Disclaimer: No tengo la serie de televisión Avatar: La Leyenda de Aang. Mike y Bryan la compraron antes hice. Ahora tengo triste. )':

SUPER BONUS POINTS IF YOU CAN SPEAK SPANISH!! (No, seriously.)

Author's Notes: I would like to send a shoutout to A. LaRosa, Peace. Joy .Love, Rawr Power, Fatal1ty, ViolotQ (as usual), tophrocker, TTAvatarfan, Katsumara, timeisnotmyname, Kiminator Mark XII, AvatarAiris, and vine, just because y'all reviewed!

Another belated thanks has to go to timisnotmyname, not only for reviewing but also for telling me KATAANG. That's it. (;

OK, guys, so I was inspired by… jeez, guess who? And decided to start this extra early so I could get it done extra early! :D Haha, look how wonderfully that worked out… I realize I've been stupid with updating, but hey now; I warned ya that schooltime was gonna be hectic. I do have a GPA to uphold, you know… :P

(Yes, I know that's no excuse. Just shush.)

Out the Window

Staying together is progress,

But working together is success.

-Henry Ford

"…Stealin' sideway kisses and singin' songs,

"Crossin' county lines and drivin' all night long.

"He opened up her hand, gave her a bubble gum ring,

"And said, 'I know that this ain't much, but will you please m'—"

"Will you please SHUT UP!" Sokka roared from behind the steering wheel. He shot a withering glare at Katara, who was sitting in the passenger seat with a look on her face that could only be described as murderous. The elder boy turned away before rubbing his sleep-laden eyes and hunching down in his seat, grumbling all the way.

"Just because you didn't get enough sleep last night doesn't mean you get to be such a grumble-butt," the younger girl sniped.

Sokka muttered some colorful phrases. "It's seven o'clock in the friggin' morning, Katara; I am not in the mood for either your songs or your snobby 'tude." At this, the teen sat up straight and flicked his wrist in a dismissing manner—to be honest, it was a pretty good impression of Katara. The girl wanted to smack her brother but, thankfully, didn't and resigned herself to stroking her fingers through the disgruntled fur of one Momo the cat. He purred in happy acceptance.

"Uh, guys?" Aang called up from the very back. "There's actually this great place I have in mind, and I really wanna go there. Grampa Gyatso was really good friends with the owner of the place, and I can't think of a better restaurant to be at!" The young teen was nearly bouncing with excitement at the end of this statement.

Katara frowned and pulled a map out from between the seats. She retraced the small line Sokka had made in pencil before resting her finger on a point marked with a circle (obviously Aang's lovely handiwork). "I don't know, Aang, it's kinda out of the way…"

Aang burst earnestly, "But that's the whole point of a road trip! Seeing places you'd never seen before, visiting really awesome restaurants and attractions and all that good stuff."

Sokka tipped his eyebrows in Katara's direction. "He's got you there, chica," he said somewhat mellowly. "So what's this place called, Aang? And where is it, exactly?"

"Well, it's in western Montana, and it just so happens to be this little place called Bumi's Karaoke Bar…"

--

Crunch. Crunch crunch.

Zuko's right eye twitched.

Crunch crunch crunch-crunch SMACK. SMACK SMACK. Crunch.

Finally, the teen had had enough. "UNCLE! Why do you feel the need to eat so loudly? Couldn't you have picked something a little quieter like, say… I dunno, CAP'N CRUNCH."

The elder grinned, showing off perfectly white teeth despite the unhealthy amount of tea he drank. "Because," Iroh explained, shaking the small box of cereal in Zuko's face, "Cap'n Crunch doesn't have near as much fiber as Grape Nuts. Look at the box! It says so on the side."

Zuko sighed but reluctantly began reading the nutrition information for Grape Nuts. "Let's see… sugar, iron, vitamin B, carbs—good Lord. That is a lot of fiber." The seventeen-year-old squinted his good eye to get a better view, as if unsure whether or not to believe the printing in front of him. "That's almost unhealthy," the dark-haired boy added warily.

His elder counterpart simply shrugged and grinned. "Old men like me could always use more fiber."

The golden-eyed pyro resisted the urge to roll his eyes in irritation. Instead, he settled for a harrumph and folded pale arms across his chest.

CRUNCH.

"Uncle!"

--

"OK, let's see… we've got all the basics now," Iroh said, scribbling a check mark here and there on his grocery list. It was really just a crumpled receipt with one too many ink splotches on it. "And I think we've got some extra time to go get that book you've been asking for—what was it again, something about vampires?" The old man elbowed Zuko jovially in the ribs.

