally glancing at the shops she passed.

A little over an hour and a half had passed since Xiaodan had gone to the market while Toph, Sokka, and Aang went to start scamming the small city's con artists. In that time, she'd browsed several different shops and had even picked up surprisingly well-made staff from a weapons merchant to replace the glider she'd lost back in Ba Sing Se. She twirled the staff idly as she walked towards the outskirts of the city where a carnival was being hosted, hoping to find one or all of her friends.

Sokka's familiar squeal of excitement reached Xiaodan's ears above the general noisiness of the carnival and she instantly turned in the direction of the sound. Nimbly weaving her way through a throng of people, Xiaodan caught sight of Aang, Sokka, and Toph hurrying away from a crowd of people surrounding what looked like a broken test-your-strength game. Smiling mischeviously, Xiaodan rushed towards the three and, keeping a firm grip on her new staff, leapt onto Sokka's back, "Boo!"

"Ah!" Sokka squealed as he stumbled and under the female Airbender's sudden weight, barely managing to keep on his feet, "Xia!?"

Xiaodan laughed and dropped back to the ground, grinning at the Water Tribe boy cheekily while Toph smirked and Aang laughed at him. Sokka spun around and glared at the white-haired girl, pointing an accusing finger at her face, "Why do you do that?"

Xiaodan shrugged, her grin widening, "Because it's fun?" She giggled at the flat, unamused look he gave her before she looked at Toph, "You guys done scamming yet?"

"Not yet." Toph replied with a sly smile as the foursome continued back towards the town, "I wanna pull one more before we head back to camp and Madame Fussy-Britches."

"Toph," Xiaodan chiding in amusement as they walked down the street, "You really shouldn't call Katara that. It's not nice."

Toph flapped her hand dismissively in the older girl's direction before changing the subject, "If we're gonna pull this scam off, Sokka's gonna need his Wang Fire getup."

Xiaodan sighed and shook her head, a sardonic smile on her lips as Toph began to explain her plan in more detail.

Xiaodan peered down at the dark alley where Toph was casually leaning against the wall of the building she was perched on. She glanced over her shoulder and whistled quietly at Aang, who was sitting on opposite side of the room, watching the other alley where Sokka was waiting. Aang looked over at her and gave her a thumbs up then they both looked towards the street, just as a fancy carriage being pulling by a dragon-moose came trundling along.

Peeking over the edge of the building she was on, Xiaodan watched in amusement as Toph stepped out of the dark alley and earthbended a small pillar right in front of one of the carriage's wheels, stopping it with a thump. The blind Earthbender then fell onto her back, pretending to have been hit by the cart. Xiaodan bit her lip to keep from laughing as the nobleman inside the carriage peeked out and gasped when he saw Toph's prostrate form.

The nobleman dove out of carriage and started to run back down the street, but Sokka, dressed in his Wang Fire clothes and fake beard, stepped out of the alley he'd been waiting in and glared down at the nobleman. Sokka glanced over the noble's shoulder and noticed Toph's 'run over' form and he crossed his arms and glared darkly at the noble.

The nobleman dropped to his knees in front of Sokka and began begging desperately placing a bag of coins as a bribery in Sokka's arms and while the noble was distracted with bribing Sokka, Toph carefully got to her feet and disappeared back into the alley where Xiaodan and Aang were waiting for her. Oblivious, the noble placed more coin bags in Sokka's arms until he finally smiled and winked at him before walking back into the alley.

"Guys," Katara said as she walked towards where Sokka, Toph, and Aang were counting the money they'd gotten after just getting back from the city, "I think these scams have gone far enough. If you keep doing them, something bad is gonna happen."

"Could you for once stop being such a sourpuss and just lighten up?" Toph demanded in exasperation and she flicked a silver piece at Katara with a smirk.

"Oh, I'm sorry! You think I should be more like you?" Katara snapped back as she caught the coin and pretended to inspect it then she tossed it on the ground in front of Toph, "Like some wild child?"

Straightening from her sprawled out position on Appa's tail, Xiaodan pushed herself to her feet and walked towards the others. "You both need to calm down." She said diplomatically as she came to a stop beside Toph just as Sokka grabbed the coin Katara had tossed to the ground, "Fighting like a pair of wet pygmy pumas isn't going to get you anywhere."

Toph scoffed and pointed in Katara's direction, "Maybe if she lightened up a little we wouldn't fight so much! Maybe if she was a little more like me, she'd see how great we have it! I mean, look at us!" She leaned back on the rock behind her and crossed her arms behind her head with a smirk, "We're traveling around the world! Making easy money! Having fun! With no parents to tell us what to do!"

"Ah, I see." Katara commented drily, "You're acting like this because of your parents."

"Whatever." Toph retorted haughtily and Xiaodan groaned, shaking her head in exasperation.

