Book Two – Chapter Three: Return to Omashu
Kaiko's P.O.V
I keep my eyes trained on the taken over earth kingdom city; unable to look away. It's like the blood red flag is forcing me to continue staring at the sigma. I don't feel anything but hatred right now. Utter hatred for the nation that might of just taken away Aang's only chance of finding a safe place to learn earth bending. My fists clench tighter at my sides and I hear some of my knuckles crack; I wouldn't be surprised if they were turning white right now. But, I don't check, the sigma still holding my gaze.
"I can't believe it," Aang mutters brokenheartedly. "I know the war has spread far but Omashu always seemed... Untouchable."
"Nothing is ever untouchable anymore," I say blankly, finally looking away from the city to focus on them.
Sokka sighs, crossing his arms over his chest. "Looks like now Ba Sing Se is the only earth kingdom stronghold left," he says.
"This is horrible," Katara states sadly, shaking her head back and forth slowly before resting a hand on Aang's shoulder. "But, we have to move on."
"No," Aang objects instantly and he starts to step closer. "I'm going in to find Bumi."
"Aang, stop!" Sokka orders. "We don't even know if Bumi is still..." He trails off when Aang turns around to face him abruptly, anger raiding off his tensed form.
"What? If Bumi is still what?"
"A-around," Sokka finishes lamely.
"I know you had your heart set on Bumi, but there are other people who can teach you earth bending," Katara tells him.
Aang faces the city again. "This isn't about finding a teacher. It's about finding my friend." From the determination and tenderness in his voice, I can tell how much he truly does care about Bumi. It makes me admire him even more; if that's possible.
I move my eyes back to the city and I suddenly notice minor details in the flag swaying in the wind. The sigma has a slightly different quality to it and the color seems a bit darker. That's when I realize I've seen this flag before. And not just once or twice; I used to see this flag everyday whenever I went over to my best friends house when I was younger.
"Mai," I breath out before I can stop myself.
"What?"
I glance at them to see all their questioning looks and raised eyebrows. "I know who's ruling here," I tell them.
They gasp, "How?"
"I was very close to them, and I know that flag well. I was incredibly close to their daughter. She was my best friend besides Zuko when I was still around the palace; her name's Mai. It was insane how close we were. I told her everything and she told me everything. We were heartbroken when I decided to leave with Zuko on his banishment," I explain, going more into dept then I probably needed to. "Her father and mother might as well been related to me and I was closer to them than I was with my own father and sister." I could hear my tone getting softer and softer as I kept speaking. But, I couldn't help it. I had completely forgotten about them until now and all the great memories are rushing back to me. I suddenly miss my old best friend a lot. And now what, I am going to have to go against them? This is going to be almost as hard as going against my brother.
They were quiet until Aang joined me by my side, glancing at me before letting his gaze land on the city like mine. "And now, you're sad because you might have to be against them?" he guesses correctly. I swear, he can read my mind or something, because he can almost always figure out what I am feeling or thinking.
"Yeah," I croak. I feel comforting hands rest on my back and I glance behind me to see all three of them holding them there, smiling sympathetically toward me.
"I never thought about it, but you have to go against a lot of people you love just for us, don't you?" Katara asks and I sigh.
"Not just for you guys, but for what I feel is right." I look back to the city, my emotionless stare slipping into a glare. "And right now, going against my former best friend is what's right."
xxxxxxx
Aang has flown has down secretly to the bottom of the mountain Omashu was built on. After dropping us off, Appa soared up to the hiding place we set for him since he was unable to come into the city with us. With a little jutted out path for us to stand on, Katara, Sokka and I stayed there and watched as Aang started to pry open what looked like a suer passage. Apparently, it was a secret way to enter the city without anyone discovering us. But, from the looks of it, it didn't look pleasant to venture through.
"If there's a secret passage, why didn't we use it the first time?" Sokka questions.
As if to answer his question, Aang got open the suer door and green, mucky, water poured out; slightly splashing on us. I cringe in disgust and shake the part of my arm the disgusting water landed on.
"Does that answer your question?" Aang retorts before willingly hoping into the hole and beginning to move up it, creating an air sphere in front of him to block the water from getting in his way.