His counterpart narrowed his eyes ferally. "No," Zuko denied, "those stupid books are for hormonal, boy-obsessed fangirls between the ages of 12 and 18. I will not stoop to their level."

A smirk nearly bordering on snarky crossed over the old man's face. "OK," Iroh conceded. "I'm going to the checkout line. Call me when you're done not 'stooping to their level.'" He chortled and quickly stepped out of Zuko's range before the boy could punch him.

The pale teen pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed before deciding it just wasn't worth it. But dang, if those girls found out he read those books… he'd never hear the end of it. Stealthily, Zuko popped his dark head above the aisle and noticed the amount of teenage girls standing around—not many. Well, it must be his lucky day. Nevertheless, he didn't want to take any chances; so instead he strolled lazily towards the cologne section.

Cologne was manly, right?

Slim fingers picked up a spray bottle of Axe. He sniffed it. God, the stuff smelled awful. How could anyone wear this junk? Zuko's nose crunched up, and the skin around his bad eye crinkled in that funny way. It was so strong… he turned to examine himself in the metal pole at the end of the aisle, pulling up his nose to examine it. He was sure it must've singed his nose hairs off…

He flipped up the canister of Axe to hold it by the lid— Shoot. …Big mistake.

The lid slipped off and the can fell to the floor, and by some curse of the gods, landed directly on the nozzle. Now the aerosol can of cologne was a rocket shooting across the aisle as Axe literally exploded from the tiny opening. Zuko screamed… er, yelled in a very manly way and scrambled to escape. He did not want that crap all over him for the rest of the day…

He rushed into the aisle and nearly plowed over a greasy, overweight employee. The man frowned and pushed rounded glasses over his hawk nose. "What can I do for you?" he muttered in a nasally voice. Zuko rapidly flailed his arms up and down before giving up and running off. The teen met up with Uncle at the checkout line a few moments later, resting his hands in his pockets and looking as ignorantly nonchalant and totally uncaring as physically possible—which wasn't really hard for a guy like him.

"Oh… there you are, Zuko. I saw that book on the way out and picked it up for you, just in case."

Zuko sniffed. "Oh… whatever. Thanks, though… I guess."

Iroh whistled merrily as he pushed the nearly full cart out into the parking lot. Suddenly, he stopped and sniffed. "Do you smell…Axe?"

"Um… no. Not at all. Uh, that's ridiculous… probably just your imagination." The younger coughed.

Iroh scanned him over through the corner of his eye. "You know," he drawled after a somewhat uncomfortable silence, "I met a boy the other day, about your age. Said his name was Jet."

Zuko glanced at him quickly before turning away. "So?"

Uncle shrugged. "So nothing. But maybe you should try making some friends around here for once."

"We won't be staying for long, so why bother? Besides, I'd rather not."

Gold met gold for a moment before Iroh asked, "Why?"

Zuko let his shaggy hair fall before his eyes, shielding him from his guardian. "Let's just say we've met before, and we're not exactly the best of friends."

--

Not surprisingly, Bumi's Karaoke Bar was loud and obnoxious, teeming with youthful life and clustered with tables that seemed much too close together. Also not surprisingly, half of the people who got up to sing karaoke sucked. Really, really sucked. But the food was decent and the prices manageable, so the trio decided to stay.

What was surprising, however, was that Bumi's Karaoke Bar wasn't really a bar at all. It only sold non-alcoholic drinks, which was a good thing considering how much more those sucky people would suck if they were actually drunk. Thus, it was a family-friendly place, and Aang, Katara, and Sokka spotted many teens their age and older just hanging out and having fun, drinking virgin strawberry daiquiris or pitifully teasing the poor sap who decided to try his hand at singing karaoke in front of a live audience.

They chose a table against the wall so they could have a better view of the whole place. "I'm going to go see if I can find Bumi," Aang told the siblings in a rare moment of no singing. "I'll be in the back, but just wait for me here, OK?" The two nodded, and their hyperactive friend was out of sight in a flash.

Sokka whistled and took a swig of his chocolate smoothie. "He never ceases to amaze me," the teen muttered.

Katara gazed after her friend, even though he was obviously long gone by now. "He is pretty amazing," she admitted.

He eyed her. "What I meant was that I don't understand him."

"Oh." Quickly, the girl shoveled a forkful of Mexican rice into her mouth. "That's just you, though. He's really not that complicated."