"They were controlling over you, so you ran away, and now you act like your parents don't exist." Katara stated matter-of-factly as she stared down at Toph with an almost pitying expression, "You act like you hate them, but you don't. You just feel guilty."

Toph turned her head towards the Waterbender and narrowed her eyes, "I do hate them."

"I don't think so. I think you miss them, but you just don't want to deal with that, so instead you act like this crazy person."

Toph leapt to her feet and growled angrily, "Look, I ran away to help Aang!"

"You know what? It doesn't matter." Katara snapped and she put her hands on her hips, "These scams put us all at risk, we don't need that." She pointed at her forehead for emphasis as she continued, "We've already got some third-eyed freak after us."

Xiaodan moved around the two girls and sat down between Aang and Sokka, resting her elbow on her thigh and cupping her chin as she watched Katara and Toph stand toe-to-toe.

"Speaking of that 'third-eyed freak'," Sokka piped up with a proud grin, "I think I've come up with a name for him. What do you think of 'Sparky-Sparky-Boom-Man?'" Simultaneously, Aang and Xiaodan turned to look at him with blank expressions and Sokka shrugged, "Just think about it."

Shaking her head at her brother's idiocy, Katara redirected her attention to Toph, "We have enough money! You need to stop this!"

Toph opened her mouth to retort but Xiaodan cut in, surprising everyone.

"Katara's right, little sister." The white-haired Airbender stated quietly, but firmly, "It was fun the first few times, but if we keep it up someone's bound to get suspicious. And we can't afford to draw too much attention to ourselves." She straightened from her slouched position and pursed her lips, "We have enough money to last us a while. It's time to stop before something bad happens."

Toph scowled fiercely at the two older girls, "I'll stop when I wanna stop and not when either of you tell me to!" She stomped her foot, earthbending a small rock pillar under the money bag behind her and lauching it into her hand. She shoved past Katara and walked a few feet away, sitting down and bending an earthen tent around her.

Katara angrily shook her head at the sight and threw her hands up in the air before stomping towards Appa's saddle. Xiaodan sighed and closed her eyes, collapsing onto her back with her arms spread out.

Sokka suddenly cleared his throat and picked up his money bag and his sword then he stood up, "Speaking of money, I'm off to spend some. See you guys later."

Xiaodan grunted in acknowledgement and Aang waved at Sokka as he walked away from camp.

Kneeling beside the river, Xiaodan carefully dipped a large bowl into the water then she placed it beside her. She grabbed the small drawstring bag resting on the ground beside her and quickly plucked out a vial that was filled halfway with a thick, deep brown liquid. Light footsteps reached her ears and she glanced over her shoulder, smiling when she saw Aang walking towards her with her new staff in hand.

"Do you need help?" Her little brother asked as he took sat down across from her so that the bowl of water was in between them and he placed the dark wood staff across his lap.

"Yes, thank you." Xiaodan replied as she dumped the thick brown liquid into the water and began to mix it into the water with her fingers. She nodded towards the staff resting across Aang's legs, "Like it?"

"Yeah, it's nice." Aang replied as he picked up the staff and twirled it slightly above his head before placing it back across his legs. He ran his hands lightly along the dark wood and, biting his bottom lip uncertainly, looked at his sister, "Xia? Can I ask you something?"

"Of course." Xiaodan replied without looking up from the oils she was concoction she was mixing to redarken her white hair, "You can talk to me about anything, you know that."

"Yeah, I know. It's just..." He hesitated and Xiaodan stopped mixing the brew and looked up at him with concern.

"What's wrong, little brother?"

Aang fidgeted with the staff for a moment before taking a deep breath and meeting his older sister's eyes, "Are you okay?"

"Of course." She replied instantly and she furrowed her brow in confusion, "Why do you ask?"

"Well, lately you've seemed..." Aang held his hands up slightly and shrugged, "Not as happy as you used to be. I mean, you smile and laugh and make jokes like you usually do, but sometimes it seems like you're just..." He gestured vaguely with his hands, "You know, not really there? Is it...is it about...Zuko?"

"I...see." Xiaodan removed her hand from the dye mixture and carefully cleaned her hand on a cloth she'd tucked into the sash around her waist. She placed the cloth on her lap and tilted her head to the side as she regarded her younger brother with intently, wondering just when he'd gotten so perceptive, "I'm okay, Aang." She laughed at his skeptical look and smiled, "Really, I'm fine. I mean, I miss him, as much as I don't want to miss him, I do."

She shrugged helplessly and she looked down at the bowl of dark liquid for a moment before smiling ruefully at Aang, "I've accepted what happened, but I'm still trying to let go."

Aang stared at her for a moment then he placed the staff on the ground and stood, walking the short distance seperating them. He sat down beside her and wrapped his arms around in, resting his chin on her shoulder. Xiaodan leaned against him and sighed quietly, closing her eyes for a moment as she rested the side of her head against his.

