Disclaimer: I do not own "Avatar; the Last Airbender" or anything related to it.
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Nothing was turning out like I had expected it to. I decided to do something good for once and this is how I got thanked? The girl was too stubborn for her own good! She deserved what she got! After she dragged me into the clearing and forced me to fight her when I had just saved her life!
I lowered my eyes to the ground where she sat, splay-legged in the grass where I had knocked her down with my fire. She was weak and pretty much helpless now. She had no strength left to fight. I could easily subdue her and bring her back to camp with me tonight. After all she put me through, she deserved it. So primitive and ungrateful! A simple "thank you" would have been enough for me to hear.
I had burned her pretty badly, too. Nothing she couldn't heal, I guessed, but enough to make her suffer. She couldn't heal herself now, not with me standing over her like that. I didn't want to hurt her but it was her fault. She had challenged me and I wasn't going to wait passively for her to win. Still, I hoped nothing I did to her was permanent, nothing inerasable like an Agni Kai scar or anything.
The Waterbender looked up at me fearfully, her eyes sparkling like a shattered sapphire, all hope lost. She seemed to know what was coming; after all, I had told her before. But as I looked at her, I couldn't help but make the comparison between her and another girl I had once met.
Because I had seen eyes like that only one other time in my life and it had affected me the same as it was now. Her eyes were like that of the small girl; a girl with emerald eyes instead of sapphire. Much younger, of course, but she had just lost both of her parents. Still, she was as brave as anything. And she was a girl I was to bring to an early and miserable death; a girl who had taken a liking to me despite being Earth Kingdom.
X
Everything was black. The trees, the ground, the charred ruins of what hours before was a peaceful village, even the vulture-crows that huddled in the piles of ash that had gathered in the branches of the surviving trees. Everything except the sun. It set distantly through the tangled branches of the endless forest of black, a blood-red orb in a sea of inky, toxic orange, its rays not kind enough to light the dead forest.
A thick layer of ash and soot lined the forest floor and coated rubble. Every now and then, a stretch of land would be dyed red and a fragment of bone stuck out of the dirt or wreckage. The few houses that were still standing were severely charred and lopsided, making them impossible for inhabitance. The silence was incredible. It stretched on forever. Not even the birds made a peep. But then, they were probably dead too.
I kept my head low as I walked silently through the ruin, careful not to upset any unsteady structures. I had deserted my armor; it made too much of a noise and was easy to spot. Instead, I had on my thin Fire Nation robes, which were easy to sneak around in and hardly made a swish.
The battle hadn't been a long one. None of the citizens could have guessed that there would be an attack. It was just sprung upon them. They'd fought back, but it was such a tiny village; they never stood a chance. Everyone had been killed.
Or at least, most everyone. And that was my job. After every battle, I was responsible for poking through the destroyed towns and seek out any survivors. I was to bring them back with me, be they children, men, or women. They would then spend the rest of their lives working in Fire Nation coal mines. It was a lot of emotional strain for a thirteen-year old, but I had the job because of my fleet-footed qualities and agility.
A chill wind blew in from the east, whistling an eerie tune that only added to the drama. I shivered and pulled my robes tighter around me. I had only been searching for an hour and there was plenty of village left to search. I blew my bangs out of my eyes and stepped over a twisted and blackened tree trunk. There didn't appear to be anybody left. They had either been killed or wisely fled.
That's when I heard it. A soft, muffled sobbing. It was so quiet I almost mistook it for the wind's haunting chorus. I pricked my ears and searched the clearing with my keen, gray eyes. There was movement behind one of the remaining shacks. A girl by the sound of it. Cautiously, I climbed over to the noise and stepped behind the half crumbled building.
A small gasp met my ears and a little girl, only around six or seven, made to scramble away from me, her face pale and her eyes wide. She was short and petite with a round, tear-stained face and several freckles. Her long, curly, brown hair reached down to her lower back. She had soft, green eyes and tiny fingers that she had curled into fists upon seeing me.
"Y-you're o-one of t-them!" she cried, tears running down her cheeks. "G-go away!"
"Shhh, calm down," I said quietly, hating myself for what I was about to do. "I'm not going to hurt you."