Her brother snorted. "Easy for you to say." He picked up a rib and started biting the meat off, licking his fingers when the barbecue sauce got too out of hand. "So anyways… I thought this place was gonna suck, but now that we're here, it's not so bad." Sokka beamed. "The prices are decent, and I've never tasted ribs quite like this before. I guess Aang really knows what he's talking about, hmm?"

"Yep." Katara took a cheesy bite of burrito.

"How do you think he and Gyatso got to know Bumi?" Katara was distracted by a splotch of barbecue sauce right in the corner of his mouth.

"Um, Sokka… you've got a little shmutz right here…" She tapped her lip. He looked confused. "No, on your lip, stupid!" Sokka tried to lick it off, but his tongue wasn't long enough. She sighed. "Here, let me get it…" She wetted her napkin with some water and wiped the offending splotch of sauce right off of his face.

He tried to bat her hand away. "Katara! God, that's lame… You're not my mom, for crying out loud—"

"Hey, can I help you?" One of the waiters in the bar sidled up to their table and ended the siblings' conversation. He had slightly darker skin (though not as dark as theirs) and emerald green eyes that seemed soft and kind. "My name is Haru."

Katara flushed. Sokka fumed. "Hi, Haru, I'm Katara," she greeted him. "This is my idiot brother Sokka." If looks could kill, Katara was a dead woman. "Sorry about all the fuss… we were just having a discussion."

Haru laughed lightly. "A little sibling rivalry, huh? Hey, it's cool; I know how it goes. I've got a little brother myself." They both nodded, seemingly appeased for the moment.

"So how did you start working here?" Sokka didn't seem as interested in biting the other guy's head off anymore, but he still didn't enjoy the thought of anyone trying to hit on his sister.

Haru straightened up and cleared their table of a few empty glasses, balancing them expertly on his serving tray. "My father's fighting in the army, and my mom can hardly live off of the money she's making from our corner store. I picked up this job to make a few extra bucks: just enough to pay the bills, buy food, all that stuff." He shrugged noncommittally, as if it were nothing, but Katara knew it was anything but.

"You miss your father, don't you?" She always had an amazing knack for reading people when they were hurting.

The older boy sighed, and his body sagged under an invisible weight. "Yeah… I do. It's just… I don't know where he is or how he's doing. He could be a captive for the enemy for all I know, and it's really…" He rubbed the bridge of his nose, turning away for a moment.

Sokka closed his eyes. "It's really hard not knowing." He opened them again and met Haru's slightly shocked look head on. "Our father's in the navy; he's pretty high up, actually. So hey, it's cool; we know how it goes."

Katara laughed at Haru's funny face. "I'll definitely keep that in mind," he said before turning away. "You guys just let me know if you need anything else, OK?"

Katara shouted after him, "Hey! Don't forget what we talked about." Sokka rolled his eyes as her attention returned to her food. "He seems nice."

"Yeah," her brother grouched, "a little too nice."

"Oh, for crying out loud…" She was about to snap back at him when her fork clattered to her plate. Twang. Her eyes widened in fear as Katara stared at something behind him.

Sokka felt his breath catch for a second. "…Katara…" Slowly, he turned to see what she was staring at.

And what they saw… words couldn't describe how terrified they were. That scarred kid Zuko and his psycho uncle had just waltzed right into the bar, and they were making their way toward Sokka and Katara's table.

Sokka cursed. "Let's ace this place," he muttered, tugging Katara out of her seat and heading to the back where their friend, Aang, had disappeared a few minutes earlier. "We need to get Aang and get out of here as quickly as possible; there's no telling how long it will take for Zuko to spot us in here."

The hallway backstage was dark and cramped; hardly large enough for two people to squeeze through. There were a few branching archways that probably led to bathrooms or the owner's private office. There was a larger room that led directly onstage; the only thing separating the two was a large black curtain. Aang was standing there, along with an old man who had to be at least 100 years old. He was bent over and wrinkly, and one of his bright green eyes lolled kind of weirdly to the side, like a lazy eye.

His jokes were horrible, but his laughter was contagious. Like an infectious disease or something.

Sokka whirled Aang around, catching the surprised look on his face. Katara said breathlessly, "Aang… Zuko's here, along with his uncle. They're looking for us, and we need to go."

"Now," the oldest teen reinforced.

The old man who must've been Bumi made a funny noise. "But Aang's just about to go on. In fact…" He pushed the boy through the curtain and laughed at the siblings' expressions. "What? The show must go on."

Sokka groaned and ground the heel of his palm against his forehead. Katara's eyes narrowed in determination. "I suppose it must," she muttered angrily. "Come on, there's no getting out of this one, Sokka." She grabbed her brother's wrist and pulled him through the curtain, throwing them both onstage and in front of a LIVE—and very sarcastic—audience. Aang was already at the front microphone, playing a keyboard that had been set up for people who could actually play.

