Disclaimer: I do not own "Avatar; the Last Airbender" or anything related to it.
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Katara's heart dropped several notches and she felt like she had missed a step going down the stairs. Missed a few steps, at that. There were more. And how many would there be after this? She was already weak and tired. Her leg still ached a little even after she had clumsily healed it and her burned back was throbbing. She wouldn't be able to heal that; not very well, at least. She just wanted to get back to camp, to see Aang again. To see her brother again, and Toph, the Earthbender she'd come to love like a sister. A cold dread settled in the Waterbender's heart. Would she make it back alive?
Before her, lying sprawled in a rather uncomfortable position, was your typical Fire Nation peon, wearing the usual dragon-like armor that had intimidated her since the day her mother died. The thought of her mother brought quick tears to the Waterbender's eyes. Her mother had died honorably if not quite gruesomely. She had been brave and strong, just like she had always told Katara to be. Katara remembered the scene clearly in her mind's eye although she forbade herself from recounting the entire event. Those censored scenes only showed up in her worst nightmares…
The fleet had just arrived. Katara was cooking with her mom, making a batch of boiled seaweed for their supper. As an eight-year old, Katara loved boiled seaweed. The tangy strips of salty sea grass coupled with various salts and spices served with the fat, arctic fish that Sokka was responsible for bringing had been Katara's favorite meal and she just loved to help her mother with it. Little did she know, that would be the last time.
That's when the ships came. Thick, black smoke hung heavily over the air, filling Katara's nose and mouth and causing her to choke, screaming, "Mother! What's going on?!" Smoke filled their little tent, mingling horribly with the fresh smell of drying seaweed, creating a foul smell that still haunted Katara to this very day. It wasn't good smoke, either, not the kind that comes from the pot when a tasty meal is cooking, nor the kind around a gentle fire at night. It was smoke mixed with coal, the most vile substance in the world.
Her mother had not responded. She gazed out the tent flap, her normally kind blue eyes hardening like ice. Brushing her silky, brown braid behind her back, she had instructed for Katara to find Sokka and run. Her father, Katara realized, would have gone with the other men to face the invasion. Because the ships were appearing on the horizon, now. Black snowflakes fell roughly from the sky, dyeing the frosty ground black and murky. Katara had never been more frightened. People were yelling and screaming and the men grabbed their spears and war clubs. So much chaos. It was frightening to the young, soon-to-be Waterbender.
"I'll be okay, Katara, darling," her mother had continued, turning to her daughter with her eyes looking like delicate sheets of ice waiting to be stomped on or shattered. "Find your brother and go. Go as far away as you can!"
"Mother, no!" Katara cried, tears clinging to her eyelashes as they dripped from her eyes and froze to her face. "I'm scared! Please, don't go! Not you! Not you and Father!"
"Katara…" her mother turned to face her daughter, her own tears splashing down her face as she hugged her child. "Katara, just go find Sokka. Find him and hide. I love you, darling, I love you and Sokka." She kissed Katara's cheek, but the young Water Tribe girl didn't know what was wetter; her mother's lips or cheeks.
But she had obeyed. Luckily, Sokka had just struggled over to their tent, laden down with an enormous and tasty-looking fish, which he promptly dropped when he saw his mother. Tears formed in his eyes as he hugged her too.
"Sokka, take Katara and go!" their mother had said finally, unable to contain her grief. "Go far away! I'll be okay! And if anything should happen…" At this point, her voice faltered and cracked but she strained to keep going. "Just remember that I love you."
The warmth left Katara's body as she got up. And then she was gone. A lone figure in the black mists of death, knowing silently to herself that she would not return from the fight alive. Sokka had kept his promise to his mother and, grabbing Katara's small, gloved hand, had run as far away from the village as possible, taking refuge on a barren arctic plain that even the Firebenders couldn't have survived on. Holding Katara close to him, he silently wept as Katara, her voice muffled by her brother's heavy winter coat, cried sorrowfully into the night.
When dawn broke over the horizon, a small, watery, red sun, the two Water Tribe siblings made their way back to their village. But it did not exist anymore. All that was left was a destroyed ruin of the life the two had once shared only hours ago. And a lone figure stood in the sun's baby rays. Excited to see their mother okay, the two rushed over, crying and waving their arms. But it was not their mother who met them. It was their father. And in his arms was the woman Katara had made boiled seaweed with just the other night. Hakoda looked up, his face stained with tears and sweat. And the twosome knew, without being told. Katara never ate boiled seaweed again.