"If it makes you feel better, I think he's a stupid jerk." Aang muttered into her thick hair and Xiaodan laughed quietly before replying in amusement, "Aang, you've always thought he was a stupid jerk."

The younger Airbender snickered and nodded slightly, "Yeah, but now I think he's really, really stupid jerk for hurting you." He lifted his head and ran his fingers through her loose hair in a brotherly gesture of affection, "Besides you're too good for him anyway."

"Thanks, little brother." Xiaodan laughed again and kissed his cheek quickly then she gestured towards the bowl of hair dye, "Now, I think that's enough mushy talk for one day. Help me with this, yeah?"

Aang laughed and reached for the bowl.

"Hawky, welcome to Team Avatar." Sokka said happily as he walked out of the messenger hawk coop with a hawk on his arm, "My name's Sokka, and I'm your new owner, and as such I should warn you that there's already a lemur in our group, so I don't want to see any fighting." He gently ran his fingers along the messenger hawk's chest feathers, "Good little, messenger hawky. Who's got pretty feathers?"

Sokka suddenly faltered when a poster on the wall he was walking past and he quickly backpedaled, gasping in horror. He ripped the wanted poster off the wall and stared at it, dumbfounded horror. Hawky screeched suddenly and Sokka nodded absentmindedly.

"You're right, Hawky. This is bad..."

In response, Hawky lifted his tail feathers and pooped while standing on Sokka's arm. Sokka made a face.

Xiaodan stopped brushing her newly darkened hair and glanced up from where she was sitting on the ground beside Toph to stare at Sokka as he walked up to them with a serious expression.

"Toph, while I was in town, I found something that you're not gonna like." Sokka stated seriously as he out a piece of paper and held it in front of the blind girl.

"Well, it sounds like a sheet of paper," Toph drawled sarcastically as she stopped counting her money to stare blankly in front of her, "But I guess you're referring to what's on the sheet of paper."

Xiaodan made a strangled noise when she saw the picture and writing on the wanted poster and she looked up at Sokka with wide eyes, "Are you serious?"

"Yeah." Sokka replied to the Airbender's question then he addressed Toph, "It's a wanted poster, Toph. Ofyou. They've nicknamed you the Runaway."

"A wanted poster! That's so great!" Toph exclaimed happily, wiggling slightly in place before making a grand gesture with her hands, "'The Runaway.' I love my new nickname!"

"Toph," Xiaodan said sternly as she set her comb down to frown at the girl, "This is not a good thing!"

The blind girl waved her hand dismissively at the older girl, "Don't be such a spoilsport, Xia, that's Katara's job." Toph redirected her attention towards Sokka and she grinned, "Is there a picture of me? Does it look good?"

"Well, yeah, actually it does look pretty good." Sokka replied in surprise after looking between the poster and a grinning Toph a few times.

"Sokka!"

"What? It's true!" Sokka snarked back at Xiaodan before shaking his head and looking back at Toph, "But that's besides the point. Toph, maybe Katara and Xia were right. These scams are drawing way too much attention to us."

"Don't be such a worrywart like Katara, you too." Toph drawled dismissively as she stood up and walked closer to Sokka, "Think of it this way, now you've got plenty of money to help with the invasion plan."

"Toph..." Xiaodan rebuked sternly, but the blind girl ignored her, holding up a bag of money and jiggling it in front of Sokka enticingly.

"Well..." Sokka pondered her words for a moment, cupping his chin in one hand, "That is true. I had this idea of making armor for Appa."

Xiaodan groaned and slapped her forehead with one hand, closing her eyes. Toph ignored her again and smirked, taking some money out of the bag and handing it to Sokka, "Here's a little extra, so you can get yourselfa nice map of the Fire Nation. You know what?" She held out the bag to him, "Make it an atlas."

Sokka wiggled his fingers and snatched the bag from her hand, "I do like expensive atlases."

"Of course you do." Toph murmured with a smirk and she grabbed the wanted poster from his hand and tucked it into her sash, "And that's why this wanted poster is going to stay our little secret."

Xiaodan scowled briefly at Sokka in disapproval then she leapt to her feet and hurried after Toph as she walked away. Sokka watched them go before looking towards Aang and Katara as they walked towards him.

"Sokka," Katara groaned and she placed her hand on her forehead in exasperation, "Tell me you didn't buy a bird."

"Not just a bird, a messenger bird." Sokka replied proudly with a grin, "Now we can send messenges all over the world. Even to Gran-Gran."

"Wow!" Aang exclaimed excitedly as he looked at the bird, "How does it work?"

"Hm... Uh, I never actually thought about that." Sokka mused thoughtfully then he pointed away from himself, "Hawky, Gran-Gran, South Pole." The messenger bird ruffled his feathers and shook himself, "I think he gets it."

