"Kitare." Princess Azula addressed, as a young man walked into the Fire Nation Palace Gardens, removing his cloak from his black hair.
"Princess Azula." Kitare bowed and showed the traditional salute.
Azula smirked; her piercing golden eyes facing her visitor. "I have called you from your station in the war to bestow upon you a high honor." She paused, "I need you to prevent my brother from finding the avatar."
The boy showed a slight alarm, but stayed still. "Yes, the avatar is still alive. I need you to keep Zuko's new friend at bay. Kill him if you will, but keep the avatar in hand. Bring him if able."
Kitare nodded. "It will be done, Princess Azula."
The Princess smirked. "Call me Azula. After all, why such formalities with old school mates? I hope you're as strong as I have heard."
He nodded again. "The best as they say."
"Good. You are dismissed."
Kitare saluted and left the moon shadowed place.
Rain poured outside the bedroom window as Grace lay on her bed, staring at the picture covered wall across from her. She turned her head to the darkening window; the tree outside visible to see its sway from the wind. The last week or so had been blurry, everyday almost the same. She had been thinking of surfing the net, but that didn't seem important… staring at the wall didn't get anyone anywhere either.
"I could just sleep…" She mumbled, and closed her eyes. "If I was somewhere else I would have something to do. Amazing things to do…" She turned over. "Not like that's an option."
Her mind drifted. If I went somewhere else… Somewhere new and exciting. It would be better, different… She fell into sleep.
Grace shifted in her spot she laid. Why was her bed so hard? She shifted again and soon opened her eyes.
"What?" She looked around her. Short weird buildings stood side to side, a stone road beneath her. "Where am I?" She thought for a moment, ruffling her brown hair. "Oh—my—gosh!" She spun around. "I don't believe this…" Picking a random direction she ran, right into a square full of people dressed in red clothes. "I'm… I'm… this can't be happening!" She screamed to herself.
People walked by her and stared, looking her up and down in contemplation. Grace looked down at what they were staring at and saw a purple tank top and blue jeans.
"Oh." Turning her head toward an empty street she walked quickly. "This is bad—what am I going to do?" She turned down a dead end alley, walking until she reached the end and sat in the corner, knees in her hands. "I'll just wake up and this will all go away… this is really happening..."
The girl wasn't sure if she loved the idea that she was here, in this familiar yet un familiar place—or terrified at how it had happened. There was so much running through her head. What day it was, what town she was exactly in, and how she got stuck in a TV show. All these unanswered. Sitting her head in her knees, she watched as people walked by a buildings length away.
As the minutes, maybe hours went by, Grace was ready to give up on what she was suppose to be doing and fall asleep when she was put into full conscious when a figure flew down from above her and landed only a few feet away, giving her a shriek.
The figure turned to her and looked her up and down, with almost as much concentration as the others had.
"What are you looking at?" He asked.
Grace blushed, but realized he had done the same. She was lost of words however to say anything about it.
The boy went to turn away. Grace wanted to say something, but she got half way through wait.
He turned his head to her, then broke away and ran down the alley.
Not knowing anything better that she could do, she followed once he had turned to the right. Quickly she ran after.
"Crap." He had already disappeared. "So he's one of those guys." Grace kept running that direction, scanning the semi-narrow streets for the mystery boy.
She was about to give up when she let out a scream; a fire ball streaming past her head. She didn't see the boy, but there were four people, and a really big buff guy fighting in the square. It didn't seem to last long though when the four began to run out of sight. A girl with them kicked the ground and threw a boulder at the huge man. He blocked it with a weird psychic wave thing and the boulder exploded, he didn't win though. Grace couldn't see, but he flew back and hit the wall in pain. In return he was about to attack again when the boy from before leaped down from a near building and threw a fire ball from his hand. Distracting the explosion man.
Grace stayed where she was and hugged beside a building wall. Watching the two begin to fight.
"What is this guy trying to pull?" Grace thought she should try to find the four that had left, but she didn't want to risk not being able to reach them.
"Leave now!" The boy told the large man a few feet away from him. "This is no longer your concern." He dodged away from a blazing wave. "You can't beat me!"
The man sent another wave. Grace yelled in panic when it came directly toward her, she ran out into the square and dove to the ground covering her head. The man now turned to her, then back to his opponent, who attempted to hit him with another blast, but was stopped. Another wave came and sped in Grace's direction. Scrambling to get up she barely missed it.
"Get out of here!" The boy yelled in anger.
The girl was about to obey when the man directed a wave specifically at her. She was a little slower this time to react and didn't get away in time, the blow sending her into a wall; where she leaned limp. She cursed under her breath. "Should've—should've…" Grace attempted to get up, using the wall for support, trying to keep her eyes on the scene beside her.
The man sent one more at her and she couldn't bring herself to run out of the way, so she felt herself thrown to the ground once again. Groaning she turned over, only to feel herself picked up off the ground and be carried away. She thought it must be the boy, but at this point she didn't really care.
A breeze blew onto Grace's face, she wasn't fully conscious yet; but she knew she liked it. Once she figured out she wasn't asleep anymore, she eased open her eyes… now feeling the full soreness all over her body.
Grace turned to her left, where the boy sat cross legged.
"How'd—where am I?" She swore when she tried to shift her body.
Grace closed her eyes, then tried to move her arm to take the hair out of her eyes that was driving her crazy; but too, hurt too much.
"What were you doing there?"
"I—was trying to watch… not—get in the middle of it."
He grunted. "Well you didn't succeed did you. By the look of your clothes you're not from the Fire Nation either."
She shook her head. "Sorry."
His expression changed for the slightest moment. "Well—once you're well you'll be able to continue on your way."