The memory was still too painful and frightening for Katara to share it with anybody else. Only she and Sokka had ever talked about it and they had done so rarely. She had told Aang that her mother had been killed, but she had never gone into details over it. Aang. A mental image of the Airbender slid into Katara's mind and her forced grief turned into a feeling of light, fluttery magma that bubbled pleasantly in her stomach.
Aang was the Avatar and the last Airbender. He was the world's last hope for peace. He was Katara's best friend. The only thing that puzzled the Waterbender was her reaction to him. Why did this feeling creep into her body every time she thought of him? It must just be protectiveness, Katara tried to persuade herself for about the thousandth time. Aang was just a twelve-year old kid with a vacuous but serious personality. He wasn't even excessively attractive. Yet every time Katara thought about his appearance, she mentally drooled all over it. He doesn't even have hair, she reminded herself.
Now Zuko had hair. Shouldn't she be more interested in someone who was physically attractive and not just emotionally attractive? But she reminded herself that looks were certainly not everything and Zuko was definitely no exception. Not quite at Azula's level of evilness, but he had watched and helped his sister attempt to kill the Avatar. That was disgusting on its own. Still, Katara couldn't help but notice the change and improvement of Zuko's physical appearance when she had seen him in the tea shop that day. Even with that scar, he was extremely good-looking.
But she never got that bubbly feeling thinking about Zuko. For so long, he had chased and attacked them, trying to catch the world's last hope for peace just so he could get his honor back. Mostly when she thought of Zuko, a white-hot hatred erupted in her chest and she longed to fight him. There was definitely some kind of magma involved there, but Katara knew it wasn't the right kind.
Back in reality, the Waterbender had her water whip curled carefully around the ankle of the Fire Nation soldier, having just dragged him out of a nearby barricade of vegetation. He must have been preparing to attack her. Maybe he had decided the fire that had drawn the other three soldiers away was unimportant and now he was here to finish what they had started. To force Katara into being a healer for them.
Or worse, make her show him where Aang was. Fear stabbed Katara's heart like a spear. She knew that must have been why he was here. She was a healer, yes, but he must know that she knew Aang. The other three probably knew too. They should have recognized her as the Waterbender who traveled with the Avatar. What has this world come to? Katara thought in distress, shaking her head miserably.
Those other three Firebenders she'd just barely escaped. Katara knew they'd be back and she'd have to run a long ways to get back to camp and warn her friends. But there wasn't a chance of her making it back now. She'd spend so much time fighting this new soldier that an army would show up and easily overpower her. But Katara, being as stubborn as she was, would have to at least try. For the safety of her friends (and maybe in Aang's case, a little more than friends, Katara thought, a blush rushing to her cheeks at the thought), she was willing to sacrifice her own life. And no matter what, she would not tell them where her friends were. She was staying true to her mother's personality and was going to be brave to the very end, even if that was now.
At least this Firebender looked a lot weaker than the others and was considerably shorter than your average soldier. But he was still a Firebender; a dangerous, inconsiderate, uncaring ghost of a human being with no respect for nature or humanity, just a fine taste for power. Just like all the others.
"No…" Katara groaned softly as the man before her struggled to register what had just happened. He must have been trying to sneak up on her because he certainly didn't look like he had planned for all this to happen. The young Water Tribe girl had heard him poking around in the bushes and had reacted on impulse, grabbing his foot and pulling him up to her before he had the chance to attack. Suddenly, the soldier jerked away from Katara's grasp and pulled himself to his feet with surprising grace.
Even though he was shorter than most of the other soldiers, he was still several inches taller than Katara. Around Sokka's height, it looks like, Katara estimated, backing slowly away from the threat. She knew she would have to fight now; there was no way around it. Fight to the death and if not, stay true to her words and keep her friends safe no matter what they did to her. With a sudden boost of confidence, she took a stance.
Gathering up all her remaining strength, Katara closed her eyes and placed her hands over the small creek that wound itself around the clearing. Thank the spirits for this creek, she found herself thinking and smiled slightly. With one smooth, swift motion, Katara brushed her hands over to face her attacker and Bended an enormous wave of water at him, knocking him hard and sending him stumbling to the ground.
"What are you doing?!" the man snarled, Firebending himself dry and taking a stance. Katara lowered her guard slightly. His voice was a lot younger-sounding than she had expected. As with all Firebenders (except Zuko, of course, who had a very distinct tone of voice), Katara assumed that the soldier would have a much gruffer, firmer voice. Maybe even a grunt. But she had been wrong in this case.