Momo suddenly appeared on Aang's shoulder and screeched a challenge at Hawky then he jumped to Sokka's shoulder and began chasing Hawky around the Water Tribe boy's head.

"Hawky!" Sokka squawked as the two animals scrambled around his head, "Make nice! Bad Hawky!"

"Toph!" Xiaodan called out to the younger girl, who ignored her and kept walking. Xiaodan scowled slightly and used airbending to increase her speed until she was right beside Toph, "Toph, wait up!"

"What!?" Toph exclaimed in exasperated annoyance as she stopped and turned towards the older girl, "What, do you want to tell me what to do some more? Scold me? What?"

Xiaodan sighed and placed her hands on Toph's shoulders, "Toph, listen to me. I know it may seem like Katara and I are trying to control you, but we're not. We're just trying to look out for you."

"Well, I don't need you and the Sugar Queen to look out for me." Toph huffed petulantly and she crossed her arms over her chest, turning her head away.

Xiaodan rolled her eyes and gently grabbed Toph's chin, forcing the young Earthbender to 'look' at her, "Iknow that Toph, but we're a family and that's what families do. We care and look out for each other, even if we don't have to." She dropped her hand back to Toph's shoulder, "Look, you already know what I think about the scams. And I know you're going to do them regardless, so just...try to be careful, okay? And be patient with Katara and me, yeah?"

Toph blinked then sighed in a feigned put-upon manner, "Yeah, okay."

"Good." Xiaodan said with a relieved grin then she gently nudged Toph's chin with a knuckle, "Thanks for humoring your big sister. Now let's get back to camp." Toph grinned and the two turned around to walk back to camp, "Oh, and Toph?"

"Yeah?"

"I won't tell Katara about the wanted poster. I'll leave that up to you."

Toph groaned in annoyed exasperation, causing Xiaodan to laugh lightly as she wrapped an arm around the younger girl's shoulders.

Later that day, Xiaodan sat across by the fire across from Katara, who was using waterbending to mix the soup she and Xiaodan had made in the cooking pot. Smiling slightly, Katara waterbended some of the soup out of the pot and into Appa's mouth, causing the sky bison to grumble happily and lick his lips. Xiaodan picked up two bowls and dipped them into the cooking pot then she walked over to where Aang was sitting on a ledge in front of Appa. She handed him one of the bowls then sat beside him, taking a sip from her own bowl just as Sokka, with Hawky on his shoulder, and Toph came into camp carrying big bags of money.

"Well, look who decided to join us." Katara drawled sarcastically and she got to her feet, placing her hands on her hips, "Where have you two been? Off scamming again?"

"Yes," Toph retorted sharply as she put the bag she was holding down, "We were."

Katara scowled and walked up behind the young Earthbender,"And I suppose you don't think what you're doing is dangerous at all?"

Toph turned her head slightly in Xiaodan's direction before answering Katara, "No, I don't."

"Really?"

"Yes." Toph drawled irately, "Really."

"Well then." Katara hissed as she reached into her sash and pulled out a piece of paper, which she then held out in front of Toph, "What's this?"

Xiaodan chocked on a mouthful of soup, spitting it out and coughing harshly. Aang smacked her back several times before she waved him away, rubbing at her now sore throat as she stared intently at Katara and Toph.

"I don't know!" Toph shouted in annoyance as she whirled around to face Katara, "I mean, seriously! What is with you people? I'm blind!" She pointed at her eyes and pulled down her bottom eyelids to emphasize her point.

Katara flushed but didn't back down, "It's a wanted poster of you! 'The Runaway!' Is that what you're called now? Are you proud of this?"

"Yes," Xiaodan quipped with a snicker, "She is. Very proud actually."

"Where did you get that, Katara!?" Toph demanded angrily and she snatched the paper from Katara's hands.

"I doesn't matter where I got it. The fact is-"

"You went through my stuff!" Toph accused furiously, "You had no right!"

Katara scoffed haughtily and folded her arms over her chest, "Your stuff was messy and I was just straightening it up, and I happened to stumble across it!"

"That's a lie!" Toph snapped and she pointed at Katara, "You're lying, Katara!"

"Fine! It's a lie!" Katara yelled back and she pushed Toph's finger out of her face, "But you've been so out of control lately, I knew something was up! I knew you were hiding something and you were!" She snatched the poster back from Toph and waved it in the blind girl's face, but Toph merely grabbed it back and threw it to the ground before walking past Katara, "Don't you walk away from me while I'm talking to you, young lady!"

"Oh really, Mom?" Toph snapped sarcastically as she turned back around to face the older girl, "Or what are you gonna do? Send me to my room? Please!"

"I wish I could!"

"Well you can't! Because you're not my mom, and you're not their mom!" Toph shouted as she flung her arm towards Aang, Sokka, and Xiaodan, who had been sitting quietly on the ledge in front of Appa watching the two girls argue, "Xia's older than you and shedoesn't act like that all the time like you!"