Sokka, Katara and I start to follow him and I have to pinch my nose at first when the foul stench circles around me. Katara enters first, bending the water around her in the process, while she catches up to Aang. I look at Sokka who looks reluctant and just as grossed out as me, so I go in before him. Just as the liquid comes shooting at me, I push a small fire wall out in front of me to shield my body and face. I hear Sokka struggling behind but I don't glance back, afraid I'll loose my footing or something.
Soon enough, we find another suer opening and Aang, being the one in the front, opens it with ease and checks around. He pushes the top off before climbing out with Katara and I on on his tail. I brush off the little suer water that landed on me and smile. "That wasn't as bad as I thought," I say.
We hear low groaning come from the suer and we all look to see Sokka, covered from head to toe in green, muck, come trudging out and towards us. Katara quickly bends some water from a barrel near by and pours in on top of him. The muck washes away and reveals a soaking wet Sokka who looks very unamused. Aang sends a gust of air at him to dry him and Sokka lets out a sigh of relief. Purple, sea-like, creatures are attached to his cheeks and I start to laugh. Sokka cocks an eyebrow at me and glances down at his cheeks before yelling out in fear. He starts to lash around and pull at the creatures who stay locked onto his skin. "They won't let go!" he screeches and continues to cry out.
Aang tackles him to the wall so he'll quiet down. "Stop making so much noise," he says. "It's just a purple pentapuss." Aang reaches out and scratches the top of one of the pentapuss' and it detaches itself from Sokka's face. Sokka hurriedly does that to the others and rubs at his face that now has little suckle marks on it. I giggle at his expense and he sends me a glare.
"Hey!"
Our eyes shoot to the left to see three fire nation solders marching towards us. Katara and Sokka casually cover Aang and I while we put on our minor disguises. I already wore my earth kingdom outfit, but just in case I flip my cape hood up. Aang uses one of his cloth bags to loop around his forehead, covering his arrow. Once finished, we show ourselves, friendly smiles playing on our faces. Even Momo acts innocent from where he's perched on my shoulder.
"What are you kids doing out past curfew?" they ask suspiciously.
"Sorry!" Katara says sweetly. "We were just on our way home."
We begin to walk away, thinking they would buy it, but one of them shout out after us, "Wait! What's the matter with him?" I become confused by what they mean but thankfully, Aang and Katara catch on.
"Uh, he has pentapocks, sir," Katara inquires while turning Sokka around for them, gesturing toward the dots covering his skin. One of the solders comes closer and is about to inspect Sokka but Katara stops him hurriedly. "It's highly contagious!" The man withdraws his hand away but still studies Sokka with unease.
Sokka glances confusingly around at us before dramatically playing along. "Uhh, I'm so awful! I'm dying!" he groans out and starts to cough and wheeze all over the men.
They back up jerkily, their expressions twisting in disgust and fear. "Hey, I think I've heard of pentapocks!" one of them exclaim. "Didn't you cousin Chang die of it?" he questions another soldier.
The questioned man nods instantly. "We better go wash our hands, and burn our cloths!" They sprint away and I sigh in relief as Sokka straitens back up, grinning at us.
"Good acting, guys," I compliment to Katara and Sokka and they chuckle.
"Come on, guys," Aang says, smiling. "Time to find Bumi."
We nod in agreement and Aang leads us forward. We silently move about the city; hiding whenever a guard or soldier walks by and searching around in random corners. We scurry up a flight of stairs and hastily duck behind a wall when two men stride by. "Let's find Bumi and get out of here," Katara whispers when they disappear from sight.
"Where would they be keeping him?" Sokka wonders.
"Somewhere he can't earth bend," Aang replies, his eyes darting around. "Somewhere made of metal."
We continue on and suddenly, when we're by one of the mailing shoots, boulders come rolling down it. At first I think it's meant for us, but then I notice four guards surrounding two woman who are strolling below us. Aang discovers this as well and, using his staff, he bends the rocks away with a gust of air. The shattering of the rocks and and wind mixed together create a large cloud of dust and the pedestrians notice us standing there, the guards in fighting stances directing toward us. We saved them from getting crushed but they're threating us... How ironic.
"The resistance!" the older woman cries out, that I now note with a baby in her arms, and I immediately recognize her voice. My gaze flickers to them and when I study their appearance, my eyes widen and I let out a sharp gasp.