"I know what you're up to!" she shouted bravely, trying not to let the soldier see how much she was trembling. "You want me to lead you to the Avatar!"
"The Avatar?" The Firebender suddenly dropped his stance, his eyes widening with shock. Gray eyes. Peering into the eyeholes of the man's mask, Katara noticed he had round, expressive gray eyes. Forcibly, she was reminded of Aang. Same shape and color, I guess, Katara thought reluctantly, flinching inwardly at having compared Aang to the ruthless Firebender who was about to kill her, or worse, force her to show him Aang.
"You know what I mean!" she shouted back, feeling a lot more confident now that she'd had time to contemplate the stranger. But she had just made a huge mistake and she didn't realize it until the Firebender spoke again.
"You know where the Avatar is?"
Katara felt her insides freeze like the water she constantly manipulated. No. She had not just told that Firebender she knew where Aang was. But hadn't that been why he was here? To try and persuade her into telling along with making her a Fire Nation healer? From his increasingly shocked expression (seen only, of course, by his eyes as the rest of his body was covered by the scaly, red armor), Katara realized that hadn't been his plan. And she had just admitted what she least wanted to admit.
Her heart pounded painfully in her chest now, but the young Waterbender didn't notice. We're all in danger. The thought passed through her head a thousand times in a second, causing her to cower each and every time. Panic swept through her body like a plague. She felt numb. What did I do?
The Waterbender's mind jumped immediately to plan mode (a trait she seemed to have inherited from Sokka). She had to do something! Even if she did defeat the soldier, he would just go back to tell the others. Then they'd be pursued forever, just like Zuko had done. No, she couldn't bear that thought. A whole Fire Nation army after them, all because of her.
Crazy plans rolled through the girl's head now and she tried to sort through them, pick one that would work. It was hard under so much pressure but Katara forced her numb mind to work. I'll have to beat him, she finally decided. I can't kill him, that's not right, even if he is a Firebender and I'm not a murderer. I can knock him out… and then bring him to an Earth Kingdom town. They can keep him there.
Katara had to admit, it wasn't the greatest plan. It came with the usual twists and turns of an un-thought out idea. What if she couldn't defeat him? What if backup arrived before the fight ended? What if she couldn't find a nearby town and the Firebender escaped? But it would have to do. For now, at least.
So she would bring the Firebender to the nearest Earth Kingdom town and they could hold him there. He'd never get the chance to tell anyone else that she knew the Avatar. Then Katara could warn her friends and "yip-yip" out of there. But she still had to execute the plan, the part that most troubled her. For it to be a success, she would have to fight. And win, she reminded herself nervously. Her back gave a painful flutter and she tensed.
"You'll never get me to tell," Katara whispered in a small, but strong voice, forming a water whip and swinging it at the man. He leapt out of the way just in time.
"You know, for a girl, you certainly are aggressive!" the soldier called back, dodging another blow. "But if you do know the Avatar, I'm going to have to bring you back to the Fire Nation with me."
So he had been formulating his own little plan. Brilliant, Katara thought dryly. She rushed forward and lashed out again, crying out in frustration at the Firebender's nimbleness. How is he doing that in all that armor? She kept up her offense, still trying desperately to get a hold of the man or at least hit him with a good swing of her water whip.
But he was good at evading her and when Katara stopped her assault, drooping and panting at her effort, the soldier finally took an offensive stance. He raised his hands at level with his head, palms facing down, then dropped his arms in one swift motion, cutting the tense air with two streams of fire. Katara immediately reentered the fray with a thicker water whip just as the man slashed her with his fire ropes.
The Waterbender screamed in pain as she fell back, a nasty burn forming on her face, but she wasn't out yet. Oh, no, she'd fight to the death if that's what it took. No Firebender was going to use her as a tool to get to Aang. Regaining her balance, Katara attacked with her whip, cutting the soldier across the waist with it.
But to her horror, the water did nothing but bounce off his plated armor, barely even scratching it. It's hopeless, the Water Tribe girl thought desperately, feeling suddenly weak. There was no way she could take him out, not while he was wearing that armor.
"Take your armor off! That's cheating!" Before she could even try to stop herself, the words tumbled out of her mouth in a hurried rush.
The soldier smirked, knowing he had her scared. "Why would I do that?"