Katara clenched her fists and stomped forward a few steps, "I never said I was!"

"No, but you certainly act like it! You think it's your job to boss everyone around, but it's not!" Toph barked angrily, "You're just a regular kid like the rest of us! So stop acting like you can tell me what to do! I can whatever I want!"

"I don't act that way!" Katara protested furiously and she whirled around to look at Sokka, "Sokka, do I act motherly."

Sokka jumped and held his hands up defensively, "Hey, I'm staying out of this one."

Katara looked at Aang intently, "What do you think, Aang? Do I act like a mom?"

"Well." Aang mumbled as he rubbed his eye with one fist, "I, uh-"

"Stop rubbing your eye and speak clearly when you talk!" Katara scolded him in annoyance, causing both Aang and Sokka to sit up straight.

"Yes, ma'am." Aang squeaked and Xiaodan snorted quietly, still comfortably slouched in her seat with her elbows on her knees.

"Ugh!" Toph yelled, throwing her hands in the air as she stormed away from Katara, "I can't be around you right now!"

"Well, I can't be around you!" Katara retorted and she spun on her heel, stomping back to the camp fire.

Perched on Sokka's shoulder, Hawky suddenly screeched loudly and Sokka sighed, resting his head in his hand, "I know, Hawky. Why can't they just get along."

"Because they're teenage girls?" Xiaodan commented drily with a small shrug and she took another sip of her soup.

Xiaodan rested her elbow on one knee and cupped her chin, glancing between Katara and Toph, who were sitting at opposite ends of the cliff with their backs to one another. She sighed and idly scratched at her cheek before resting her chin on her hand again, "This is ridiculous."

Beside her, Sokka suddenly perked up and he grinned, "Hey, Aang, Xia, wanna test out my messenger hawk with me? I've got an idea."

"Sure." Aang replied with a grin and he leaned towards the older boy.

Xiaodan glanced at them from the corner of her eye, "This should be good."

Sokka made a face at her and leaned to talk lowly into Aang's ear, "I'm gonna send a note to Katara and say it's from Toph, who wants to apologize. Then everyone will be friends again."

"I gotta say Sokka," Aang commented with a grin, "You continue to impress me with your ideas."

"It's a gift."

Xiaodan snorted, but otherwise she remained quiet as Sokka pulled out a pen, ink, and a piece of paper then he began to write.

"'Dear Katara, sorry for everything. Your friend, Toph.'" He mumbled as he wrote then rolled the note up and positioned Hawky on his arm, placing the note in the message holder on Hawky's back. Xiaodan watched as he lifted his arm and the messenger hawk flew towards Katara, who took out the note, read it, and then stood up with an angry expression.

"I know this is from you, Sokka! Toph can't write!" The Waterbender shouted then she tore the note up into pieces, "Ugh! You're all driving me crazy!" She spun around and stormed away from the camp.

"Flamey-O, Sokka, Flamey-O." Xiaodan murmured and she clapped her hands sarcastically, smirking slightly at the irritated look he gave her.

"I can't believe we forgot Toph can't write." Aang groaned and he slapped his forehead with his palm.

"Yup." Sokka muttered in agreement as Hawky flew back onto his arm, "We're idiots."

Aang suddenly perked up and he grinned, "I guess Plan B is we send a note to Toph pretending it's from Katara."

Xiaodan hung her head and covered her face with her hands, her shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

"I think we're gonna run into a similiar problem." Sokka commented then Hawky screeched and he rubbed the bird's chest feathers with one finger, "Sorry, Hawky. Looks like I'm gonna have to do this without your help." He placed the hawk on XIaodan's shoulder and stood up then he walked over to Toph, "C'mon. We need to talk."

Toph exhaled heavily in annoyance but got to her feet and followed the Water Tribe boy to another ledge over looking the lake, unaware that Katara was bathing in the water directly below them.

"So lemme guess," Toph drawled sarcastically as she sat down, "You brought me out here to tell me that your sister's not as annoying as I make her out to be."

"Nah," Sokka replied dismissively with a shrug, "She's pretty much a pain."

In the water below them, Katara looked up and glared at their feet before looking away with a small pout that quickly turned to a scowl when Sokka continued talking.

"She's always gotta be right about everything and she gets all bossy and involved and in your business..."

"Yeah. I don't know how you could deal with it."

"Actually, in a way, I rely on it." Sokka replied with another small shrug, surprising Toph and, unbeknownst to them Katara as well.

"I don't understand." Toph said, tilting her head slightly in confusion.

"When our mom died, that was the hardest time in my life." Sokka explained quietly, "Our family was a mess, but Katara? She had so much strength. She really stepped up and took on so much responsibility. She helped fill the void that was left by our mom."