It's Mai and her mom.
Before I can do anything, Mai sends her daggers toward Aang who dodges them easily. They start to bolt away as the soldiers climb up the ladders to us but I'm frozen in my spot. I knew I was going to see them, but so soon?
Katara stops and bends water out of her pouch and at the soldiers. They tumble off and land on the ground below. I see Mai start to ascend a ladder and I gulp before running after my friends. Daggers fly around me and I dodge them just barely. It hurts me to know that Mai is attacking me but I keep reminding myself that she has no clue it's me under this cape and earth kingdom attire.
Another dagger shoots by and at Sokka. I skid in front of it and catch it in thin air, clutching it in my fist. My friends don't notice my stopping so they continue to escape. I stay there and plan on distracting Mai so they can get away. Mai stops, her breathing heavy along with mine, and her eyes narrow down on me. I make sure to keep my hood as low as possible so she doesn't see my face. She growls out and chucks a little arrow toward me and when I duck down away from it, my hood comes off my head. I intake a sharp breath when Mai's angry face slips into shock. "K-Kaiko?" she stutters out, her arms falling to her sides limply.
"Hi Mai," I greet quietly. "Nice to see you."
Sadness flickers in her eyes and we just stand there, both of unsure of what to say. Suddenly, I feel hands grab my wrists and my arms are jerked behind my back. Reality sets in and I start to struggle as my hands are chained together. I glance back to see two guards clasping my forearms after restricting me. "Do you know this young woman, Mai?" one of them ask and I quit my struggling as my eyes land on Mai to see what she says.
She glances between them and I before her gaze lingers on me. I give her a pleading look and after a few seconds, she hangs her head. "It's Princess Kaiko. Besides the Avatar, she's the main traitor to our nation," she informs them and I feel my jaw slack, betrayal and sorrow running through me. She turned me in; after all those years of being best friends, she just forgets everything because I am considered a traitor? Does she even know what could happen to me if my father gets his hands on me? Or does she know and just not care? Most likely, since she did just tell them my identity, the ladder.
That's all the information they probably need because they start to take me away. I lash around in their grips and I can tell it's getting harder and harder for them to keep a hold on me. A agonizing pains shoots through my arm and I yelp, looking down at my left arm to see a needle shoved into it. The pain subsides and my body sways; something causing me to become incredibly dizzy and tired. They let me go and I roughly fall to my knees, the world swirling around me. I try to crawl away but I just end up collapsing on the ground. I give up my tries and I lay my head on the ground exhaustingly as a weak whimper spills from my lips. The last thing I see is Mai staring at me with tears pricking in her eyes before I am surrounded by darkness.
xxxxxx
I wake up on a flat, cold, metal floor. It's completely dark besides a small candle light flickering in a corner. My eyes study what is around me. I am in a cell; a small cell at that. It's bare besides the bolted door that has a tiny window on it with bars lined across it, me, and the candle. The noiselessness starts to get to me and I feel panic rise inside of me. I scramble onto my feet but I am yanked back onto the ground instantly by something. I glance behind me to find that my right foot is chained to one of the four walls. A strained, frustrated, moan comes from my mouth and I curl up into ball, my knees pulled up to my chest.
I'm obviously captured. The two men that Mai confessed who I was to had most likely taken me here. That's easy to figure out. But, what I don't know, is where in the city-I am if I am in the city at all. While I was unconscious, I could have been shipped away to the fire nation or to a fire nation earth kingdom colony near by; planned to be sent away to my father tomorrow morning. Hopefully though, I was just thrown into a cell in Omashu. If that's true, I can try and find a way out of here and back to my friends.
I feel utterly worried when my mind switches to them. Are they okay? Did they get captured too? Do they now what happened to me? Have they found Bumi? Questions swarm around in my mind and I place my head between my knees, my eyes squeezing shut as a throbbing headache forms.
I'm sure they're okay though. Aang knows his way around here and as far as I know, they got away because of my distraction. They are probably at our hiding place right now or searching the city for Bumi, and now, me. I purse my lips when I think of how confused and concerned they must be about me; especially Sokka.