"Y-you h-hurt Mommy and D-daddy!" she wailed, more tears erupting from underneath her eyelids. "You're g-going to h-hurt me t-too!" I immediately felt sorry for the little girl. She had just lost both of her parents. I was lucky to have one. One who hates you, I reminded myself subconsciously. "N-now they're g-gone. They're n-never c-coming b-b-back!"
And at these words, the little girl started gasping for breath, choking and crying uncontrollably, her small body heaving and shaking. I was stung. Both of her parents had been killed and now I was going to force her to work in a coal mine where she likely wouldn't live to her ninth birthday.
I crouched down in front of her. "It's okay. Don't worry. Just come with me, I can help you."
"NO!"
I sighed and reached out my hand, putting it on her small shoulder. Surprisingly, she didn't pull away but continued sobbing. "Look, I've lost one of my parents and I have a father who hates me. I know what you're going through."
The girl looked up, her face red and splotchy. "You d-do?"
I nodded, inwardly wanting to stab myself. "Yes. I can help you if you come with me. We can find someone to take care of you. If you don't, you'll be out here all alone with the wolf-bats."
She shuddered. "W-well, my aunt and uncle l-live in the village n-near this one. Can you b-bring me there?"
"Absolutely," I replied, taking her small hand in my own while fumbling around with that invisible knife I was trying to get through my heart. It would serve me right. The girl's face brightened considerably and she hugged me. I felt sick with myself.
"T-thanks, Mister," she said into my clothes, trying bravely to stem her tears. I felt my heartbeat quicken as I lifted her into my arms and stepped away from the hut, turning to leave in the direction of my camp.
"Mister, my aunt and u-uncle live this w-way!" the girl interrupted suddenly, pointing her little finger in the direction opposite of where I was going.
I felt sick again and that little imaginary knife was uncomfortably close to my heart. I had to do something and fast. I stood there for a moment, the girl staring expectantly with her jade-green eyes. To help her or sentence her to death?
"Sorry." I turned and headed in the direction of her finger, mentally dropping the knife where I stood. Something small and painful was lifted off my chest and I suddenly felt better than I had in a long time. Was this the feeling you got whenever you did something good? I fixed a crooked grin to my face. Maybe it was.
The wind blew again and the girl started to cry silently into my shirt. I couldn't let the general see tear-stains in my shirt or he'd know I helped her! I had to get her to stop thinking about her village and parents.
"So what's your name, young lady?" I asked conversationally, holding her farther away from my chest so I could get a better look at her. Her eyes were still red and sore but at the question, a small smile spread across her face, lighting her features.
"Monakka!" she interjected happily, glad to have somebody interested. "But everyone calls me Mona!"
"Oh, er, pretty name," I said distractedly, glancing nervously around to make sure I wasn't being watched. If anybody found me, be they Earth Kingdom or Fire Nation, I'd be in huge trouble. The thought was unsettling and I made sure to walk fast while still keeping stealthy in nature. The wind picked up and Mona threw herself back against me, shivering.
"You're really warm, Mister!" she said suddenly, clinging contentedly to my chest. "And fun to hug!"
"Oh!" I said, touched and shocked by this sudden statement from the little Earth Kingdom girl. "Thanks."
"You're not like those mean fire people who did this," she continued excitedly, happy to make a new friend. "You're nice. What's your name?"
"I, er," I stuttered, uncomfortable with the question. She wouldn't tell anyone who I was if asked, would she? Even if she had friendly intentions, if anyone under General Zhong heard about me helping her, the general would flay me alive.
"You don't have a name?" Mona gasped, her eyes widening.
"No, I do." I hesitated. I guess I could trust her not to tell. "But you have to promise not to tell anyone. I mean it. Not even if you're being nice."
"Okay, I promise!" she replied seriously, offering me her pinky. "Pinky-promise!"
I nodded and locked fingers with her. "Okay. It's Kairo."
"That's a cool name."
"You think so?"
"Uh-huh!"
I grinned. "Well, Miss Mona, we better hurry and get you to your relatives' house before dark. We don't want those wolf-bats after us, do we?"
She giggled. "Nope! Hurry, hurry!"