"I guess," Toph shifted uncertainly and sighed, "I guess, I never thought about that."

"I'm gonna tell you something crazy. I never told anyone this before, but honestly?" Sokka sighed and looked down at his hands which he'd clasped in his lap, "I'm not sure I can remember what my mother looked like. It really seems like my whole life, Katara's been the one looking out for me. Like the way Xia's always looking out for Aang. Katara's always been the one that's there. And now, when I try to remember my mom, hers is the only face I can picture."

In the water, Katara bit her lip and closed her eyes, tears slowly leaking from the corner of her eyes at her brother's words.

Toph shifted and sighed quietly, "The truth is sometimes Katara does act motherly, but that's not always a bad thing. She's compassionate and kind, and she actually cares about me." She quickly brushed away the tears that had gathered on her lashes, "You know, the real me. That's more than my own mom."

Katara bit her lip harder and sank further into the water, deeply touched by Toph's words. Unaware that Katara was listening to them, Toph turned slightly and punched Sokka harder in the arm, "Don't ever tell her I said any of this!"

"Hey," Sokka whined slightly as he rubbed his sore arm, "My lips are sealed."

Toph shifted back into her original position and fiddled with her fingers for a moment before speaking again in an uncharacteristically quiet voice, "Earlier, Xia actually talked to me. About why she and Katara can act like such mother-hens is because they care and because we're a family. And I know she's right, but it's hard sometimes because I'm not really used that." She punched him again, "Don't tell either of them that either!"

"Ow!" Sokka grumbled and rubbed his doubly sore arm again, "Fine, fine. Your secrets are safe with me. Man, do you have to do that?"

Night had fallen a little under an hour ago and Katara was sitting beside a napping Momo, gently rubbing the top of his head while sadly staring at the ground in front of her. She lifted her head up when she saw Sokka and Toph walking towards the camp and she quickly got to her feet, meeting Toph halfway. Sokka patted her shoulder and walked past her, moving to stand beside Aang and Xiaodan.

"Hi, Toph." Katara said quietly and she rubbed at her arm awkwardly, "Um, I wanna-"

"Katara, stop," Toph interrupted as she held her hand up for a second before lowering it again, "You don't need to apologize. I was the one being stupid. These scams are out of control, and I'm done with them."

"Actually, I wasn't going to apologize. I was gonna say..." Katara trailed off and smiled mischeviously, "I wanna pull a scam with you."

Sokka and Aang gaped in shock at each then at Katara's back while Xiaodan merely quirked a brow curiously.

"What?" Toph demanded in surprise, "You wanna pull a scam?"

"Not just any scam. The ultimate scam." Katara replied with a grin while Sokka and Aang continued to stare at her in shock for a moment before looking at each other then fainting. Katara's grin widened and she put her arm around Toph's shoulder, "Whaddaya say, Toph? Just me and you. One last go? You in?"

"You know I'm in!" Toph exclaimed with an excited grin, "Now what's this idea of yours?"

Xiaodan glanced at the two girls as they walked away then she looked down at the two unconcious boys on the ground and she nudged them with her toe, snickering when they twitched.

Sitting on a rock some distance away from the other three, Katara looked over Toph's wanted poster with a smirk, "The plan is simple. This wanted poster says you're worth a lot of money, ten times more than what you've made in all of your previous scams." She grinned over at the blind girl, "So I'm gonna turn you in and collect the reward. Then you metalbend yourself outta jail, and we're on our way."

Toph panted heavily as she ran through Fire Fountain City, towards the giant statue of Fire Lord Ozai. She twisted around to face her pursuers, but yelped as a net encased her body and she fell to the ground. She pushed herself up onto her elbows, "How could you do this to me?!" She shouted angrily at Katara, who was standing in front of her, "You betrayed me!"

"You brought this on yourself." Katara retorted as she glared down at the blind girl and crossed her arms, turning away from Toph's prostrate form, "I had no choice."

Toph grunted quietly and turned her head in Katara's direction, glaring furiously as she was dragged away by several Fire Nation guards. Katara glared back slightly then a sly smile appeared on her face before she wiped it away as the chief of authorities walked up to her.

"You did the right thing by turning in the Runaway."

Katara smiled at the man sweetly, "The right thing is its own reward."

"Well," The chief of authorities replied with a benign smile, "I'm glad to hear you say that."

"But, I still want the actual reward." Katara said after a momentary pause.

"Of course. Right this way." The chief of authorities stated with another benign smile and he gestured for Katara to follow him.

Meanwhile, a female guard dragged Topped into the town's jail then she threw the blind girl into a wooden cell and slammed it shut. Toph pushed herself onto her hands and knees, feeling the floor of the cell. Panic clawed at her throat when she didn't sense any earth in it and she lunged to her feet, turning her face towards the female guard still outside.

"Hey! What kind of cell is this?"