I lift my head from my knees when I suddenly hear the clacking of footsteps on metal floors. The sound nears and I can tell it's coming toward my cell. I quickly back up toward the farthest wall, keeping my knees glued to my chest as I become scared. It could be anyone; coming to do anything to me. But, I refuse to show anyone my fear, so I cross my legs on the ground, as best as I can with the chain, and keep my expression emotionless.
I listen while the footsteps get closer and closer, louder and louder, until the door creeks open. My eyes widen slightly when I see Mai standing there. The fire illuminates her face and I note the guilt and sadness etched on it when usually she is completely bleak. I start to feel bad for her but then I remember she's the reason why I am in a cell right now so I just glare at her. "What are you doing here?" I ask bitterly.
"I wanted to talk to you," she replies. "I mean, we haven't see each other in years."
I laugh darkly. "Oh, Mai, I would love to talk! But, as you can see, I'm a little tied up right now," I retort sarcastically, gesturing to my chained leg. "But, thanks for the offer!"
She sighs heavily. "Look, I'm sorr-"
"You're sorry?" I spit out. "Sorry doesn't really cut it, Mai."
"What? Why?"
I roll my eyes. "Don't play innocent, please. You know I have every right to be angry. You turned me in, let them inject me with some kind of liquid, and had me thrown into a damned cell!" My voices rises with anger and I clench my fists at my side.
"I had no choice," she says, casting her eyes away from me. "You betrayed our nation."
Her words infuriate me, but they hurt me just as much. "So what?" I shout, carefully getting to my feet so I won't be pulled back down again. "Just because I am making a different choice than you means you'll just throw our years of friendship away like it's nothing?"
She whips her gaze back towards me and I flinch away from her glowering glare. "Don't even say that I threw our friendship away! You're the one who left me, Kaiko!" she yells in a hurt coated tone.
"I left because my own brother was being banished! I couldn't just let him go alone; he needed me there."
"I'm not only talking about that," she says. "I'm talking about how you joined the Avatar too. You knew when you did that that you would probably never come back home. Did I or anyone else you loved come to your mind at all?"
I sigh, bringing one of my hands up to pinch the bridge of my nose before letting it fall to my side again. All of this yelling and insulting was really getting to me. "Of coarse, Mai, but I had to do it. By joining the Avatar I am not only helping save the world from my father but I also found people who accept me for me."
"I accept you for you," she squeaks and I am shocked to see a tear slip down her cheek. Mai never cries and when she does, it takes a lot to cause it. "Do you know how much it hurt when I found out about your betrayal? I have been having hope all these years for you to finally come home but when I was told that all the hope vanished." She crosses her arms over her chest, her watering eyes fixing downwards. "I lost the only person who understood me; I lost my best friend."
My heart clenches painfully in my chest and I unhesitatingly cross the cell and over to her. Thankfully, the chain stretches just far enough to reach her and when I do, I swing my arms around her into a hug. She stiffens at first but then I feel her relax and she returns to embrace. "I'm sorry," I mutter into her shoulder. "I never thought it would hurt you this much."
"It's just hard not having you around all the time like it used to be," she murmurs, sniffling.
"I know." I pull back to smile at her. "But, I still love you, Mai. I'll always be your best friend."
She returns the smile. "That's good to hear." I withdrawal out of her arms and stand back against the wall so the chain quits scratching painfully at my ankle. "So, you'll come back now?" she asks suddenly and my eyes shoot to her.
"Wait, what?"
"You can come back to the fire nation," she clarifies. "I'll talk to my father and since he always loved you like a daughter, I'm sure he'll be able to convince your father to forgive you. And when he-"
"Whoa there, Mai," I interrupt, eying her warily. "I'm not coming back."
Her joyful expression falls. "Why the heck not?" she snaps.
"I can't!" I exclaim. "I joined the Avatar for a reason: to help him defeat the fire nation and my father."
"The fire nation deserves to win this war! We deserve the power."
I sigh heavily and shake my head back and forth at her ignorance, staring at the ground solemnly. "No, the fire nation does not. A nation that kills and ruins innocent civilians lives does not deserve anything good."
"What have these people brainwashed you to believe?" she scoffs disbelievingly.
"These people?" I repeat, her recondition to my friends remarkably bothering me. "Those people mean a lot to me, actually."
