Broken Bows & Shattered Daggers
A Longerbee Trilogy
Book 1: Moving On
Author's Note: First of all, I want to thank twighlightsux who helped me with the title and to surfingshamu for being a great friend. *tears up* You guys are awesome! … Okay, all that sappy crap is done. NOW ON WITH THE SHOW! or story…whatever…
DISCLAIMER: I sadly do not own the Last Airbender series or any of the characters…I wish I did though… that would be cool… that would be very cool… in fact that would be so cool I— *twighlightsux0622*- Ah-hem… catchat? Story! *me* …and I could buy the world and…what? Oh, yeah! Sorry everybody!
Chapter 1: Jet's Final Victory
Beneath Lake Laogai…
"Jet?" came a tear choked voice in the darkness.
Jet's eyes flickered as he opened them. He struggled to focus on something, anything, in the dim green light. His sight began to fail as he began to lose his grip on the life that he clung to so desperately.
"Jet?"
The voice came again and Jet managed to grab life by the collar once more. Jet turned his head and focused on a face. A girl's face. She had a wild mop of hair and large, brown eyes. She wore a dark blue head band that kept her hair out of her face. The strange thing about the girl was that from a distance, she looked like a boy. But if you looked closer, you could see the small details that revealed her feminine side;
The feline glint in her eyes that only women had.
Her long eyelashes and high cheek bones.
The motherly demeanor that she carried, but rarely showed.
Smellerbee.
"Jet?"
"Hey, Bee," Jet said with difficulty. "What are you doing here? You should be out kicking some Dai Li butt."
"Jet!"
Smellerbee threw her arms around her leader's neck.."
"Oh, spirits, Jet! Jet! You're going to be okay…. You've got to be okay." Jet knew she was trying to convince herself.
"Bee…" he began.
"Don't." Smellerbee said, gruffly. They both knew that Jet wasn't going to make it out of Lake Laogai. But Smellerbee, Jet's sweet little Bee, was playing dumb. Smellerbee began shredding a piece of scarlet cloth with the hidden dagger that she always used. Jet focused on the cloth. It was Longshot's cloak.
Jet turned his head once more.
The silent archer stood firm, an arrow nocked in the direction of the entrance to the cavern in which the three were. Jet felt his tunic being unbuttoned. He turned back to Smellerbee and saw her undoing the buttons to reveal a gaping hole centered in between Jet's stomach and chest. Smellerbee gasped and turned away, trembling. Longshot snapped around and aimed his arrow at them in a split second. He lowered his weapons when he saw why Smellerbee had gasped. He winced and walked over. Longshot placed a hand on Bee's shaking shoulder, then looked tentatively at Jet.
"Oh yeah, Longshot, I'm fine." Jet replied scathingly.
"I only have a hole in my stomach, put there by an earthbending nutter, who's about as bad as the Fire Nation. Other than that, I'm fine."
Longshot didn't know whether to laugh or apologize.
Smellerbee saved him from having to answer.
"Six broken ribs, one ruptured lung, a damaged spine, and a torn stomach." she announced, her voice cracking. Longshot winced again and Jet laughed.
"Is that all?" he asked. "I thought it was worse."
And to their surprise and horror, Jet sat up.
"There! See? I'm totally fine! Now let's go kick some Dai Li's butts from here to the Water Tri—" Jet stopped, his face changing from smug glee, to confused horror. He clenched a hand to his wound and turned away from Smellerbee and Longshot. His whole body convulsed and Jet retched up a mixture of blood, internal tissue, and stomach acid. Smellerbee screamed and Longshot turned away before his own stomach emptied itself involuntarily. Jet collapsed and stared up at the dull, fading, stone ceiling above him.
"I'm dying." he realized out loud. "I'm dying and there's nothing I can do about it."
"Don't say that, Jet! We can get you out of here! We'll find you a healer and—"
"Bee! Stop it." Jet said, weakly, but firmly.
His breath was coming out in short bursts now. His head spun and his chest heaved. He didn't have much time.
"Longshot!"
The archer knelt down beside Jet. Jet looked Longshot in the eye.
"When I first met you, I knew. I knew that you were to be the next Freedom Fighter leader. Rebuild the Freedom Fighters for me and do whatever it takes to bring the Fire Nation down."
Longshot nodded severely.
Jet glanced at the weeping Smellerbee.
"I would say choose your second in command carefully, but I think that you have already chosen."
Longshot looked at Smellerbee and almost, almost, smiled.
"Take care of her."
Longshot turned back to his fallen leader.
"Promise me." Jet murmured.
The archer blinked slowly and said, "I promise."
Jet smiled. He coughed and his head spun even more. White lights appeared from nowhere and began to engulf him.
"Bee."
Smellerbee replaced Longshot and she took Jet's clammy hand. Jet's smile grew.
"Bee." he whispered again. "Take care, my little Smellerbee. Even when I'm gone, I'm with you. You know that don't you?"
"Jet. You sound like you're saying—"
"Goodbye, Bee."
Jet's body convulsed once, twice, then fell still. A thin trickle of blood slipped out of the corner of Jet's mouth as he grinned his perfect, stupid grin. He took a heaving breath and used his last one to say,
"You lost Death. Jet is yet again victorious."
Jet's eyes closed and his hand went cold.
How was it? My first chapter! I'm so proud! But now Jet's dead!
Sob, sob, sob…