"A wooden one." The female guard smirked and walked out of the jail, leaving Toph clutching the cell doors with a worried expression.

Katara stood in the office the chief of authorities led her too, waiting in front of the desk as the man reached underneath it. He grabbed a box and placed it on top of desk then began looking through it. Suddenly the door opened behind Katara and the chief closed the door before pointing an accusing finger at Katara.

"That's her! That's the girl you were looking for!"

Katara spun around and her eyes widened in fear when she saw the assassin with the third eye tattooed in the middle of the forehead walk into the office.

Xiaodan sat beside Sokka, watching as Aang paced worriedly in front of them for what must have been the hundredth time.

"Do you think this scam of theirs should be taking this long?" Aang asked, worriedly chewing on his fingernails as he paced.

"I was just wondering the same thing. We'd better check it out." Sokka said and he stood up, placing Hawky on the basket he'd been sitting on, then he pointed at the Hawky and Momo, "You two behave." He gestured over his shoulder at Appa, "Appa's in charge."

"C'mon." Xiaodan urged as she held her staff tightly in both hands, bouncing on her heels as anxiety clawed at her throat and weighed down her chest, "Let's go."

The three quickly left the camp, leaving the three animals behind.

"Wait!" Toph suddenly gasped and she straightened from her slouch, "It's a trap!"

"Really?" Katara drawled sarcastically and she rolled her eyes, "No kidding! Is that why we're sitting in a wooden cage right now? Gee, how'd you figure out it was a trap?"

"Not for us, Katara!" Toph snapped back, "We're the bait! He wants Aang!"

Katara's eyes widened and she covered her face with her hands, "I can't believe I'm so stupid! See? This is exactly why I'm against these scams! I knew this would happen!"

"But...This was your idea."

"I know." Katara muttered and her shoulders slumped as she rested her chin on her knees, "I just wanted to show you that I'm not so motherly. I wanted to show you that I can have fun too."

"Katara," Toph stated in amused exasperation, "You are fun. If nothing else, you're at least fun to argue with."

Katara shifted and sighed quietly, "I know your relationship with your parents is complicated. And I shouldn't have said what I said."

"It's okay. I was really mad when you said that because...well because, maybe it's true." Toph sniffled and wiped at the tears streaming down her cheeks, "I try not to think about it, but when I left, I probably really hurt them."

Katara smiled sadly and wrapped her arms around the younger girl, resting her chin on top of Toph's head, much like Xia would have.

Xiaodan looked around the seemingly abandoned down warily and clutched her staff tightly in one hand, "It's really...quiet."

"Yeah," Sokka muttered back as he looked around him while they walked, "Where do you think they might be?"

"Where do you think anyone is?" Aang questioned nervously as they reached the statue of Fire Lord Ozai. Suddenly a noise caught his attention and he looked over his shoulder, staring in shock at the three-eyed assassin standing on a roof behind them, "Sokka, Xia, watch out!" He grabbed Sokka and Xiaodan by the arm and leapt forward, dodging the blast from the assassin and taking cover behind the statue of Ozai, "It's Sparky-Sparky-Boom-Man!"

"You know, I'm starting to think that name doesn't quite fit!" Sokka squeaked.

Xiaodan peeked around the statue and gasped when she saw the assassin jump down from the room and fire another blast at them. She shoved both of the boys away, "Move!"

They all cried out as they barely dodged the blast and were sent flying through the air.

Katara jerked her head up at the sound of an explosion that shook the ceiling, dust falling down on them, "What are we gonna do?"

"I don't know." Toph replied in distress as she stood up and paced towards the cell door, "I wish we had some earth or water. We need bendables!" Katara perked up and stared up at the younger girl, "What about your meteor bracelet? You can make a saw!"

Toph groaned and plopped back down in front of the cell door, "I left it back at camp. I was worried they would take it."

Katara exhaled deeply and wiped the sweat beading on her forehead with the back of her hand. She paused and stared at the moisture on her hand, her eyes widening with realization and she smiled. She quickly leapt to her feet and began running in place, working up a sweat.

"Um, Katara?" Toph questioned in amusement and she turned her head in Katara's direction, "Are you okay?"

"Just fine." Katara replied lightly as she continued to run in place. Toph frowned slightly and tilted her head slightly, "Well, what are you doing then?"

"I'm making my own water." Katara said with a smirk as she stopped running and wiped the sweat from her forehead, bending the sweat in midair into a water blade to cut through the wooden cage door.

Toph leapt to her feet and cheered in amazement, "Katara! You're a genius! A sweaty, stinky genius!"

Katara grinned and tucked her hands under her armpits then flung her hands outwards, bending the sweat into more blades.

Xiaodan panted as she ran beside Aang and Sokka into an alley just as the assassin fired another blast at them. She cried out as the blast struck the ground behind them, throwing them further down the alley. She twisted in mid-air to land nimbly on her feet beside Aang, but Sokka wasn't so graceful and smashed into a wheelbarrow which had been in the alley.