I carried the little girl through the dead forest, which eventually became thick and lush again, much to both of our pleasure. I made sure to constantly keep an eye out for Fire Nation soldiers and others of this ilk. Fortunately, we had a safe journey and finally, the trees thinned out and the shape of a darkened village was barely distinguishable at the bottom of a sloping hill. However, much to my displeasure, the town, even at this time of night, was abuzz with news on the destruction of their sister village. I had just barely set foot in the town when I found myself flanked by men in armor, all with pointed, bamboo spears positioned directly at my throat.
"Let the girl go, filth," the man closest to me growled, "or we'll shred you to pieces." He looked much stronger than the others; he even had a different uniform. I made the assumption that he was the captain.
"Wait, wait, you don't understand!" I cried pleadingly, sick of the day's events and desperate to show them I wasn't going to attack. "I'm just try– "
But I was cut off when the man jabbed his spear right up to my chin, just a few inches away from my throat.
"Shut up!" the captain shouted, his brown eyes blazing. "I don't want to hear any of your pathetic excuses. Now let the girl go or we'll kill you."
He wasn't being one-hundred percent honest, I could tell. He planned on killing me no matter what. Letting Mona go would only make him do it slower. They'd probably interrogate me first and then kill me. I tried to not show fear but I knew I was done for. That feeling of doing something right had long since evaporated and I was completely miserable. Now he was just waiting for the right moment to kill me and nothing was going to stop him. Nothing until, that is, the unlikeliest little voice shouted at the man.
"Don't you dare hurt my friend, you stupid man!" Mona screamed, clinging protectively to my neck. "If you want to kill him, you'll have to kill me too!"
I was awestruck and so too were the men, who all gasped and stared at Mona incredulously. She was willing to sacrifice her own life to protect me! Of course, the men wouldn't kill her, but it was the sweetest thing she could have done. She was brave, I had to admit.
"Wait a second!" another voice called out and a man in the line pulled his helmet off. "Sir, don't touch them! That's my niece! That's Mona!"
"Gahnsin?" the captain lowered his spear from my neck and I shrank back slightly. "This is your niece? The one who lived in Sabasa?" Sabasa was the name of the village we had destroyed. It had always been closely associated with Sarasa, the town I'd probably end up being killed in as it seemed.
"Yes, yes! That's her!" Mona's uncle Gahnsin cried joyously, rushing over to us only to be stopped by the man.
"Stop! That soldier's still got her!"
The men closed in around us. I could feel their spears pricking my back and I exhaled sharply in fear. "L-look, I'm putting her down," I stammered, dropping Mona carefully on to the ground.
"Mona, come on!" her uncle cried, gesturing wildly behind the man's back.
"Bye, Kairo," Mona said sadly in a voice only we could hear as she hugged my legs. "I'll miss you. Come back and visit sometime!"
I nodded even though I knew, even if I managed to escape this, I would never be able to keep that promise. I felt a lump in my throat as Mona ran off to her uncle. He picked her up and muttered a hurried goodbye to the captain, saying he had to tell his wife and then he was off.
"So, boy," the man sneered. "Why did you have that young girl with you?"
"I was bringing her back here," I managed to spit out, hanging my head. I had to get out of here! I started to inch back but made contact with a few spear tips and stopped abruptly.
The captain smiled coldly. "Men, arrest the Fire Nation soldier! I want to question him later." Somebody grabbed my collar while the others held their spears up at me. The person holding me kicked me in the back of the ankles and I fell forward, nearly choking as I did.
"Go on, walk!" he spat. But I never had the chance to move before a shrill and joyful voice called out.
"Where is the young man who saved my niece?" I turned my head weakly to see a tall, dark-haired woman in a tan night gown hurrying across the grass barefoot, holding Mona who was absolutely shrieking with pleasure. Gahnsin followed close behind her, his face unreadable.
"Ma'am, I'm afraid to say it was this Fire Nation boy who bright her back, obviously for his own evil intentions," the captain said, turning to face the woman. "But don't worry, you're niece is safe and that's all that matters. Go back to your house; it's too dangerous for you to be out tonight."
"Oh, danger my rear-end," the woman said bitterly. "Let me see this boy. I want to thank him."
"Ma'am, we can't allow this. Don't you understand? He's a Fire Nation soldier! He wanted to murder your niece!"
