That I Should Rise
Prologue
"Gran-gran," said young Kanla, "will you tell me a story?" Her big blue eyes were wide with excitement and her hair fell out of place as she moved around.
Laughing, Kanla's grandmother said "Of course. But first, you must sit down and stay still."
Kanla sat herself down on the floor, listening to the story her grandmother told:
"The legend of the Painted Lady and Blue Spirit started with a common goal shared by two people. Two people who aspired to bring justice to where it was needed, and healing to those who were ill. They helped whoever was in need and fought the oppressive Fire Nation.
They went by the names of the Painted Lady and the Blue Spirit..."
"Arrest them!"
The voice of a soldier cried as the Blue Spirit and the Painted Lady ran through the dark streets of the sleeping Fire Nation town. Soldiers were chasing them as they weaved through the buildings.
"Hurry!" The Blue Spirit said to his partner as they scaled the wall of a building. He was not surprised to see that despite her long dress, the Painted Lady had no trouble scaling the wall. They reached the roof of the building and ran to the other side. They looked back momentarily to see that the wall had not hindered the soldiers and they could see theirs helmets rising over the edge.
They reached the ledge of the roof when it began to rain. Looking around for any other buildings, they realized that there wasn't any other direction to go but down. The soldiers were approaching fast and they knew time was running out. The Blue Spirit turned around and a jet of fire was unleashed from his hand. It stopped the soldiers, but only for seconds.
"Run!" The Blue Spirit yelled to his companion, but she grabbed his hand and jumped off the side of the roof, taking him with her. The guards on the roof stopped, dumbfounded by the actions of the Painted Lady.
The Blue Spirit desperately tried not to panic as he fell off of the three-story building. But then the feeling of air rushing passed slowed down and the sensation of floating arose in its place. He looked down to see a plane of water below his feet, slowly lowering him and the Painted Lady to the ground.
This was one of the many advantages to working with a Waterbender.
They gently landed in the alley. The moment their feet touched, they broke into a a run.
Shouts could be heard again, this time coming from a different direction. Voices were coming from the street, and the Blue Spirit did not feel like waiting to see who owned the voices.
They ran through many more streets and weaved through many more alleyways before they finally lost the Fire Nation soldiers.
Leaning against the wall of a building, the two caught their breath, hearts pounding and adrenaline still rushing.
The Painted Lady took deep breath. "That was close."
The Blue Spirit nodded in agreement, the mask constantly smiling. He pointed down towards to a door that led into a building. The Painted Lady looked at the door and then back at her partner. "I know," she said. "The landlady doesn't know I even left. Besides, I'm not ready to stop just yet. We could get so much more done tonight!"
The Blue Spirit replied with shaking his head.
"Why not?" The Painted Lady hissed frustratingly. She pushed herself off the wall. "You saw how the town is! They're sick and they need help!"
"Not tonight!" The Blue Spirit's muffled voice said. "We risked too much already with us being seen! We have to give it a couple of days."
The Painted Lady fell silent, the veil from her hat covering her painted face. "Fine. Three days, that's all I'll wait."
A noise came from the street. The two benders pressed themselves against the building wall, staying silent. A cat came into view from the alley opening and then stalked off, it's tail swishing back and forth.
"Stupid cat," The Blue Spirit muttered as he looked down the alley, his words barely discernible behind the mask. He turned back to the Painted Lady. "Be careful, 'Katara."
"I always am Zuko," she replied with a small smile.
Zuko turned himself so that his back was facing the alley opening. Sliding off his mask, he quickly kissed Katara on the check and then put the devilish mask back on.
"Be safe," Katara whispered as the Blue Spirit walked out of the alley and into the night.
Turning towards the door, Katara slipped in quietly, hoping not to wake her landlady...
Author's Notes - Well? What did you think? Review, review, review! I do have a plan for this story, believe it or not. I know it's a short first chapter, but it will have to do...