The man gazed out over the field and marveled at how beautiful it looked under the late afternoon sky. It's so, peaceful, he thought to himself. Too bad that by this time tomorrow, these fields will be stained red from blood. Sighing, the man walked back to the shelter of the treeline that bordered the Hu Xin Provinces. "Do you have a visual?" he asked, seemingly to no one. Then, as if appearing out of thin air, an archer came into view. "Affirmative, General," the archer replied. "I count forty Dai Li agents hiding in that cave, bearing 2-5-4, mark 3."
Kurzon followed the archer's lead and saw the cave he was talking about. It had a small, well-camouflaged entrance, but nothing could hide from the Yu-Yan Archers. "Orders, sir?" the archer asked. "Keep an eye on them for now," Kurzon told him. "Don't blow your cover unless you are compromised. Wait until nightfall, and then we will strike." The archer nodded. "As you wish, General." And with that, the archer vanished among the trees once more.
****
Aang collapsed to the ground. "Katara. Mai Ty Lee," he stammered. "They're all, dead." He felt sick, and without warning he emptied his stomach contents onto the stone rooftop. But his bout of nausea didn't hurt him the most. He felt as if someone ripped his heart from his chest and crushed it underfoot. "Katara," he said, tears streaming down his face. He realized that he'd never be able to live his life without her. For a moment, he thought about ending it and joining his beloved, but pushed that thought out of his mind. You can't take the coward's way out! he thought. Omashu needs you, and Zuko and Sokka deserve to know! His body trembled as he sobbed again. "Besides," he told himself. "Katara wouldn't want you to do it." He looked up at the setting sun and cried.
***
The ground shook from the shockwave as the inferno engulfed the airfield. The explosion had completely wiped out everything within a half a mile, including all but one platoon of C Company. Well, it wiped out almost everything. As the dust settled, a dome of ice glistened in the evening light. After a minute, the ice melted and three figures emerged. "What, what happened?" asked the athletic figure. "The airship exploded, you ditz!" shouted the tall one. "Knock it off!" the third figure snapped. The tall figure sighed and asked, "Now what do we do?" "The only thing we can do," said the third figure. She stepped out of the shadows, revealing the hard, determined face of a Southern Water Tribe Master. "We fight."
****
Zuko paced anxiously across the bridge of his airship. "Is everything alright, my lord?" asked the captain. "It's almost dusk and we haven't even left Fire Nation territory!" the Fire Lord yelled. "What do you think?" The captain shifted uncomfortably and said, "Sir, the fleet is moving as fast as it can, but…" Zuko glared at him. "But what, Captain?" The captain took a deep breath, and explained. "But only ten of our ships have been refitted with the new oil fired engines. The rest are still equipped with the slower coal fired ones." Zuko grunted. "So that's why we're crawling over Fire Nation territory, because the rest of the fleet can't keep up?" "Yes, my lord," the captain answered. "However, we could split the fleet and have the ten fast airships follow us and order the rest of the fleet to proceed as planned while we soften the enemy up for them." Zuko shook his head. "No, Captain, the fleet can only go as fast as the slowest ship." He breathed deeply.
The captain placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure she's perfectly safe, my lord." Touched by the captain's concern, Zuko gave him a weak smile. "I'll bet you're right. Thank you, Captain Piett." Zuko turned and said, "I'm going to get some air. I'll be on the catwalk if you need me." With that, Zuko left, his mind consumed by his concern for his two greatest loves in his life, Mai and the child she carried within her.
****
Toph fought to hide the blush she felt. "Well then, you're the first to notice," she said. She sighed. Maybe it's time I told someone, she thought. Before she could reply, Teo asked, "What do you mean?" Here goes nothing. "Normally, people only notice me when I crack wise-ass remarks, or I make myself known to people. But, no one has ever noticed me when I'm just being me, you know?" Teo sympathized with the blind girl completely. "I do," he said.
"I feel like I'm only visible when I'm flying. In the air, I can pull off all sorts of amazing aerial stunts and maneuvers. But when I'm on the ground, I'm just that kid in the wheelchair." Toph fought the urge to cry. "Look, Teo, I'm sorry for what happened back there, it's just that I…" "Shh," Teo cut her off. "You didn't do anything wrong. I know you couldn't feel me through the wooden wheelchair." Teo blushed a little and added, "Actually, to tell you the truth, I didn't mind it at all."
Toph turned her head towards him. "Why?" she asked. Teo's face grew even redder, and he was silently grateful that Toph was blind. "Um, well, I've never had a girl do that before." Toph didn't understand. "What do you mean?" she asked. "You're a celebrity here! I'd have thought the chicks would be all over you," she said. Teo sighed and looked at the ground. "I'm only a celebrity when I'm in the air, Toph. Besides, a wheelchair isn't exactly a chick magnet."
The earthbender immediately regretted what she said. "I'm sorry, Teo, I didn't know." "Toph, it's fine-" "NO!" she snapped. "It's not fine! It was cruel of me to assume that about you, because I went through the same thing!" She started to shake as tears burst forth from her eyes. "No guy has ever given me a second glance! They see me and think, Oh, look at the blind girl!"
A realization dawned on the handicapped pilot. "You're talking about Sokka, aren't you?" Toph threw herself onto his chest and buried her face into his shirt. "Why did he fall for her?" she sobbed. "What did she have that I didn't? What fault did he see in me? As soon as she showed up, he acted like I wasn't even there!" Teo held her close and gently stroked her back. He could feel her tears soak through his shirt, but he didn't say anything. He just let her cry. Once she calmed down, he said, "Toph, I don't know why Sokka chose Suki over you, but it's not because of you. There is nothing wrong with you, understand?" He cupped his hand under her chin and tilted her head up. He stared into her milky green eyes. "I know it doesn't really matter, but I think you're beautiful." Toph stared blankly at him, and asked, "You think I'm beautiful?" Teo smiled and said, "Yes, Toph. I do." Hearing that, Toph felt her composure dissolve away, and she buried her head in his shoulder and held him tight. Teo felt tears begin to run down his sleeve. He pulled her closer to him and laid his head on hers, and watched the sun set across the amber sky.
****
Aang swooped down and landed at the forward command post. "Avatar," the ranking general said. "Is everything alright?" No, nothing's alright. Katara, my whole being, is dead. "I'm fine," he said coldly. "How are we doing?" he asked. The general showed him a map of the city. "The Phoenix Army is in complete control of the lower ring," he said. "They have cut off every escape route, and since we don't have the Royal Airship any longer, we're effectively trapped." Aang studied the map. "How are our defenses holding?" "They're holding for now," the general replied. Both of them looked out over the battlefield and saw the fifteen strong tank train formation deploy its tanks and men. The general turned toward the Avatar and added, "but for how long?"
Avatar: the Last Airbender belongs to Mike DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, and Nickelodeon