A/N: Well, hello. I am new to here and I'm still getting used to all of this. This is my first written fanfiction that I wrote a couple months ago for an ASN drabble contest. The theme was "Steadfast" and I'm hoping I portrayed it okay. If you don't know what steadfast means, look it up, cause I'm not exactly sure how to explain it. Anyway, please read and review, but no flamers. I do accept criticism though.
To Save Her
In, then out. The air circulated in his lungs before he expelled it, only to take in another gulp. He rubbed his brow in remembrance, tears stinging his eyes. It was the 40th anniversary of the day she was taken away from him. The incident haunted his dreams almost every night…
"Kuruk are you sure you want to do this?" Radok asked as Kuruk downed another swig of his drink.
"Of course. I've had this wine before; it won't do anything to me."
"No, that's not what I meant." Radok, Kuruk's best friend and soon to be best man, held Kuruk's arm to the table before he could take another swig. "I meant this marriage with Ummi. I've never seen you commit to anything, and now, a month after you meet the girl, you suddenly want to marry her?"
"Hey, I committed to my Avatar training, didn't I? And that's not entirely true; I met Ummi a month and a half ago." Kuruk grinned as he signaled the tavern waitress to bring him another drink.
"Seriously, Kuruk. Are you ready for this kind of commitment?" Radok stared intently into Kuruk's eyes, goading for a real answer.
Kuruk's comical expression turned serious. "Radok, I'm ready. I've never been so sure of anything in my life. This is the woman I love, and I'm not gonna wait for some other man to sweep her off her feet. So, I met her a month ago? So what? I was in love with her from the first hello, and I will be until the last good-bye."
"I'm glad to hear you say that," said a soft, low voice from behind him.
Kuruk turned immediately in the tavern stool, knocking both his and Radok's drinks to the floor with a sweep of his arm. Disregarding this, he stood up and embraced his fiancé. "Ummi" was all that came from his mouth.
She separated from him slightly, still in his arms. Ummi looked up at him with gracious eyes. "Do you really mean that?"
"With all my heart, Ummi," he choked out. The effect this woman had on the Water Tribe Avatar was unexplainable. He grinned and, without warning, kissed her hard. She smiled into the kiss, thanking Tui and La that she was bless with such a man as a husband.
Radok smirked behind them, now reassured without a doubt that his best friend was ready. He took the towel from the dumbfounded waitress and started to clean up the mess that the clumsy Avatar had caused.
The next day, the wedding was held at the Spirit Oasis. Not many people could fit into the small enclosure, so only family, close friends, the minister, and the chief and his wife were present. Civilians and well-wishers had gathered outside the place to congratulate the couple when they were to come out. But this did not matter to Kuruk. The only thing that mattered was the woman next to him.
"You may now kiss the bride," said the minister.
Kuruk cupped Ummi's face with his hands as they rubbed noses, a traditional Water Tribe kiss.
"I love you," he said softly.
"I love you," she mimicked, her voice dripping with pure love.
Their lips came together in a real kiss as the small crowd around them clapped and cheered. Radok whistled in his approval.
The two separated and stated passionately into each other's eyes for one peaceful moment. Then everything went wrong.
The water in the Spirit Oasis suddenly exploded, as if set off by a bomb. Together, Kuruk and Radok quickly bended the water back to its resting place. When settled, everyone looked questionably at each other and the Oasis, in which the koi fish were circling peacefully as if nothing had happened. The newlywed couple stood at the banks, staring into the water. Kuruk thought he saw a shadow drift swiftly under the koi fish. Just as he looked back at Radok to shrug, the water exploded again. It wasn't quite as forceful, but donned a new unknown horror. Eight black, giant, centipede-like legs arose in the explosion and grabbed Ummi right from the bank of the Oasis.
"Kuruk!" Ummi shouted as the legs quickly dragged her under the water, as if there were no bottom.
"Ummi! No!" Kuruk yelled trying to grab her hand. Once she was submerged, he jumped in after her, only to splash to the shallow bottom. The koi fish circled around him in peaceful tranquility. "No," he whispered as tears spilled down his face. He knew this must have something to do with the spirits. That must have been what the shadow had been. He just didn't know what or why.