"Actually, that isn't what I had in mind, Captain, if you don't mind me saying so." I didn't know what caused me to remark like that but before I could stop myself, the words had stridden from my mouth, firm and cold. The man holding me gasped and let go of my shirt and I regained my composure.
The woman beamed and shoved the captain aside roughly. "Thank you so much," she whispered, the tears starting in her eyes conflicting with her previously tough approach. "I don't know what I would've done if my little Mona had been killed. First my sister, then…" She drew in a great, shuddering breath and suddenly, pulled me into a motherly hug.
"No problem," I said quietly. I had never been hugged like this before. Perhaps this was how it felt to have a loving mother. The woman let go a few seconds later, giving me a watery smile and I savored the warmth of the hug, glowing proudly inside. Finally I'd done something right. "Now run along, go back to where you ought to be. Can't have my niece's savior getting in trouble with his general, can I?" The woman chuckled and patted me warmly on the shoulder.
I bowed politely to her and started to run, eager to leave before anyone changed their mind about letting me go. The men parted to let me through, grumbling as they did. Obviously, none of them were too keen to let a Fire Nation soldier just walk right out of their grasp.
As I reached the top of the hill, I heard Mona and her aunt. "Who is that boy, do you know?" her aunt was asking. I took in a sharp breath.
"I don't know," Mona said promptly. "He never told me his name."
I breathed a sigh of relief. So she could be trusted after all. Thank you, Mona.
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The young Avatar's heart thudded against his chest as he tore through bushes with his Airbending, suddenly uncaring about what he was doing to the nature and wildlife. This couldn't be happening. Not to him. Not to her. He should have gone with her. He should never have let her go alone. It was all his fault!
The very thought that Katara was in trouble was too painful to think about. Aang knew she could take care of herself, but what if the Fire Nation troops recognized her as the Avatar's Waterbending master? Katara was a valiant fighter but helpless against a whole army, as were they all. If they found her, they'd try to get her to tell them where he was. Knowing Katara, she wouldn't be even close to revealing his whereabouts. But for her sake, Aang hoped she wouldn't be stubborn with them. Firebenders were ruthless and Aang would rather have them find him than take Katara. After all, it had been he who had brought her on this wild and reckless mission to begin with.
Aang's heart ached as crazy thoughts of Katara being tortured whipped through his head. Not Katara. They were best friends, hopefully even more. Aang loved Katara and if anything happened to her that was all because of him, he'd never forgive himself.
"KATARA!" Aang bellowed in anxious frustration. "Katara, we are you?!"
"It's no use, Twinkletoes," came a voice from Aang's right. He whipped around and glared furiously at Toph, who had her arms crossed across her chest and was looking quite sullen. How could she be so negative?
"What do you mean it's 'no use'?" he spat, turning angrily on the girl he usually respected and got along with quite well.
"I can't feel her vibrations anywhere!" Toph scowled back, feeling hurt and unwanted in the Airbender's company. "There's nothing else we can do here."
"What are we supposed to do, then?!" Aang asked heatedly, his fear for Katara surging through him as pure anger rather than sensitive emotion. "Just give up?!"
"Aang, don't worry, Katara will be fine. She's strong and she can protect herself." Sokka had just hacked his way through a thicket of bushes with his machete, his face and arms severely scratched. He sounded fiercely worried despite his words.
"I'm taking Appa," Aang said suddenly, turning to head back to their camp. If Toph couldn't feel Katara's vibrations, she had to be far off. Maybe the Fire Nation already had her? The thought caused Aang to shudder.
"Aang, stop!" Sokka said firmly. "We can't take Appa! You saw this place; it's crawling with Fire Nation soldiers! If any of them find you-"
"I don't care!" Aang interrupted, already running through the trees using his Airbending. "I'm not loosing Katara." He didn't get very far, however, before he felt himself being flipped into the air. He steadied himself with Airbending, landing neatly on his feet and turned around to glare at Toph, who was standing in an Earthbending stance with her arms outstretched.
"Aang, Sokka's right," she said sadly. "We can't take Appa. We'll just have to keep looking on foot for now." Aang was sure he heard a hint of glee in her voice as she said this but he couldn't be sure.