He had lowered his fiery weapons and Katara, detecting an opening, attacked again. Caught unawares, the man tripped as a string of water wrapped itself around his ankle and pulled him down. With a cry of concentration, Katara Bended an enormous wave from the creek at the soldier, washing him into a scrawny tree trunk. The impact knocked a large, brown nut out of the tree's thinning branches and right down perfectly on the Firebender's head.
He groaned, still trying to rub water out of his eyes and recover from the blow at the top of the head, which had created a loud pang that shook his helmet. Katara smiled in satisfaction. I guess that armor's not so great after all, she smirked to herself. And suddenly, the Waterbender knew how she could beat him. Though he tried fruitlessly to wipe drops of water out of his eyes, his efforts were in vain. His helmet was preventing him from getting his hand near his eyes.
While he was down, the Waterbender lashed out again with her water whip, aiming this time for his eyes. But to her shock and horror, the whip never reached his face. The soldier, though deprived of clear sight, had sensed the imminent danger and drew his hand up in front of him with a rapid, slicing motion, Bending a powerful wall of fire in front of him that shielded him from harm and caused Katara's water whip to snap and sizzle angrily, refusing to touch the flame. With a graceful, shoving hand motion, he effortlessly sent the blazing barrier forward. Katara, who had not been expecting such a quick response to her attack, just barely managed to shield herself with a cascading sphere of water from the creek, which repelled and extinguished the fire but disintegrated in the process. The Water Tribe girl gasped for breath and tried to regain her composure.
But before she could do so, something white-hot licked the side of her face and she turned just in time to see the man on his feet again, Bending a whip of his own at her. With another painful burn mark on her face, Katara struggled to keep fighting. No, I can't let Aang down, she thought, panicking. Packing up all of her remaining strength, the determined Waterbender streamed the water at the soldier, hitting him directly in the eyes. He reacted in the same way as before, desperately trying to wipe his eyes dry but failing miserably.
Smiling slightly despite her increasing pain, Katara lunged at him, bringing with her a torrent of racing water. In a matter of seconds, she had both of them surrounded by the cascading barrier, now looped in a tight circle around the two Benders like a safeguard.
But the Firebender didn't lose confidence. With a flick of his wrist, he created a long cord of flame and, mimicking Katara almost exactly, he whirled it around her ankles like he was going to squeeze her into it. The snake-like thread of fire grazed the Waterbender's legs, scorching her pants and burning her shins. Through all of the pain, though, she was impressed. His Firebending style is unique. It almost looks like Waterbending. Having seen countless Firebenders in action, Katara had become familiar with their predictable punches and kicks. But she wasn't used to this odd style. It was almost like fighting another Waterbender, which she hadn't done since the North Pole and was certainly struggling with. A Waterbender with fiery, gold water…
The pain in her ankles increased as the fire snake swooped down for another bite of her flesh. Unable to bear anymore, the Water Tribe girl made a slashing motion with her hand, splitting the water behind her right in the middle while the water behind the Firebender closed in. The two loose ends from behind Katara plus the tight loop around the soldier came together, sweeping the Firebender up in a quilt of water. The force of the wave knocked him to the ground again, giving Katara time to plan her next move. As he stood up again, she curled her fingers around a puddle of abandoned water and formed several jagged ice crystals which she promptly sent at him.
The ice shattered against his armor, leaving him unscathed, but the impact sent him toppling over again. But instead of Firebending or even leaping to his feet again, the soldier stayed on the ground, groaning. Katara smiled in satisfaction but it was short-lived. As she drew nearer to the man to finish him off, he took in a deep breath as though he was concentrating on something. Katara realized shortly after that that was not the case. He exhaled roughly, expelling a venomous strand of flame from his mouth. It wasn't much, but it was enough to burn the Waterbender's hands as she attempted to cover her face and knock her to the ground.
A familiar and deadly pain filled her body as she crumpled, tears of agony forming in her aquatic eyes. She was forcibly reminded of the time Aang had burned her and she longed to cry even harder.
No, she would not cry! Katara valiantly fought back more tears. She was not going to cry in front of that Firebender! She wasn't going to lead him to Aang, crying and whimpering like a helpless saber-toothed moose-lion cub on a leash. But the pain was so intense. She couldn't keep fighting. Aang… I won't give up… But it seemed that the fight was over. The Firebender stood over her menacingly. Or was it menacingly? There was something in his posture that suggested otherwise.
"I…" started the soldier but then he stopped. And then, he did the most shocking thing he possibly could have. He turned away and slowly started walking. What's he doing?! Katara knew she should be glad but instead, she was only angry. Why, after defeating her in a proper battle, was he turning his back on her? Why wasn't he bringing her back to the Fire Nation as he had promised? She wouldn't go willingly, of course, but why wasn't he at least trying?
He had stopped in front of the bushes Katara had pulled him out of earlier. He seemed to be thinking. And then it hit Katara. He was trying to trick her! He knew she was too weak to go far from this spot and that she would be quite a hassle to bring back himself. He was planning on sending in backup. And she could never defeat an entire army of Fire Nation soldiers, especially in the state she was in.
The gears in the Water Tribe girl's brilliant head were rotating furiously, grinding down every possible plan, every trick she knew, anything that could spare her from this fate. Unfortunately, they all required Waterbending which Katara was not capable of at the moment. A feeling of hopelessness washed over her.
Until she heard Aang's voice, that is. Never lose hope, Katara. The Waterbender looked up, expecting to see Aang's warming, gray eyes but instead found a different pair of gray eyes looking at her. The Firebender had turned around to face her but still had not acted. He seemed conflicted; it was easy to tell from his vacant expression.
You're right, Aang, Katara thought back to the Avatar in her head. I won't give up. Not now and not ever. And suddenly, another voice was speaking in her ear. There is a darker side of Waterbending, Pupil Katara. It was Master Pakku's voice! Why was she hearing him now? But the pupil listened to her teacher intently as she recalled a chat she had once had with him during her training at the North Pole. Humans are made up seventy percent of water. Skilled Waterbenders use this to their advantage by Bending the water inside their opponent. This allows them to control their victim's every move and force them to do their bidding. But those who have the skill to do this aren't usually willing to use it.
Katara had never tried Bending the water in someone's body before, but remembering how fast she had mastered Waterbending, she considered herself a rather skilled Bender. He had said it was darker, but right now, it seemed like her only option. Perhaps if she concentrated really hard, she would be able to force the man to knock himself out. The idea was morbid but what else could she do? The soldier was still there, too, in perfect positioning to Katara. He was still standing by the brush and as much as she wondered why, she knew she had to work fast, before he made up his mind about what to do.
Taking a deep but staggering breath and placing her hands in the position of her most powerful moves, Katara concentrated on the water inside the soldier. It was a sickening thought but as Master Pakku had said, it was a 'darker' side of Waterbending. Nothing. She couldn't sense anything inside this man! It was like he didn't have any water in him at all! Starting to get anxious and impatient, the Waterbender concentrated even harder, focusing on her chi and the source of water nearest her.
He was suddenly a pool. No longer a person, but a vast set of canals and winding rivers. She felt the flow as if it coursed through her own body. There were arteries and veins in the way, but she could feel past them. It was almost like extreme healing, although Katara had never healed anything this deep inside the body before.
And finally, she saw it. The water. It was no different than ordinary water, really. And like ordinary water, it could be controlled. Taking a deep breath while concentrating as much as her sore mind would allow, Katara started to Bend.
The Waterbender didn't know what to expect from this move but whatever she had been thinking was nothing like what she was seeing. A piercing scream filled the horrified girl's ears and she widened her eyes, still wildly moving her hands, unaware of what she was doing.
The Firebender jerked back with the motion of her hands, a look of utmost pain in his eyes. His body twitched and shook as he was forced and twisted into painful and infeasible positions. His limbs were stuck out in awkward positions and he started panting as though he had just run a marathon. His eyes bulged and faded until they were unfocused. Whichever way Katara pulled, he was forced to follow all the while floundering helplessly like a fish out of water.
"STOP! PLEASE!" He screamed in a voice much different than the one Katara had heard earlier. He sounded desperate and pleading. Tears were forming in his eyes as he was pulled to and fro by the Waterbender. Fearfully, Katara dropped her hands and ended the move. The Firebender staggered sideways several paces before he collapsed in a trembling heap on the ground.
Katara rushed over to him, having achieved her desired goal but in a way that chilled her to the core. Had she just tortured that Firebender? Still in shock, she stared at his limp form, trembling. Was he dead? No, he was moving. His breathing was shallow and quick, but he was still breathing.
Master Pakku was right, Katara thought to herself, still shocked at what she had done. I'm never going to Waterbend like that again.
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I tried to make this chapter a little Zutara-friendly by adding the bit about Zuko. And I promise, next chapter will be told from both P.O.V.'s and have a physical description of Kairo.