When they came beside him, their young friend looked scared yet happy and engrossed in the song all at the same time.

Well, they needed to do something; the brother and sister couldn't just stand around all day. Aang jerked his head to the side, indicating they pick up an instrument or a mic or ANYTHING besides just standing there. Quickly, Sokka scrambled to throw an electric guitar over his shoulder and began to play a few notes. Surprisingly, he didn't seem half bad.

However… Katara just bit her lip. She… she didn't know about this. She couldn't play any instruments, not like Aang and Sokka, and it's not like she could sing or anything…

There was only one mic left. Sokka was giving her a dirty look. Get on with it.

But she had always wanted to sing, and she sang in the shower all the time. Surely that would count for something.

So she took a breath and picked up the microphone. And suddenly, the lyrics came on their own, each word bursting from her throat and prompting the audience to stand to their feet.

Absolutely amazing.

--

Haru could spot a troublemaker from a mile away; that's what happened when someone grew up living in the southern part of Omashu City. It was ingrained into his reflexes. Thus, when a seventeen-year-old scarred kid and his portly uncle stepped through the door, it was no surprise that they threw some red flags in his brain immediately. He pretended to ignore them while scribbling down a family's order. But when he scurried back to the safety of the kitchen, he began watching them again.

And he noticed something strange.

The creepy teen was staring at the karaoke act—his two friends from before—and he didn't necessarily look happy to see them. Haru bit his lip. This probably wouldn't end well.

When he saw the ebony-haired teen move toward the stage, he knew he had to do something. He obviously didn't have anything good planned for them… and maybe, Haru could stall him just long enough so his new friends could escape.

--

Aang slammed a major chord on the keyboard. He could hear Sokka's guitar screaming in the background, and he could also hear Katara's (beautiful) voice shining behind him. The lyrics he sang and the lyrics she sang seemed to sweep around them, forming together into a melody/harmony combination that was purely lovely. Purely amazing. Just pure.

The song ended, and Bumi's Karaoke Bar erupted into raucous applause. Even the sarcastic teen groupies were clapping appreciatively.

Sokka's voice broke through the loud noise just above his shoulder. "I hate to burst your bubble, buddy, but we've really gotta go." Aang started, noticing the golden-eyed teenager making his way to their stage.

"I think you're right," the younger conceded nervously. Just like that, the trio abandoned the stage and left the bar, exiting quickly out of a back entrance and jumping into Appa. Sokka gunned the engine, Katara grabbed onto Momo, and Aang held on for dear life as their vehicle sped away from that place.

--

"Are you sure there's nothing I can get you? A booth by the stage maybe?" Zuko growled angrily, furious at this insolent idiot who insisted on wasting his time.

"For the millionth time, NO," he bit off maliciously, pushing the ignorant, green-eyed waiter out of his way. "I'm looking for someone…"

Behind him, Haru just smiled. There was no way he was catching them now.

--

Sokka sighed, resting his head lazily against the chilly glass window. It was night once again, and after the adrenaline of being chased had worn off, the younger kids had crashed immediately. Aang and Katara were propped back-to-back against each other; how all three—sorry, Momo—all four of them fit into Appa's cramped little cab was a mystery to him, but somehow, they managed.

The road before them was long and straight. Pretty boring, really; not much to look at. They were heading for Chicago and should be arriving in just a few days, but until then… yawn. This trip was a snoozer.

Stealthily, Sokka pulled out his cell phone and flipped it open. His heart sped up for just a split second—

—he cursed. No missed calls. No text messages, no nothing.

What, did Suki just forget about him or something? Did she hit her head on a rock and get amnesia or some crap like that? Was she stuck in the hospital and physically incapable of just calling him? It wouldn't take her but a few moments of her life… He pursed his lips.

He wanted her to call him. He gave her his number and told her to do so. So… why didn't she?

He dialed in her number, but the machine answered. "We're sorry, but—" here, Suki's voice cut in, "—Suki Kyoshi—" back to the computer, "—is not available at the moment. Please leave a message after the tone, or dial 1 for more opt—"

Sokka flipped his cell phone shut and angrily shoved it in his pocket. He'd texted her, called her… and she still didn't reply. He wanted to talk to her, so why didn't she?

…Well… he felt his stomach bottom out. There was only one reason, really.

She didn't want to talk to him.

--

Zuko was… absolutely livid, for lack of a better term. They were right there on stage, in front of EVERYBODY, and they got away. They GOT. AWAY.