"Obviously. You care more about people you met three or four months ago than you do your own family," she hisses harshly.
I frown. "Besides my Uncle, my family doesn't even love me. My own brother has tried to kill me," I tell her. "A true, loving family would accept my decisions in life and if you're really my best friend, then you should too."
"I refuse to accept you when you're betraying everyone and everything you grew up with," she says. "You're even turning your back on your mother - no wonder she disappeared."
Her words hit me like a ton of bricks being pelted at me one by one. How could she say that? She knows how touchy of a subject my mother is and she just throws it in my face. She accused me of basically back stabbing my own mother who I honestly would give anything to have back in my life. This isn't how my best friend acted toward me, no, this is how Azula acted toward me.
I face away from her, my eyes falling closed. "Get out," I say cruelly.
"What?"
"Get. Out. If I am going to be stuck in this cell than I want to spend it alone; not with you."
She doesn't respond and then next thing I hear is the obnoxious slamming of the door, causing me to flinch slightly. As I listen to her stomp away, I slide down to the floor; my arms hugging around myself tightly. My head leans against the concrete wall and I feel a lonely tear sliver down my cheek when all her hurtful words flash around in my mind. Once that tear escapes, I can't control the sobs as they rack my body. I bury my face in my pulled up knees and I rock back and forth shakily, letting all my sadness and anger escape through my tears.
xxxxxx
"C'mon, Kaiko," I grumble to myself. "Think!"
I've been pacing back and forth for what felt like a whole day now, which it probably has been. I haven't rested at all since Mai's visit and when some guards brought me a bowl of cold, uncooked rice, I chucked it at the door after they exited. I refuse to eat the mush they try to feed me; I need to spend my time thinking of a strategy to get out of here. I have to get back to them. I will not rot away in a prison.
I let out a wail of utter frustration and I slap my palms against one of the walls, pressing into them as I take deep, even breaths to try and calm me. I collapse onto my knees and cover my face with my hands while I start to feel like I'm about to hyperventilate. My fingernails dig into my scalp and I bit my bottom lip to contain another scream from slipping. If I stay in here any longer without coming up with a plan I swear I might go insane.
There must be a way to get out of here; there's always a loophole.
My eyes float ever to where my foot is still chained and I notice one of the bolts coming undone. I reach over and, with a little work, I tug it out of the clasp around my ankle. I feel it loosen just barely but an idea then pops into my head because of it. I get into a more reliable position and I start to use the bolt to loosen the others. After awhile of doing so, the clasp is loose enough for me to slip my foot out of it. A grin spreads across my lips and I massage the irritated skin where the metal had been scratching and bumping.
Now, that I am free, I scramble to the still locked door. Using my hands, I feel around for anything that could possibly be loose enough for me to get this door open. My fingertips brush along every inch of the metal but I find nothing that can help me. I groan in disappointment before moving back over to the chain that used to keep my restricted. I hold it in my grip and just stare at it, thinking. My eyes rack over it and when I spot a sharp scrap of metal hanging of of it, I yank it off. I keep it in between two of my fingers, use my other hand to create a tiny flame, and I hold the metal just above the flickering fire. When it starts to smoke and the tip is hot, I extinguish the flame and crawl back over to the door. I stick it through the lock and start to wiggle it around. My whole body is overwhelmed with joy when the door unlocks and I shoot up to my feet, grab the handle, and swing the door wide.
"I can't believe that worked," I whisper giddily.
I am met with the sight of other cells surrounding me but, to my surprise, I see not guards. I step out cautiously and tiptoe towards the nearest exit. It's wide open but I see two guards standing outside of it. Fortunately, they seem very entranced in a conversation so I able to slip by them without being seen. It's almost funny how simple it was to make my way out. If they want to keep their prisoners captive easier, they really should get better security systems.
I roam the prison secretly until I find my way to the outdoors. By the looks of it, the prison is right next to the palace where Mai and her parents must be staying. Soldiers, civilians, and guards are strolling around in the bright daylight and no one seems to even be watching to see if any prisoners escape. I quickly scurry forward, pulling my cape hood up that, thankfully, they hadn't taken when I was thrown into the jail. No one even glances my way as I start toward the front end of the city.