Grace took a deep breath.
"You do live here right?"
No answer.
"Great, can I at least have a name?"
"Grace." She whispered. That was all she could muster at this moment.
"Grace…well how far to where you came from?"
Again she fell silent.
He stood. "I will be back. Don't move."
The boy stood and ran through a thickness of trees. Which Grace had just took into view. They were tall, and the ground was actually soft—she was laying on his cloak.
"Stupid guy didn't even give a name." She mumbled and soon, when he didn't return, fell asleep.
Grace woke to the sound of birds crowing over head. Opening her eyes she found the sight of tall green trees over her. Then the sound of running water. Easing herself up she made it to an up right position.
"You should lie down." Said a voice that sounded slightly familiar to her; taking a moment to remember.
"I'm fine." She said, not even looking at him. Grace was waiting for her head to stop spinning.
"Drink this." He said, in a monotone. "Are you feeling better?" More nodding followed. "Then we can go our separate ways."
Grace stopped drinking the relinquishing liquid and slowly turned toward Kitare. "What?"
"What did you expect otherwise?"
Kitare had jet black hair slicked back into a low pony tail; deep golden eyes starring at Grace. His facial features told her that he was only a few years older than herself, in his late teens. He had a sleek build, power was screaming from his whole being. And then she came back into reality…
"I—I have no where else to go."
He stood. Maybe this was his way of keeping in his anger—or problems—feeling in control.
"I have other things to do. You can't stay."
Grace jumped to her feet and was about to collapse when Kitare stepped forward and caught her. "Fine—I can—go on my own!"
Kitare grumbled. "Maybe I can take you to where you live."
He was really pushing trying to help her, Grace felt really bad; she couldn't think of how to explain to him she couldn't go home. "There's… a problem with that."
He didn't look amused. It screamed "Why! Why!" Right at her face.
"I can't go home. I don't know where home is." Seeing he was still holding her up in his arms she attempted to stand on her own. "I'm not from here at all."
He stepped back when she took her balance against the tree. "I can't help you then." He paused for a moment. "Town is that way." He pointed to her left. "There's a woman at a house just by the trees there that can help you." He turned and began to walk.
Closing her eyes Grace took a breath. There was no where else to go. She was stuck in a place she knew nothing about as far as surviving in it went…
She couldn't hear Kitare's steps. There was something about him that screamed trouble. Though Grace saw something past him, just couldn't put her finger on it. He wasn't going to help her though. Too caught up in—what if he was after—no…he couldn't! Grace felt anger building up in her, she was brought here and had spoke to someone who was most likely no better than the other scum she knew walked this world.
Grace shot her eyes open to get a glimpse of the unhelpful boy and was startled to see him staring at the small creek just beside them, only a few feet away. Her anger suddenly subsided.
"What are you looking at?" Was all that popped out of her mouth.
Before she knew it Kitare strode toward her and had her by the throat! "What are you? Are you a water bender! Are you a spy for the Water Tribes? That's a new one but I'm open to possibilities." He spat.
Grace had a death grip on his hands, he wasn't squeezing her, but the feeling that he could crush her was terrible. "I don't know what you're talking about!" She cried. "Please, I didn't do anything! Please!"
He let her go quickly and stepped back. "That was you, I could see the water quivering! You did that. How?"
Grace had no clue as to what he meant. She wasn't a water bender! "Please, I'm not a spy. I don't know how I did that or what I even did!"
He paced. Grace couldn't figure anything else to do but watch him walk back and forth every several steps. This was real, it was really real. She had entered a world she only knew to be in her television every Friday and now she was here; not waking up and watching this boy in another worldly red tunic and puffed red pants. Who actually looked really hot when he was frustrated.
"Are you after the avatar?" She asked unsurely.
Her heart skipped a beat when he stopped. "What?"
"Are you after the avatar? If you are, then I don't want to come with you anyway."
He was staring at her again, what a habit. "Why do you say that?"
"You were fighting that…man. You could have been helping them by stopping him, but that's highly doubtful, since you're wearing red. I saw who was at the square fighting that guy."
Kitare's expression didn't change, he only stepped forward toward Grace. Only standing an inch away, looking down at her. "I'm not after the avatar."
"Then explain why you were there." She said as smoothly as she could as his breath brushed against her face.
"I was helping him in a way. That, is none of your business."
She smirked. "Well, if I'm a 'water bender' then I take it, it is my buisiness, since the two nations are fighting against you fire nation bullies!"
Kitare went rigid. "Be quiet! You will not speak of my nation in vain!"
"I'll bet you people do it all the time. You think you're all that! That destroying families and killing people and burning villages is right! I've hated watching you people go around and think you're the best thing there is!" Grace pushed Kitare away.
At that same moment the water in the creek pushed with her.
"You don't want to do this." He said as he breathed in.
Grace crossed her arms. "What are you going to throw me into prison?"
"If you want I could take you there personally."
A staring contest was in store.
"I don't think you have it in you. Because I haven't done anything wrong. Isn't the Fire Nation all about its honor? I think this counts don't you?"
Kitare smirked. "Who says I follow all the rules?" Grace's face fell as Kitare strode toward her once again, reached down and grabbed her legs and arm, tossing her over his shoulder.
"Put me down! You—you can't be serious! I can't go there!"
The Fire Nation boy tossed her to the ground. "Then don't accuse me of something you know nothing about! You know nothing about me!"
Grace ducked when he took a jump over her.
Before she could look to see where he had went, he was out of sight. Left and right; anywhere, all she could see was forest.
"Great. I pissed off my only way through this!" Grace thought through their conversation and screamed.