Xiaodan grabbed Aang by the arm with the hand not clutching her staff and yanked him after her as she dove behind the upright wheelbarrow. She dropped his arm briefly to help Sokka to his feet and the three crouched behind the wheelbarrow.

Xiaodan panted heavily and glanced around the wheelbarrow before looking back at her brother and friend, "This isn't getting us anywhere. We need to find Katara and Toph and get outta here!"

"This guy is too good!" Sokka exclaimed and he poked his forehead a couple times for emphasis, "He shoots fire from his brain!"

"We should split up." Aang suggested after he caught his breath, "He can't chase all of us."

Xiaodan peeked around the wheelbarrow and saw the assassin stepping out the smoke and she gasped, "Fine, go, go, go!"

Sokka darted off to the right while Aang and Xiaodan ran off to the left just as the assassin fired another blast at the wheelbarrow, blowing it up.

"Yo, Sparky!" Xiaodan shouted, grabbing the assassin's attention as she ran along a roof to his right and he whirled to face her, firing off another blast. She dove forward to avoid the blast and skidded across the roof on her stomach, grimacing as the bare skin of her belly was rubbed popped back to her feet just in time to see Aang race across the roof of the building opposite her and she shouted at the assassin again, hoping to keep him from noticing Aang, "You missed, Tinman!"

The assassin prepared to fire another blast at her, but noticed Aang run past him on the roof to his left from the corner of his eye and he quickly turned, firing the blast at Aang instead.

"No!" Xiaodan screamed when the blast sent Aang flying into the chest of the Ozai statue. She twirled her staff then swung it towards the assassin, sending a blade of air at him and knocking him into the wall of the building opposite her then she ran over to where Aang had fall to the ground in front of the statue. She dropped to her knees beside him just as he was pushing himself up onto his elbows.

His gray eyes widened as he looked up, "Xia!"

Xiaodan twisted around and stared up at the assassin standing above them with wide eyes as he inhaled, preparing to fire another blast at them. Suddenly, ice encased his entire head and he stumbled away from the two Airbenders, revealing Katara, Sokka, and Toph standing a few feet behind the assassin.

"Aang, Xia, get up!" Katara cried out as she rushed towards the two Airbenders with Sokka and Toph.

Xiaodan didn't need to be told twice and she grabbed Aang's arm with her free and leapt to her feet, pulling him up with her.

"Let's get out of here!" Toph shouted as they ran down a street towards the town.

Behind them, the assassin managed to break the ice encasing his head with brute force and he turned towards the fleeing teens, firing another blast at them. Toph, sensing the blast, spun around and earthbended a large boulder from the ground and launched at the blast, blowing up the boulder. A pebble from the boulder flew through the air towards the assassin and struck him right in the middle of his third eye, which momentarily stunned him and he clutched at his forehead. The assassin growled in anger and straightened, inhaling deeply and firing another blast, but instead of firing, the air around him ignited and sent him flying head-first into a wall.

Xiaodan, having glanced over her shoulder and seen what happened to the assassin, laughed loudly, "Serves you right, jerk!"

"Hey, I got it!" Sokka exclaimed as the group continued to run away and he grinned, "The perfect name for that guy, 'Combustion Man!'"

"Good job, Sokka." Toph replied drily as she ran beside the Water Tribe boy, "Now let's get outta here before Combustion Man catches us!"

"See? It fits so well!"

Xiaodan slumped in Appa's saddle as the sky bison flew across the night sky before landing in a small canyon where the group could make camp for the night.

Sokka yawned and stretched, "Well, I'm exhausted. Hawky, how about you, buddy?" The messenger bird squawked and Sokka rubbedhis head with a finger, "Yeah. You're such a lazy little bird."

Xiaodan stretched and leapt out of the saddle after Aang and Sokka, pausing beside Appa to call up to Toph and Katara, "You guys coming?"

"Yeah, be down in a sec." Katara replied and Xiaodan nodded, wandering over to where Aang had collapsed onto the ground. The Waterbender was about to climb out of the saddle when Toph called her name quietly, "Katara? I need your help."

Katara sat back down across from Toph, "What is it, Toph?"

"I need you to write some things down for me." Toph mumured as she pulled a sheet of paper out of her sash and held it out to the older girl, "I wanna send a letter to my parents."

Katara took the paper and smiled, "I'll be happy to help." She quickly wrote everything Toph asked her too then she carefully rolled the letter up then she and Toph climbed out of the saddle. Katara took Hawky onto her arm and slipped the letter into the holder on his back then she sent him off, watching as he flew away. Xiaodan glanced up at the bird then over at Katara and Toph, smiling slightly in approval.

"Hey," Sokka suddenly spoke up as he looked around, "Where'd Hawky go?"