He sighed deeply, feeling as though his insides were twisting around each other like wriggling worms in a wrestling match. But he knew his two friends were right. Taking Appa would only be the end of them all. Including Katara. "Okay," he said, defeated. "Let's keep looking."
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Something was stopping me. I couldn't just take her back to the Fire Nation. She knew the Avatar; she had already admitted that much. And the Avatar was what my country needed to win the war. This was a war, after all. But this didn't seem right. Not morally.
"I…" I said, unsure of what to do. This isn't right. That stupid, little right-from-wrong voice was in my head. You can't do this. Remember Mona? I had saved Mona's life but I hadn't done it intentionally. It just sort of… happened. I turned away from the girl and started walking back. It wasn't until I reached the trim of the forest that the other half of me fought back.
Do it! You'll be honored forever! The Fire Lords in history will remember you as the soldier who won the war! Before I had time to consider this, the two voices began to clash.
That's not true, the other side countered. General Zhong will be remembered for pursuing the Avatar. You'll be lucky to get an unnamed mention. Plus, you'll probably get punished for leaving your post.
But if you bring back the girl who knows where the Avatar is, he'll forget that and honor you! I looked back at the girl. She was sitting silently in the charred grass, squeezing her burned hands together in pain, tears collecting in her stunning azure eyes. She looked up at me but I was too distracted to pay much attention. True, if I brought her back, I would be able to evade trouble.
No! You know how General Zhong is! He'll likely just take the girl and punish you, then find the Avatar for himself. He's a filthy, lying beaver-rat and you know it!
You'll be a hero! A Fire Nation legend! Just subdue the girl and bring her back. It's not that hard!
That's kidnapping! You two were not engaged in a battle and she is not a soldier. That's wrong – you'd be taking her away from her friends and family, even if she does know the Avatar.
SHUT UP! I snarled at the voices in my head, starting to feel like I was going crazy by hearing disembodied echoes waging war in my own head. Besides, I had made up my mind. I was just going to leave her there. I wasn't going to help her, nor was I going to harm her. It was her fault all of this was happening and she was just going to have to deal with it herself. If she got caught, I couldn't say I didn't try.
With that in mind and a rather satisfying feeling in my gut, I started to leave. But when I tried to walk, I found I couldn't move. Beyond confused, I tried to move again but I remained motionless. And then, I was in the most pain I've ever been in my whole life.
I screamed, unable to hold it in as an invisible force dragged me backwards. It felt like I was being pulled back by thousands of the tiniest threads that resided deep within my body, ripping at my bones and organs. Something was going to break. Something was going to be crushed and ripped right out of my body. My blood chilled and the flow became irregular. It was clumping up in my veins, squeezing itself against the back of the channels that ran through my body. My breathing turned harsh and shallow and my lunges felt crushed. The liquid in my body turned to fire and burned me from the inside.
I no longer had any control of my movements. A pain so strong that it was numbing dominated my body. I jerked and twisted, doubling over in pain with no time to breathe. My mind went blank and I couldn't see. Everything was bright and blurred. The scene around me melted into a pastel painting and faded a fuzzy black. I couldn't feel my limbs anymore; just a ferocious pain that seemed endless. Tears of pain streamed from my eyes as I struggled to maintain consciousness.
"STOP! PLEASE!" I didn't know who was causing me this much pain, but I couldn't think of anything else to do. Perhaps they would have mercy. My vision was fading rapidly. Everything was getting enveloped in endless folds of wavering black. I could see partial color in one eye, but the other was completely black. I was going to faint! That was it. I couldn't bear it anymore. My skin was stinging and twitching and I felt like I had been reduced to a puddle. I'm going to die. The thought passed through my head again and again and I squeezed my eyes shut. I couldn't take it much longer. Sooner or later, I was actually going to die…
I heard a terrified gasp behind me, and then, it was over. I stumbled sideways several steps, overwhelmed with pain, before collapsing on the ground, shaking uncontrollably. I struggled to catch my breath but every time I tried to breathe, I felt a sharp pain in my chest. Everything was dark. I heard footsteps beside me but I was too weak to move or even open my eyes. There was silence for awhile save for a gentle whimpering. I slowly opened my eyes to see the Water Tribe girl beside me, looking distinctly horrified. Color returned to my vision as the pain continued to die down to a low throb. After several long seconds, she spoke.
