Hayden screamed in frustration. "THAT BASTARD SHAKRA! I'LL KILL HIM!"

"It is not Shakra this time." Shala said walking out. "Shakra is not so forgiving. He would have stayed and killed you along with Jenny. It is not Shakra who has taken them."

"Then who is it!?" Hayden snapped at her.

"The leaders."

The next thing Kara and Jenny knew they were in a bedroom, laying down on two matching beds. Kara sprang up and looked around. She found nothing of threat to be there.

Brisa continued to look to the sky, only at the mentioning of the leaders did she turn her head. She was never formally taught. She didn't know much about other tribes or even her own. She is smart and has always wanted to learn and she listened as Shala spoke.

Kai paced back and forth, listening to Shala but was upset. Why would the leaders take Kara away? They needed her. And what makes them think their plan would work this time? They already tried once with the cabin and failed. How is this any better?

Boots clicked down the hall as someone came to the room. It was Rasp. Every four years, the kingdom selects a new High Leader from a different tribe. There are always four leader, being advisers to the High Leader, from each tribe. They don't do much, just hold court for all the tribes to discuss trading and other important matters, but they do take control in times of need like now. Every time a new leader is selected they are of the next tribe. Rasp is the leader from the fire tribe and has been the High Leader for three years now. He approved this mission to get Kara and Jenny. He thought his plan would work. The other one didn't work because they threw it together within days. This one on the other hand, they have been working on for months. They planned on moving the earth benders to this facility once it was done but most of them didn't live that long. When Rasp realized some were still alive, he had to find them and put them in this true 'safe house'.
He entered the room only after he did a secrete pattern on the door. Runes from scrolls, long forgotten allowed him to do this. He saw the girls looking around the room a little in shock. "Hello, I am Rasp. You probably already know me. We brought you here to protect you."

Kara turned to Rasp and exclaimed. "PROTECT US!? What are you talking about!? And what about my friends? What did you do with them?"

Rasp turned to her. "They our people. We didn't hurt them. My team backed off once we had you two. Now, we can protect you properly. No one will get you here. No one knows where it is or how to get in." Rasp smiled at them. He was a tall, built man. He had dark skin an red-brown hair. He had a slightly too big nose and a stern face. "You girls can relaxe here."

"RELAX!?" Jenny shouted at him. "You're basically telling us we're prisoners for our own safety! Does that mean we're trapped here forever!? That we can't see our friends again!?"

Rasp shrugged. "It seems that way. We had to save you and you out there gallivanting with your friends was going to get you kill. You may see them again if we can catch and kill the person responsible for this."

Kai stopped pacing, "How do we get them back?" He already felt an ache in his heart from her being gone.

"That is up to you. I can not tell you where they are, it is not my place. But you should hurry, for my brother knows where they are, and he is not one to give up." Before Hayden could throttle her she disappeared.

Brisa looked at them, "How are we going to find them, they can be anywhere?" She looked at the spot in the sky where the disappeared.

Kai looked where Shala was wishing she could provide more answers. "We ask our leaders." It seems they still were going to the Kingdom.

Hayden sighed in frustration. "Oh great, I get to see my idiot brother."

Kara glared at the man and went to walk passed him out the door.

Brisa looked at Hayden, surprised. "You have a brother?" If she had any siblings then she would be so happy. She would have had someone to play with when she was little.

"Yeah, he's the current leader of the Fire Tribe." Hayden grumbled.

Brisa looked at him confused. He didn't seem to be that close to his sibling. "Do you like him?"

Kai wanted to hear what Hayden said about his past but he needed to grab a few things from the campsite before they began, specifically Kara's bag. So he made his way over there.

Hayden sighed. "It's just that we've always been butting heads since I was little. He's older, he's stronger, he had it all, he had everyone's respect, he had my father's approval and my mother's love, he didn't have to do anything for it while I had to work my butt off to get any form of recognition."

Brisa gave him a sympathetic smile, knowing how it feels to be thrown to the wayside. Her mother loved her for the short time she was in her life, but Brisa has never truly worked for people's attention. "Is that why you don't like it here?"

Hayden nodded. "That... and some other things..."

Brisa looked at him, wondering who Hayden was beyond his temper. "What other things?" She asked gently. She had just noticed Kai being gone and realized that they were alone, yet again.

Kai found Kara's bag but decided to hang back. He had brought the fish from earlier. He tried to light a fire and succeeded this time. He cooked the fish slowly, letting Hayden and Brisa talk. Kai had noticed how open Hayden was with Brisa and he thought it did him so good to talk with someone.

Hayden sighed and sat down. "Well, the thing is... I don't have a father anymore..." He looked down. "We were out training and I was sparring with my brother, and for the first time, I won against him, I was so excited to get my father's praise but he just yelled at me, saying I used cheap shots and coward moves. I was so mad, I lost control of my powers, the rocks on the cliff we'd been training under melted into lava. My father was directly under it. He died instantly..."

Brisa sat next to Hayden listening to what he had to say. She wasn't surprised by his uncontrolled emotions, but what did surprise her was his ability to cope with killing his father. "Is that why you think you let your mother down?" She asked, looking at Hayden's hands as he fidgeted. She was remembering when he was punching a tree saying that he let Kara down like he let his mother down.

Hayden nodded. "My mother cast me out, calling me a murderer, I had only ever wanted to please her but I killed the man she loved."

Brisa threw her arms around Hayden, hating how sad his life was. "It must have been horrible for you." She released him, still looking at him. "But you found us. You don't have to fight to get our recognition, you already have it."

Hayden blushed as Brisa hugged her and he felt tears threaten his eyes, which rarely ever happened, and he turned his head away. "I know..."

Brisa nodded, jumping up. "I have been smelling fish for a few minutes and my stomach is about to eat itself." She smiled at Hayden trying to pull him up unsuccessfully. When she didn't succeed, she pushed the air beneath him, forcing him up. This resulted in them standing just inches appear, Brisa not noticing how close they were.

Hayden blushed even more and he stared down at her, without really thinking he cupped her cheek gently with his hands and leaned down and kissed her.

Brisa's eyes opened wide with shock. She had never been kissed before and this was completely unexpected, to her at least. She never realized that someone could like her like that, after she was let down by the air bender boy years ago she put that idea away. It was shoved into a dark corner of her mind. So for a second she allowed herself to kiss Hayden back, letting herself feel what it would be like to care for someone so deeply. Then she stepped back, putting those wonderful feelings away. She had realized long ago that she was not meant to be loved and even if Hayden did, he deserved someone better than her. Someone worthy of his love. "I'm-I'm sorry. I-I-I can't." She said not looking at him she knew what look he would have on his face and she didn't want to see it.

Hayden stared at her for a long moment, wondering why she kissed him back if she couldn't love her, but he just nodded, his face turning hard. "I know... I figured you wouldn't. I'm sorry." He turned and headed back towards the camp.