"Kuruk." Radok raced to his best friend's side and pulled him out of the water. "What just happened?"
"They took her," he choked. "The spirits. I don't know why; they just took her. Away from me. They took her."
"Well, you know what Kuruk? We are gonna get her back."
Kuruk immediately looked up. "What?" What did he mean we?
"You said Avatars can go into the spirit world, right? And Ummi was just taken in. So why can't Avatars bring mortals with them?"
"But, I – I –" Kuruk started. He silenced when Radok placed a hand on his shoulder. "We're gonna get her back, you and me. I'll go into the spirit world with you. We'll get her." He smiled sincerely.
Kuruk just stared at him, trying the words to show his appreciation. "Radok, I – would you really do that for me?"
"Of course. You're my best friend. She's important to you, so she's important to me." He clapped Kuruk on the back. "Now let's get going."
Kuruk shook his head and wiped his tears. He then pulled Radok into a strong hug. He was lucky to have one of the most loyal friends on earth.
When they separated, Kuruk said, "I've never heard of a mortal going into the spirit world before this, so I don't know how, or if it will work."
"We'll try it anyway."
Kuruk sat down next to Oasis, cross-legged, Radok following suit. They joined hands and closed their eyes. Kuruk concentrated with all his might on bringing the two spirits in the spirit world. A moment later, his eyes opened with a blinding glow. Radok stared in awe, and then suddenly, he collapsed to the ground as his spirit was pulled away from his body.
In a bright flash, Radok opened his eyes and found himself in a dark, eerie swampland.
"Kuruk are we…are we in the spirit world?" He looked around in wonderment.
"Yeah. Weird, I know." Kuruk smirked grimly, and then peered around, as if searching for someone. "I'm gonna call for Yangchen, the Avatar before me. Maybe she can help." He clicked his tongue at Radok to get his attention. Things were about to get serious. "Yangchen!" He called out. "I need your help!"
The swampy water in front of them swelled and solidified into the body of a woman with an arrow tattoo upon her forehead.
"Kuruk. What brings you to the spirit world?"
"Yangchen, I really need your help. My wife, Ummi, was taken by a spirit here into the spirit world. Have you seen a young woman with long, dark hair with flowers in it?"
Yangchen frowned. "I have. I saw her in the arms of Koh, the face stealer."
"Face stealer?" cried Radok. Kuruk too was in shock; he knew of Koh, but he wouldn't have imagined that it was he who had stolen his wife. His face drained of color.
"Yes. If you show any emotion, any at all, Koh will steal your face. His lair is over there, in that cave." Yangchen pointed to her left, to a cave on a small hill that was emitting a dense fog. "Remember my warning to you, Kuruk." Yangchen's voice echoed as she slowly started to glide backwards, fading from view. "If you seek him, make sure to show no emotion. Or he will steal your face…"
"Man, that's creepy." Radok felt a shiver crawl down his spine.
"I have to meet with him."
"What?" Radok stared at Kuruk incredulously. "Didn't you hear her? He will steal your face!"
"I heard her. But this is Ummi, dammit! He took my Ummi. So I'll do anything to save her. Even if it risks my own face."
Radok stared at Kuruk for another moment, and then nodded. He had agreed to do this, so he will, for his best friend.
Kuruk beckoned him to follow as he started to climb up the small but steep hill. At the entrance of the cave, Kuruk turned around and confronted Radok. "Listen, I'm gonna go in there alone." Radok opened his mouth to argue, but Kuruk beat him to it. "Don't argue. It's because…I can't risk losing you too." His eyes glistened for a moment before he blinked the unshed tears away. "I'll call you if I need help. Be careful, 'cause there's no bending in the spirit world. Just remember: In his presence, show no emotion."
Radok nodded in response. Kuruk then took a deep breath, relaxed his face, and entered the dark cave. Immediately he came upon a dirt stairway. As he descended, Kuruk vaguely wondered how it got there. He didn't have to look very hard for the answer.
"Avatar," said a low, sly voice from the shadows. "How wonderful it is to see you."
"Are you Koh, the face stealer?" Kuruk said into the darkness.