"Take off your armor."
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His face had paled greatly and his eyes were wide with shock. And pain. The mirror of Katara's own eyes, though she did her best to hide it under her icy glare and slanted eyebrows. He seemed too weak to move but he listened to her simple statement and started to slowly pull his armor off.
A small breeze caressed through the afternoon air, ruffling the Waterbender's neatly done braid and she followed it with her gaze. The scene of the fight was much different than it had been when Katara had arrived earlier with an innocent intent of picking berries for her vegetarian-friend back at their camp. The dying grass was scorched in several places creating long, blackened trails and wispy weeds were torn up by their roots. There was a monstrous amount of water that had been splashed over the grass when Katara had struggled to defend herself earlier that day. The creek was still flowing but with a much scarcer supply of water.
Gathering her last remaining strength, Katara started to Bend the creek water back into its rightful place, feeling utterly disturbed with herself. She could hear the soldier still struggling with his armor but didn't bother to check on him. She was still going according to plan and was preparing to take him to whatever Earth Kingdom town was nearest.
After the events of the day, however, the Water Tribe girl was a little reluctant. Even so, she didn't want to be responsible for leading another search party right to Aang and the others and then have to evade them forever like with Zuko. At least he won't have to fight anymore, Katara thought, trying to convince herself that what she was doing was for the better. Still, it didn't seem right. Her mind immediately floated back to what she had done.
Master Pakku warned me, she reminded herself again, feeling deeply ashamed of what her master might say about this. What was I thinking? Truthfully, Katara knew. She had been so focused on attacking the Fire Nation soldier that she hadn't realized what she was about to do. The look in the man's eyes as she tortured him… It was unbearable, even if it was coming from a Firebender.
But his eyes… They looked so much like Aang's and Katara was increasingly reminded of Aang. She had seen his eyes like that before. Whenever he had just gotten out of the Avatar State. And the man's pained shrieks for mercy. What was wrong with her? She should've known that 'darker' meant 'painful'. She should have known better than to mess with the forces of nature… To take advantage of one's weakness for her own personal gain.
But it will never happen again, she told herself, trying to find comfort. Yet somehow, she couldn't seem to get his screams out of her head.
'STOP! PLEASE!' That's all he had said. That all he had seemed able to say. But it was horrifying all the same, to know that she had caused that much pain to somebody.
The creek sparkled as Katara dropped the last of the water in, wiping sweat off her forehead with her hand. The sun had started to set and was casting a light orange glow in the shimmering, clear water, illuminating the various stones and pebbles that littered the floor. The others would be wondering where she was by now. She hadn't come back from her berry-picking excursion. Feeling anxious, Katara turned back to the soldier, ready to leave. But what she saw made her nearly die from shock.
Because the Fire Nation man wasn't a man at all. He was a teenager. He looked only about Katara's age of fourteen, though he was several inches taller than her. He was thin and lanky with bony but sturdy shoulders and a slightly curved neck. His thick, light-brown hair crawled down the back of his neck but was nowhere near long enough for a ponytail, a factor Katara registered as odd for a Firebender, and his bangs curled neatly right before they hit his storm-gray eyes. He had a prominent nose and skin that had been tanned slightly by the climate in the Earth Kingdom, giving him a handsome complexion.
The boy was wearing a set of short-sleeved, pale-red Fire Nation robes with a dark red trim and the Fire Nation insignia sewn into the chest. The sleeves of his shirt hung low under his thin and noticeably angled arms, running down to his elbows in length. His clothes were somewhat baggy on him as though he had once been larger but progressively lost weight over time. He looked surprisingly well-kept.
He had a large, circular bruise on his forehead, barely visible under his thick bangs but very much there, right over his left eye. With a pang of sympathy, Katara realized it was the same shape and size as the nut he had been hit in the head with earlier and realized he must have been feeling her attacks after all. With a jolt, the Waterbender also noticed that he had several more bruises that she was sure she hadn't caused. Most were around his face and neck but some went as far as his arms. What caused those? Katara wondered to herself.
But what really startled Katara was his side. A huge, jagged tear had been ripped into his shirt, coated in dried blood. On closer inspection, she noticed a huge gash gouged in his side and went cold. What did I do? But Waterbending couldn't create such a wide wound, especially with that thick armor on. And then there were the bruises… Had someone else attacked the soldier?
Several seconds silence told Katara it was time to go. The boy was staring at her with the same hurt look in his eyes, along with something new. Was it anger? Katara couldn't tell. He still seemed too weak to do anything but he was going to have to get up.
"Uh, s-stand up," Katara commanded, trying to keep her voice from wavering. Was what she was doing right? But if she didn't… She couldn't let Aang down.
The Firebender started to get up but failed and slumped back on to the ground in a defeated-looking sitting position. "What are you going to do to me?" His voice wasn't fearful, it was sarcastic. Still, he seemed afraid of her all the same and tried to stand up again. Katara realized he was still trembling violently, a continued reminder of what she had done to him. Every attempt to stand cost him all his strength and whenever he would fall, he would wince and shudder. But he was a Firebender. Firebenders had killed her mother. They were ruthless and cruel and he deserved everything she gave him.
"I'm going to take you to an Earth Kingdom town so you won't be able to kill anyone else's mother!" Katara spat, fueling herself with the anger that had risen inside her with the mention of her mother. Of course he deserved this! How could anybody kill someone else's mother? Destroy somebody's family? Katara knew she had every right to hate him after everything horrible the Fire Nation had done to her. She was merely protecting innocent lives.
Her answer was met with a terrified yelp of protest. A strange look of sorrow had suddenly replaced the anger in his eyes and Katara wondered why. "Y-you can't do that! I wasn't going to do it to you!" he cried, his eyes widening with fear.
Katara let out a chorus of cold laughter that was quite unlike her usual playful laugh. "You said you were going to! And for your own selfish needs! But what's new? The Fire Nation has always put themselves first. You were prepared to murder to get what you wanted!"
"You're making a mistake!" he snarled, his eyes suddenly flashing angrily. "The way you other nations act – strutting around like you're flawless – makes you just as bad as anyone else! If only you knew what the other two nations have done to me and my friends! Prejudice and murder, that's what you and the Earth Kingdom have in common!"
Katara gasped and fell silent. What was he saying? Was he trying to say that the Fire Nation was justified in starting the war? After everything they had done to her! Katara felt close to crying as she remembered her mother, brutally murdered and for no reason at all. And here was this soldier being selfish and saying the Fire Nation did no wrong! Accusing the other nations of murder and prejudice! How hypocritical he was being! Thanks to the Fire Nation, Katara had grown up without a mother. Thanks to the Fire Nation, she had lived in a tribe ravaged from attacks and raids, a mere village in an icy wasteland that struggled just to get by.
She flipped open her water pouch, having heard enough of his lies. The Firebender, mistakenly thinking she was about to attack him, shielded his face behind one of his hands. Katara almost laughed but didn't. She streamed a cord of water out of her canteen and wrapped it around his waist, pulling him to his feet with a simple Bending maneuver. When he realized he was safe, he took his hand away from his face.
"Look, I don't care that you know the Avatar," he muttered, calming down but still avoiding her eyes. "If you just let me go back, I swear I will not tell anyone about him or you."
He really did sound sincere, even a bit desperate. He seemed to just want to go back to his camp and forget that any of this ever happened. Katara considered his offer but deep down, she didn't trust him (and was still angry about his last smart remark). If he was lying to her, he would get them all killed and the world would never go back to normal, especially with Sozin's Comet on its way. Instinctively, she recalled what he had said about the other nations. "Prejudice and murder, that's what you and the Earth Kingdom have in common!" Was she really being prejudiced by not trusting him? Katara sighed. I'm not taking my chances, she thought troublesomely. He'll be better off anyway. He's too young to be a soldier.
She slipped behind the Firebender and took his warm wrists quickly into her hands. He struggled slightly but he didn't have enough energy to put much effort into his attempts. Realizing she had nothing to tie him up with, Katara scanned the clearing with her soft blue eyes, looking for anything that would suffice. Her gaze landed on the gentle creek that had aided her so far into the day.
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Sorry this chapter didn't move the story along much. It was mostly character development. I promise the next chapter will be more exciting. Reviews are always welcome!