But, after a little while of walking, I stop dead in my tracks when familiar voices invade my hearing. "You brought my brother?" It's Mai's voice. I lean over the railing I'm next to and find Aang, Katara, and Sokka standing tensely on a wooden platform below me. My eyes widen and I almost tumble off the railing when I see who they're meeting with; Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee, another old friend of mine. Mai of course doesn't surprise me, but Azula? Ty Lee's presence doesn't even come close to irking me as much as my sisters does. What is she doing here? Why is she meeting with them? My hands grip the thick railing tightly as fury boils inside of me just from seeing her.
"He's here," Aang replies and it's then that I notice the toddler being held by Sokka and the fact that Bumi is in a bolted up metal contraption, where only his face is visible, placed behind Mai, Ty Lee, and Azula. "We're ready to trade. But, we need to know about Kaiko; where is she?" he asks.
Azula's eyebrows raise up. "Kaiko?" she questions confusingly before turning to Mai. "Kaiko's here?" Her tone is coated with anger and remorse; it almost makes me joyful that my appearance bugs her.
"Uh, yeah," Mai answers sheepishly.
"And why wasn't I informed about this?" Azula growls.
"Wait, you know her?" Sokka asks my sister pointedly, his voice protective.
Azula looks at him, smirks, but doesn't respond to his question. "Anyway," she changes the subject, "Mai, a thought just occurred to me. We're trading a two year old for a king-a powerful, earth bending, king. It just doesn't seem like a fair trade, does it?" No. She can't listen to this; It's her younger brother. Why would anyone, especially Mai, even consider Azula's words when a part of their family is at stake? Mai is a caring person, I can't imagine her doing this.
Mai ponders, glancing at her little brother for a quick second, before smiling maliciously. "You're right," she agrees. "The deals off." I'm shocked to say the least, but I'm more ashamed. She's turning into my sister; someone who puts power over everything else including her own sibling.
A chain begins to lift Bumi up, heading towards one of the bunkers above. "See you all later!" Bumi laughs out.
"Bumi!" Aang cries and sprints forward.
Once I see Azula ease into her stance and send a flaming, blue, fire blast at him, I swing my legs over to the railing and jump down onto the platform in front of Aang. I push my hands out and take control of the fire before shooting it back at her.
For once in her life, Azula looks caught off guard, but it vanishes when she skillfully dodges the flames and grins hugely at me. "Kaiko," she hisses, keeping her stance steady. "How wonderful it isto see you."
"I wish I could say the same about you," I snap, falling into a bending stance as well.
"What?" she laughs. "You're not happy to see you're sister, who you haven't seen in three years?"
I catch the surprised gasps behind me from my friends. Obviously, they're shocked about the truth of her being my sister. I have informed them about my sister back home, but they've never seen her before. Honestly, I didn't plan on them seeing her until much later.
"No, not really," I say, smirking. "You're not exactly a pleasant sight to see."
Her face falls angrily and she kicks a fire blast at me, that I duck away from, and punch one at her before yelling out to Aang. "Aang, go get Bumi!" I shout and I can tell how hesitant he is of leaving me with Azula. "Now!"
He nods and zooms past us, hoping in the air and grabbing onto another chain that zips him up and after Bumi. Azula is about to go after him but I swing my arms around and send a ring of fire in her direction to distract her. She blocks it, glares daggers at me, and we begin to battle. But, too soon, she's able to slip by me and chase after Aang. I'm about to follow her when a dagger flies in front of my face, forcing me to pay my attention to Mai instead. She's whirling multiple daggers at me and I do different ducks and dodges to prevent getting hit. To my left, I see Ty Lee start attacking Sokka and Katara, taking many jabs, kicks, and punches at them.
"We gotta get the baby out of here!" Katara yells while whipping a stream of water at Ty Lee.
"Way ahead of you!" Sokka says and I glance over to see him blowing Appa's bison whistle. With Katara and I dealing with Ty Lee and Mai, he soon is able to shoot down a ladder with the baby still cradled in his arms. I feel a great sense relief that they've gotten away.
"Katara," I call. "Don't worry about Mai, just handle Ty Lee."
"Got it!"