How in h-e- double hockey sticks did that happen? Apparently, everyone around here was completely incompetent and didn't understand the meaning of "get out of my way." Which reminded him… The dark-haired teen stalked toward an empty back table and tossed it over, unfinished drinks falling to the ground and shattering on impact. It was so loud in here, and to be honest, he was absolutely amazed they could cram so many bodies into such a small bar.

His tone was nearly guttural. "Uncle, we aren't leaving until we find them." Zuko's voice left no room for argument, and the older man nodded singularly, though Zuko could tell his uncle wasn't happy about the idea. Yeah, well. He could preach to him about "doing the right thing" later; right now, they both needed to focus on the task at hand.

They were probably long gone by now, and it was already dark outside; there was no way they could catch up with their quarry, even if they did know which way they were going. Zuko calculated that their best bet was to stick around and try to pick up some evidence or maybe a lead as to where they were going. Hmm. Maybe that questionable waiter from earlier could help.

A few moments later, and he was cursing like a sailor. Of course. That coward had split the second Zuko turned his back on him.

The teen sighed, grinding the heel of his hand into his eye. This was really giving him a headache… Earlier that day, he might've considered giving up. He might have considered that maybe Uncle was right, and that maybe it wasn't the smartest thing to do to chase around a thirteen-year-old kid and his underage friends. But spotting them and watching them run away from him… then seeing them on stage, working together to create something just BURNED him.

It aggravated him like fingernails on a chalkboard, and it made him want to set something on fire. He just wanted to destroy something.

A glinting piece of silver near the floor immediately caught his attention. It was occasionally covered by shuffling feet and idle bodies, but Zuko made quick work of these stand-arounds. He shoved them out of his way and elbowed a path to his target.

He picked it up from off the floor, examining the apparently-superior knot workmanship. It was very pretty and very nicely done… but also something he had seen before.

It was a light blue- and white-woven bracelet with a shining silver moon and a broken clasp. He tsk'ed. "Bummer for you, sweetheart. Looks like you're missing your bracelet."

--

Katara awoke slowly, which was a pleasant change of pace from the way she normally woke up in the mornings. She yawned, stretching her arms as high above her head as the truck's cab would allow, and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She blinked against the morning sun.

Large yellow-green cat eyes stared back at her. "Hey there, Momo," she said, scratching the kitty behind the ears. "Did you sleep well?" He purred in response.

Aang greeted her jovially and Sokka a little less jovially (considering he had been driving all night through). She reached up to itch a little on her neck when she noticed something. Her wrist wasn't jingling. It wasn't shimmery or heavy anymore. Katara felt the breath escape from her lungs, and she gasped.

Aang was there directly. "What? What's wrong?" His dark gray eyes were concerned.

"I-I lost my bracelet," she stuttered. Guilt swelled in her chest; this was the most important gift she had ever received from someone, and now she had to go and lose it. She felt pinpricks behind her eyes.

Aang pulled her into a tight hug, and Sokka quickly glanced between the road and his sister, trying to decide which one was more important. Her friend said to her, "Don't worry, Katara. We'll go back and find it… or I could just make you a new one."

Sokka nodded, and Katara chuckled just a little bit. She was so thankful she didn't start bawling like a little child in front of her best friend; God only knew that would give him license to mock her for the rest of her life. It just felt like such a big deal to her, for some reason. Like if anything happened to her mother's jewelry box.

"I'd really like that," she replied.

Post Author's Notes:

I should probably add this as well: I WILL FINISH THIS STORY. Eventually. It's all just a matter of how long it takes. However, I might not be able to put in all of the awesome ideas you guys had and suggested, and I probably won't make it as long as I originally intended it to be. As of right now, I just want to put in the major plot points and get the story done and over with with as few fatalities as possible. I still really love the IDEA for this story, but I have unsuccessfully taken it somewhere I didn't want it to go. Now we're completely off the subject, so the only thing I can do is cut my losses and tie up all the loose ends.

Don't think this is the end of this story, though. I will still finish it with relatively satisfying results; it just won't be stupidly long like I originally planned it to be. So never fear, rabid fans; I've still got a few chapters left of this puppy.

On that note, how would you guys feel if I started writing a Sokkla story? Yes? No? Or is that just too weird for you to even comprehend? I really like Sokkla, and I've got some sweet ideas that I want to put out there. However, I won't start working on it until I finish this story, and that's a promise. I've got too many things going on as it is.

So… now that you've heard MY thoughts on this story, I'd really love to hear YOURS. (: