A/N: Sorry it took so so so so so SO long to update but I hope I get reviews still. And people who are viewing this please get others to read my story! :( It's driving me crazy that I only get one review at a time.
I just don't understand why we are supposed to have a disclaimer when we write fan fictions but o well. I will do this once and one time only! I, xEternalFlamex, do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Aang's glowing tattoos returned to their blue color as he released his meditation position. He had just gotten back from the Spirit World to talk with Avatar Roku.
"Just when I think things can't get any more complicated, I have to find someone else who can help me! Who knows if I can find her in time?" Aang managed to say, getting up from the tall grasses he was sitting on.
Katara, being worried, rushed over to him. By the time she had reached him, she was already out of breath.
"Aang, is anything wrong? I saw the tattoos glowing."
"Katara…" Aang looked back to realize he wasn't alone. "I don't feel well." He blurted out. When he fell to his knees, Katara was there to catch him, as she always had been.
"Aang, just remember not to push yourself to your limits as you face the Fire Lord. Use all your power wisely."
"Don't you worry. I won't let that happen." Aang said exhaustedly, as he looked out at the sunset that he had never taken the time to look at. Something about the orange, pink, and blood red hues cast off from the sun and splattered onto the sky, made him wonder if this same color of sky would be the introducing the last battle and the entrance of Sozen's Comet. The sky's blood red color attracted the most attention to his eye for it made the whole scenery sinister. "Do you know what's awkward?"
"What's that?" Katara asked, now shifting her gaze away from the sunset of colors. She gazed at her comrade, waiting for him to speak further. Aang didn't sense her eyes on him, but continued as he looked at the sky.
"I've never noticed the sunset or took the time to notice it until just now. And this happens because I'm in a field with my best friend beside me."
The statement urged a small giggle out of the waterbender, for she was happy to be considered Aang's best friend. She returned the small declaration and hugged him as she said,
"You're my best friend too and, and you know that Aang."
"Aww, I hate to interrupt such a tender moment but," the two heard from Sokka's calm voice. His voice rose as he spoke the next few words, "can someone please save me?"
Both Katara and Aang turned around to see Sokka running around behind them with an irritated Appa chasing him. 'It's great to have Appa back with us.' Aang thought with a chuckle.
"Aang, make him stop, make him stop!" Sokka yelled frantically. He panicked even more as he saw Appa cover more ground between them and yelled, "He's chasing me! Why's he chasing me?"
The Avatar reluctantly pulled away from Katara's embrace and stood up, asking Sokka, "What'd you do?"
"I don't know! I guess he got offended when I offered him those melons." He replied, pointing to a pile of green melons splotched with lavender, all beside Toph.
"Sokka! Those melons aren't for him! He's allergic to that color fruit, so that's why he got offended." Aang explained as he began running to where Sokka was running in circles. "He thought you knew about his allergies."
"Well, I don't want to end up as road-kill so can you help out here and talk some sense into him? I'm kind of getting tired of running!" Sokka managed to say breathlessly. Aang jumped on top of Appa's head and tried calming him.
"Appa, Sokka didn't mean it!" he yelled. His flying bison didn't hear his instruction. "Can you hear me buddy?" He leaned over curiously and looked at Appa and he slowed his running eventually. "Appa, Sokka didn't mean it and he's sorry."
The young cowardly warrior could be heard faintly in the background saying, "Very sorry!" He mustn't have meant what he said for he tripped over a log and fell flat on his face. This act coaxed Appa into making noises almost as if laughing in clear amusement.
Upon seeing this, Sokka stood up quickly and dusted off saying, "Hey, stop that!"
"Just let it go." He heard Aang say behind him. "Do you really want him chasing you again?"
"No no no!" Sokka panicked. "Fine, I'll let it be."
Meanwhile, Katara was still rolled over in the grass, laughing at the scene as it played out. Aang smiled inwardly, seeing that he could always find a way to make her happy. Her heart was pure as it could ever be, and for that, she always calmed the rage in one's heart. This was expected of her because she had the calming element of water. 'How can so much power, as in being able to control my time in the Avatar State, be inside of one human?' he thought.
Sokka sat up and glared at his sister. "It's not funny." He mumbled through tightly-pressed lips. He turned his back on her and stomped off to a skinny tree nearby the campsite where Toph sat on a log. He propped his back up against the tree and sat down with a scowl on his face.
"There's really no need to be a drama queen over it all. I'm even more mature than you and you are a few years older than me." Katara argued.
In reply, Sokka pouted and whined, "I'm not, and so what if I'm different from you? You're a girl!" Katara merely smirked.
"Sounds like you're jealous that I've become a waterbending master."
"Aww, Sokka thinks he's too special for a girl's maturity." Toph mocked, smiling from ear to ear.
Sokka didn't notice Toph's mocking and continued arguing with Katara. "Hey!" he shouted, blushing. "I am not!"
"Are too." She replied in a clever tone.
"Am not!" he shouted again.
"Are too." She repeated.
"Am not!" he argued further.
"Are too!" she argued further still, "You're blushing, and I was right." Sokka shrugged it off by crossing his arms and stubbornly looking away. Aang watched in utter amusement and giggled in the background.
Just a few yards away, Natsume and Taro hid among the grasses. Her uniform consisted of the short, red-tinted kimono that reached her thighs. Her gold, formfitting trousers allowed free movement that also blended in with the dry meadow grasses.
Taro's uniform was a tunic that blended with the color of the grasses, and trousers like Natsume's. The trousers he wore were wider than that of hers and were black.
"What's the plan Natsume, my love?" Taro whispered under a breath.
"Taro now's not the time to make a sound." She said under a whisper. She continued crawling up close to where Sokka had his back turned.
"Really Sokka, why do you have to be such a baby?" Aang asked, managing not to laugh.
"I'm not!" Sokka said. He walked over, and crouched down trying to set up a fire. As expected, fire burst up, but out of nowhere. He yelped and as a reflex, rushed to hide behind Katara.
"Just as I expected," Toph pointed out. She twirled a piece of straw in her mouth and continued. "What a big baby. You were right Aang." She shifted from her spot on the fallen log by the fire to get more comfortable.
"Yeah," Katara agreed, glaring at Sokka who narrowed his eyes behind her. "That was an example of you being a scaredy-bearded-cat." Sokka ignored her and stepped up to the fire.
"Ha-ha, I made fire! In your face Katara!" he exclaimed proudly.
"Wow," Toph said sarcastically. "You made fire? Good for you- are you sure it wasn't twinkle toes that just scraped flint to make sparks?" she added, signaling her thumb back to where Aang stood guiltily with two rocks in his hands. Aang quickly tried hiding them behind his back with a grin.
"Aang," he said calmly to him. "I really don't like you." Aang in reply smiled widely. Sokka looked back at the fire and fell on his backside exhaustedly and shouted frustrated, "Argh! I can't make a stupid fire! And here is goofy-kid who can easily start a fire!"
"It's okay Sokka," Katara said, crouching down beside him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "I can think of one thing you're good at… let's see… being a cross dresser, remember?"
"Like that makes me feel better." He responded sarcastically in an angered grunt.
All of the sudden, a loud snap from a twig sounded off in the background.
"Uh-oh". Natsume whispered, not daring to make another move. 'How could I blow my cover over a twig snapping? I should have been more careful!'
"Get them now or not at all." Taro whispered behind her.
"I will, just you watch." she answered.
"What was that?" Katara said nervously. She somehow knew something was wrong. She looked around all over the plains and saw nothing suspicious, but she felt that they were not the only people in this meadow.
"I bet it was just the fire crackling," Sokka said ignorantly. "After all, you're the smart practical-"
"Sokka shut up, can't you see something's wrong here?" she snapped in return, still overlooking the fields.
"What else could go wrong?" he shouted, sounding overly-frustrated.
"Sokka, she told you to be quiet." Aang joined in. Sokka slipped into his sleeping bag.
"Fine, fine; whatever." He said plainly.
Aang rolled his eyes at this, and then looked in the same direction as Katara.
"Toph, can you sense if anyone is anywhere near? I feel like we're being watched."
"Okay," Toph answered, placing her foot on the meadow soil. "two people by that tree."
Katara gasped, with her mind going blank on what to do. 'Should I attack or should I let them come? Are they allies or enemies? This is getting more confusing, what if they're Ba Seng Se civilians and I hurt them?' Aang's eyes widened slightly and prepared himself with his staff at the ready.
'Shoot, how does she know these things?' Natsume thought as she froze, not even daring to breathe. If she made a run at them, the blind girl was sure to tell them where she would attack from.
Boldly, Natsume rose out of the grasses, standing still and unarmed. Her hair was gathered into a loose-hanging ponytail at the nape of her neck, still reaching to the length of her waist. Her indigo-gold eyes stared coldly as an absence for her fear.
"Who are you exactly?" Aang asked, loosening his grip on the staff.
"You should know since I'm on the Fire Nation's 'wanted' posters." Natsume hissed. No one answered her, therefore she introduced herself. "I'm Natsume, the Fire Nation's most wanted assassin; member of the Bloodstone Clan. But recently since my younger sister started terrorizing some of the army of the Fire Nation, she took my 'most wanted assassin' title."
Meanwhile, Taro stood up, dusting off. A wisp of hair fell on his face, nearly covering one of his eyes.
"This is the leader of the Bloodstone Clan; Taro.
"And, why are you telling us this?" asked Sokka who was up and ready to fight.
"Well, you see, Ba Seng Se seems to trust us more than they trust a twelve year-old Avatar-"
"One hundred-twelve if you count the iceberg." Sokka interrupted.
"Shut up. As I was saying- if we were to attack you now, they wouldn't believe you. So we would be able to capture you and drag you over to the palace of the Fire Lord to gain our rewards." Taro completed. For emphasis, he flipped out his Sai blades. "So I suggest you make this easier by cooperating or we will have to take you by force." Taro's gaze looked right through the group and could evidently see that both of them were so close to intimidating the bunch of kids.
"Well you won't catch us today." Aang shouted proudly. His grip on his staff tightened.
"Aang wait, there's three more people to the left." Toph said nervously. Aang turned his head to see Azula and her two groupies, the huntress and the former circus girl. Azula still wore the haunting smirk she gave off at the first battle when they all met. "No wait… two more to the right!"
Aang turned to his right to see none other than Zuko at the ready with Iroh standing behind him for aid if he needed it. 'What am I going to do? They're surrounding us!' Aang thought. Aang's eyes shifted from one side to the front, and to the other side, before he quickly brought his staff to the left, producing an air current that sent Azula and her elite team back a few yards.
This made enough time for Katara to draw water out of her canteen and whip at Natsume. The assassin blocked it with a fire arch, resulting in steam. Aang used his airbending to throw Taro against the skinny tree. Using the waterbending he learned from Katara, he splashed water on Taro and quickly transformed the water, freezing him to the tree.
"Taro, you idiot!" Natsume yelled. This gave Katara the chance to catch her off guard. She swung her leg across the ground, causing Natsume to trip and fall to the ground. She swung out the water from her canteen and turned it to ice, and managed to pin a good amount of the sleeves of Natsume's kimono onto another nearby tree.
"That should keep you there a while." Katara completed.
Azula meanwhile recovered and lunged at Aang. She shot her blue fire at him as she jumped above him, but Aang rolled out of the way. Azula took a front flip before she landed, and glanced over her shoulder at him.
It was then that Zuko attempted to slash fire at Azula, which she successfully blocked. As he threw a flaming punch at her, she grabbed his wrist and twisted it around enough so that the flame extinguished.
He jerked his hand away and with a swooping motion of his hand, conjured another stream of fire to be shot which she dodged. A smile was plastered on her face as she ran at him again.
Mai and Ty Lee ran up to Sokka and Toph, without a care in the world. Ty Lee smirked as she saw Sokka block the punch she gave him.
"So, we meet again. You've gotten better." She said happily as she kicked at his side. Sokka grabbed her ankle and in doing so threw her back a yard or two. As expected, she landed on her feet, undamaged. She charged at him and ran into a high back flip, kicking Sokka in the center of the chest and she landed in front of him in a slight lunging position.
It was harder for Mai to combat with Toph since she always knew where she stepped. The two ended up circling each other for a minute or so. 'Come on… make a move, inferior earthbender.' Mai thought.
Toph slammed her fist into the ground creating a slight earthquake, which caught Mai off guard for a moment. Toph smirked, knowing what she would do next. She lifted her hands, slightly shaking them in front of her. Mai grinned at this, 'Is she trying to scare me by acting like a dead soul?'
The earthbender suddenly brought her hands into fists and hugged them close to her as her knees bent, causing a giant pillar of rock to push Mai back. She backed away from the rock sent her way, and threw knives at Toph, which she raised a sheet of hardened soil to protect her.
The ice didn't hold Natsume for long. She broke free and easily melted the ice on Taro. They both charged at the unsuspecting prey that was Mai and Ty Lee. As Ty Lee was dodging Sokka, she didn't notice Taro due to his speed and silence. He hit her across the center of her head with the handle of his Sai, knocking her out, and threw her across the field. As Toph threw more rocks towards Mai, she sensed Natsume coming to Mai. Mai escaped Natsume's katana that aimed for her neck. She sent a two-tipped blade spiraling at Natsume. The assassin blocked it with her diamond-bladed katana; apparently she had two. The blade was repelled back to Mai, and she moved away from it.
"You must be Natsume." She stated in a monotone. The assassin nodded and replied,
"And you must be the boring, depressed daughter of that idiot governor of the Fire Nation."
At that remark, Mai punched at Natsume, sending three small arrows. Natsume burned the incoming arrows to a crisp within a matter of seconds. She slashed her katana at Mai's forearm, making a deep cut. Mai groaned in pain, and launched another two-tipped blade at her opponent with the other hand. The blade nearly sliced her wrist as she knocked it away with a fire arch.
Taro jumped in and knocked the handle of his Sai against the side of her head which knocked her out as well as he flung her beside Ty Lee. Taro glanced at Natsume and smiled, "You can't do a thing without me, can you?"
"Oh shut up!" she said, sounding irritated, but what gave her away was her smile.
Azula quickly threw a kick of fire at Zuko and ran off to Natsume and Taro, seeing the damage done to her friends. She ran in cartwheels, dodging every fire blast Zuko and Taro had given her. She finally caught up to Natsume and tried to give a punch of fire to her face, but the assassin was quick enough for her. She escaped her fire and grabbed the punching wrist. She took the opportunity to kick the princess at her side.
Azula hissed in pain as she backed away, but quickly recovered. When she looked around her, she saw she was surrounded by the Avatar's group, Natsume, Taro, and Zuko. She took the time to see that if she made an attempt, she would be struck down at the spot. She saw Iroh in the background and smirked cruelly. 'Would I dare make my brother suffer again, just for the fun of it? Of course I would.'
As she pushed past Zuko and conjured a lightning bolt heading for Iroh, an arrow zoomed at Azula and then another, pinning both her and her arms to a tree. Two more arrows pinned her legs after that.
"What's going on?" She shouted, struggling to get off. Zuko, Natsume, and Iroh looked to where the arrows were shot from. Though the time was nearly dusk, details were clear.
A female with hip-length loose black hair and bright autumn eyes smiled in satisfaction, lowering her bow. She looked to be about at least a few months younger than Zuko, and she had skin tones slightly darker than Zuko.
She exposed much of the skin on her arms and little of the bust. From her elbows and further down, wide-sleeved dark red material was attached, made to look like kimono sleeves. Dark red material reached across from either shoulder, crossing over to make a low V-neck, forming halter top attire. The material continued, forming a dress-like item with slits up each side. Underneath that was a white garment that looked exactly like Natsume's trousers. And the shoes had a moccasin design, partially seen from under the baggy trousers.
"That's enough- I wouldn't want to waste anymore arrows on you." the girl said smoothly.
"Sayamiko, what are you doing here?" Natsume demanded. Her eyebrows creased in anger. "It's not your place to be going after the Avatar. That's our job."
The female's gaze shifted to Natsume. Her eyes gave her sister an icy cold stare. "Sister, how ignorant do you think I am?" she answered the question herself. "Weren't you supposed to protect the world from the Fire Nation? I know better than that. I overheard you hours before, discussing a plot to take him to the Fire Lord. How pathetic- selling off the redeemer to the tyrant all for the money."
Azula used most of her strength to pry herself free of the bonds. With her haunting smirk, she said,
"You won't have him. Just think of how proud my father will be when he finds out I've brought him the Avatar." She looked to Zuko and said "And how disappointed he'll be in a failure like you."
"Enough, Azula." Iroh shouted. "Can't you see your friends are hurt and that you are surrounded? I think it is time you give it a rest."
"Uncle," Zuko began in an angered tone "you don't need to fight my battles."
"I'm not, Zuko. We all need rest because we've been fighting hard." Iroh explained, putting a hand on his nephew's shoulder. "And I need to go to the house to make tea."
Zuko rolled his eyes at first, but then gave one last glare at Azula. She smiled cruelly in response, knowing she won the verbal battle for the day.
Aang and his friends had sneaked off somewhat as the group was arguing. They were already flying off in the direction of the city when they mounted Appa.
Sayamiko put away her bow and walked over to the awaiting Natsume and Taro as Azula left with her awakening friends. Zuko, who watched the three, didn't expect Natsume to give the girl called Sayamiko a quick slap across the face.
"You weren't supposed to be here!" Natsume yelled, ignoring Sayamiko's cringing form. "Well since you now know, it doesn't matter since I still have authority over you."
Sayamiko's breaths evidently came in and out shakily. She held a hand to her left cheek, and let her hair fall to her face.
"Natsume…" Taro interrupted, stepping in front of her little sister. "I don't think you should treat her that harsh. She isn't our enemy."
"She is now! She's not one of us anymore! Can't you see she's even tearing you and me apart?" Natsume argued.
Those words seared through Zuko's skin and deep into his soul. She had yelled that this girl wasn't one of them anymore. As much as he hated to ever admit, he felt compassion towards that girl, though he never really met her. He felt that somehow… he knew her from some time ago.
Natsume still sensed the strangers' presence. She shifted her stare to Zuko and Iroh who stood a yard away from them. She already knew they could hear every word being spoken.
"What are you strangers staring at? Go back home already!" she shouted. They wouldn't budge and stood there like statues. The young man with the scar on his face reminded her of some unwanted memory by the frown he had plastered on his face. 'It can't be possible! He can't be who I think he is!' she thought. 'It is Zuko, but Saya will never know, because I'll keep her away from him. They shall never meet again or my plans will fail.'
Sayamiko turned around to see the old man behind a scarred young man with his arms crossed. He showed no signs of obeying her sister's command. This look of courage in his golden eyes inspired her. She looked at Natsume with a new, brave glow in her eyes.
"Why should they listen to you, Natsume? Do you think you're tougher than them? I bet even I could take you on easily." She said in insolence, causing her sister to glare daggers at her.
"Shut up, Saya." She shouted again, grabbing her by the wrist and slightly burning it. "Not another word out of you."
Zuko and Iroh watched in awe as Natsume dragged Sayamiko with Taro walking close behind. For the first time, Sayamiko's and Zuko's eyes locked for a moment, feeling as if they had known each other as the trio walked past Zuko and Iroh.
'I swear I've met that boy somewhere before.' She thought. 'Even that tubby man looks familiar, like some far-off memory.'
It was already past midnight and the sixteen year-old priestess couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned in the sheets of her futon thinking about today. Today, she went from honorary Bloodstone Clan member, to Bloodstone Clan prisoner. She had been informed that if she wouldn't perform tomorrow's task given to her, they would kill her for sure. She just needed to escape this terror that continued to tighten its suffocating grip on her.
She was to kidnap a boy about 200 miles outside of town. This boy, they told her, was the son of a dead Fire Nation soldier; and a Fire Nation mother. They told her that his name was Lee. She would have to kill the mother and bring the child to the Bloodstone Clan House and kill the boy with her dark priestess' arrow.
Sleep finally gripped her, but was filled with nightmares- she had insomnia that night. She thought and thought on why she would do this and had her doubts. Sayamiko finally lay back on her pillows, relaxing herself, knowing what she would do to get through this…
OOOH! A cliffhanger yuppy yuppy yup! Sorry this chapter was SO SO SO long, but I'm very descriptive. Anywayz, I hope I get reviews. Revisar por favor! Gracias! Amanda Panda