"Handle?" Mai spits out. "I think we'll be the ones handling you two." She throws a pointed arrow toward me and I skid to the side before swirling fire at her. I don't feel right attacking her, since I still care about her, but there's no other choice; either I fight her or we're screwed.
After awhile of battling, I hear Katara cry out. I whirl around to see Ty Lee jabbing two of her fingers into specific places on Katara's arms. The water she was bending splashes to the ground and when she tries to pick it up again, it doesn't budge. She gasps in bewilderment and looks up in fear. I've seen Ty Lee do this before. She's able to stop someones bending for a short period of time just by hitting certain pressure points. And, Katara can't defend herself without her abilities. Keeping that in mind, I rush over and stand protectively in front of her, getting ready to blast them at any moment. "I highly doubt you can deal with both of us, Kaiko," Mai taunts, grinning as she pulls out yet another dagger. Just as she's about to chuck it at us, Sokka's boomerang glides down and knocks it out her grip.
"That's why I'm here," Sokka announces from where he's seated on Appa's head. Appa soars down and lands right in front of Mai and Ty Lee, slamming his tail down which sends them flying backwards and off the platform.
As Katara hurries onto Appa, I stay locked in place, concerned about both Mai and Ty Lee. "Kaiko, come on!" Sokka shouts. "We need to go!" I bite the inside of my cheek harshly but oblige, knowing he was right. After I make my place next to Sokka on Appa's head, he whips the reins and Appa ascends into the sky. I can tell they want to speak to me about the events that just took place, but we all know now isn't the best time to discuss anything like that.
Soon, we spot Aang balancing on the metal contraption, which Bumi was still trapped in, as he rides down one of the mail shoots. Azula's speeding close behind him in one of the mail carriers and sending many different fire blasts at him which thankfully he is able to go without being hit. "There's Aang!" Katara yells, pointing her finger in his direction.
"We can catch him," Sokka says determinately and he yanks the reins so Appa flies over to them.
We hover next to the mail shoot, going just as fast as Aang, who looks over at us and smiles gratefully. "Hang on, Bumi, our rides here!" he hollers over all the ruckus and to the very troubled-looking king. After Appa dodges the few blasts Azula directs at us, Aang uses a gust of wind to lift him and Bumi up off the mail shoot. They fly over us and when we reach out to grab them, we miss, causing them to fall down to another mail shoot far below. We lean over to franticly search around for him and I sigh in relief when he gives a signal that signifies 'I'm okay, just go on.' He obviously will be okay, and will meet up with us later, because he always knows what to do and how to make it back to us.
We snap back to reality when a fire whip comes flaming towards us and Sokka hurriedly orders Appa on, causing him to roar out before soaring away and out of the city. I glance over my shoulder to be met with Azula's hatefulness glare but I just look back down at my hands; I refuse to give her the satisfaction of seeing how much I truly hate her too. I feel a warm arm wrap around my back torso and I smile slightly, snuggling up against Sokka while a secret tear escapes my watering rimed eyes.
Third Person's P.O.V
"So, we're tracking down your brother and uncle, huh?" Mai says to Azula as she walks side by side with Ty Lee.
Azula, being respectfully carried in a mobile throne by a few soldiers, stares forward blankly without answering Mai's question.
"It'll be interesting seeing Zuko again," Ty Lee pipes up. "Won't it, Mai?" She grins slyly at the girl besides her who blushes furiously, glancing away when Ty Lee hinted about her long held crush.
"It's not just Zuko and Iroh anymore," Azula tells them and it catches the girls attention immediately. Azula doesn't make eye contract with them but they can still catch the slight abhorrence and bitterness in both her expression and voice. "We have two other targets now."
While Ty Lee simply nods and focuses on an irrelevant subject, Mai hangs her head sorrowfully. She knows Azula is speaking about the Avatar, but what bothers her the most is that she is also after Kaiko now; Mai's best friend. She will have to fight her more, capture her even if it come down to it, and Mai doesn't know how she'll go through with all of that without feeling guilt. After all, she cares deeply about the traitorous girl and is probably one of the most important people to her – well, was. She then remembers Kaiko chose her new friends over her without hesitation, why should she be feeling so reluctant when Kaiko barely cares about her anymore anyway? She shouldn't.
Keeping that thought in mind, she smiles once again.