"I am. You must be the new Avatar. Kuruk, is it? Yes, I've been watching you from the spirit world. You are doing a very poor job."
Kuruk resisted the temptation to contort his face in anger as he said, "Oh, am I? Well, I'm sorry I couldn't live up to your standards."
"Always the tone of sarcasm." Koh slithered out of the shadows, his giant body twisting around Kuruk, to meet him face to face. At the moment, his face resembled that of a face painted white with big, gray ovals around the eyes and red lips. Kuruk remained emotionless. "You have shied away from your duties, Avatar. You walk around, challenging commoners to Agni Kai's, trying to impress the young nuns of the Air Temples. I have taken your wife in hopes that you will change your ways."
"I have." Kuruk tried with all his might not to show a pleading in his face. Instead he used his voice. "I have changed my ways. Since proposing to Ummi, I vowed never to be the young man I was. I was going to change."
Big lids closed around his face, opening to reveal a new one; a blue angry mask. "But you have not. It has been a month, and yet you still have done nothing of your obligation as keeper of balance."
"But there's nothing going on –"
"That does not mean that you can lie around doing nothing. You had your chance. Now it is too late."
"What? Too late? What do you mean too late?" Kuruk almost broke his emotionless composure, but he was on the brink of breaking.
"I mean –" another blink of the giant lids – "it is too late." Kuruk stared, again almost losing self-control. The face stealer now donned the face of his wife – his Ummi. "Ummi," he whispered. "You – you took her face! I'll kill you!" he yelled while remaining as expressionless as possible.
Koh – Ummi, it appeared – laughed ruthlessly. "You'll kill me? Oh, so very likely, I'm sure. If you want to avoid this in the future, perhaps now you will do as requested by the spirits. Perform your Avatar duties, or the same shall happen for your friend standing outside. One by one, I will steal the ones you love until you learn your lesson."
Kuruk swallowed and closed his eyes. "Give me my wife back."
"You have been warned. There is no undoing this. Now get out of my lair."
"Give me my –"
"Get out!" Another blink of the eye revealed again the same angry blue mask. Kuruk turned around, to release a breath and ease his face of the unchanging nonchalance. Then suddenly he turned around with a round-house kick to Koh's face, his own face blank once more. He reveled at his self-control over his facial expression, but then regretted his action as Koh roared in anger. "GET OUT!" He picked up Kuruk with one of his many arms and threw him roughly up and out of his cave. Kuruk tumbled down the hill and landed in front of the mystic monkey, who thoroughly ignored them.
"Kuruk!" Radok cried as he raced to his side. "What happened?"
"He took her face," he said sullenly. "He told me that because I wasn't doing my Avatar duties, he took my wife in punishment. So I kicked him in the face and he threw me out." Kuruk didn't see much humor in that sentence as he should have. "I…I failed."
Radok pulled him to his feet. "We have to get out of here, Kuruk."
"What? Why? I have to try and get Ummi back again!"
"Kuruk, you kicked him in the face. He's gonna want revenge. You can try another time, but we have to get out of here now."
Kuruk stopped and stared at the ground before he sighed. "You're right. I'll try again…some other time." He then grabbed Radok's arm and sent a beam of light from his mouth, sending them skyrocketing.
Back in the Spirit Oasis, Radok jumped in his slumped position on the ground, as if he had just fallen from the sky into his body. He sat up groggily and rubbed his head. He had just gone into the spirit world! He looked up at Kuruk and saw that, he too was back. But he didn't notice Radok. He was sitting cross-legged, like when he had left, face in his hands, weeping terribly. Radok sat down at his side and just placed a hand on his shoulder.
40 years had passes the day and Kuruk still found himself wanting to break down crying. No, he told himself. You're done crying. You're getting Ummi back now.
Kuruk got up from his seat and sat down on the rug present. He was in the lotus-position, taught to him so many years ago by his airbending sifu. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His intent was to go to the spirit world once more, like he had on every anniversary, but this time he was willing to kill Koh to get his wife back.
His words from 40 years ago reverberated in his mind. "He took my Ummi. So, I'll do anything to save her." Absolutely anything at all.
END