Mrs. & Mr. Fire Lord (ATLA Zuko x OC fanfic)

Chapter XVIII - Unexpected Threat

The fires were finally taken off after big efforts Katara had put with her waterbending. Sokka helped all he could carrying a few buckets of water close to the site of the factory. Satoru was talking with Lao, trying to figure out what to do now, that they're machines had been destroyed. It'd take a lot to put things back to normal. Eventually Toph came and helped Katara put off the fires, covering the flames in the dirt.

When Aang arrived, the fires were off. Katara spotted her boyfriend and she pointed at the sky "There's Aang!"

He landed close to the others "Welcome back, Twinkle-Toes. Tell me you caught the guy who exploded my dad's factory," Toph said.

As Aang started explaining, something else caught Sokka's attention. He looked at a specific direction in the sky and he saw a Messenger Hawk flying towards them.

"I caught him... Literally," Aang said catching his breath "He fell off a cliff, so I had to rescue him. He was so grateful that he gave up who hired him to attack the Earthen Fire Industries,"

"Who was it?! Me and them are going to have some words," Toph said angrily.

But everyone's attention turned to Sokka. The hawk had settled on his arm as he took out the message that was on the case on its back. Sokka recognized immediately the handwriting. It was Iris's, but the stressful, anxious kind of handwriting, as if she was being in trouble, as if something was terribly wrong and she didn't have enough time. He'd seen that handwriting before, back when they were working together that one year.

"What is it, Sokka?" Katara asked as she walked beside her brother to take a look at the letter.

"What is what?" Toph asked.

"It's a message," Aang answered.

"From who?" Katara asked her brother.

"Iris?" Aang asked unsurely.

"That's definitely Iris's handwriting," Sokka said.

Katara raised an eyebrow suspiciously "How do you know?"

"Uhhh-" Sokka started before Aang cut him.

"It does look like Iris's, but it's a little bit... hasty?"

"It's her anxious, hasty, 'I'm in danger' handwriting," Sokka said and Katara wrapped her hands around her chest and looked at him even more suspiciously. He looked so sure.

"Exactly! How do YOU know that!?" Katara asked "I mean, even Aang who's her brother doesn't feel quite sure," Katara said looking suspiciously at her brother.

"I know, Iris's handwriting, Katara!-"

"How about we stop talking about the handwriting and talk more about what Iris has to say?" Toph suggested tired of waiting. She had a feeling Sokka would feel more than grateful to her for doing that.

Aang took the letter from Sokka's hands and began reading "Aang, I'm being kidnapped by the SRCs. Find me. Si Wong Desert," he mouthed a shit beneath his breath before he turned to his friends. "That's Iris, yeah,"

"KIDNAPPED?!" Sokka grabbed the letter back and he read it again and again. Toph noticed his heartbeat fastening in worry and she raised an eyebrow. She was either being paranoid or there was something wrong about Sokka. She shook her head.

Well, they were all worried.

"These people... UGH!" Katara groaned and she kicked the soil.

"I knew we should've gone back and kicked their asses," Toph said hitting her fist in her palm.

"I don't get it! Why kidnap her?" Sokka asked. He knew Iris trusted her father, the leader of the SRCs. She'd trusted him enough to let him take care of their daughter. It wasn't just Iris's life that he worried about, it was their daughter's as well.