Disclaimer: Does it look like I own Avatar? … Uhm, no wait, don't answer that…
Author's Notes: Many special thanks to Togira Ikonka, Miyiku, ~ME, Pheonee, nobody, Sokka's Fan-Lawyer, and freestyle-spirit for reviewing. And y'all can thank Pheonee for the super-fast update. ;)
I KNOW. I said this wouldn't happen again… I guess I should just cover my butt and say this RARELY ever happens. How does that sound? …Whatever. I know. "Just get on with the story, 3VAD." OK, OK. Yeesh. BUT WAIT. One more thing. My school got burned Friday night. On one side of a road is the preschool, and on the other side is the high school and preschool, in very close quarters, I might add. Turns out that someone set our preschool on fire. On purpose. Someone set a preschool on fire, on purpose. How sick do you have to be to arson a preschool? But I digress. Since they were in such close quarters, the high school/junior high got extremely bad smoke and heat damage—melted lockers, ruined instruments, etc. We had no school on Monday and no homework for the rest of the week. That's the only reason I've been able to write so much.
The Angel Experiment
"See, Prince Zuko, a moment of quiet is good for your mental well-being."
-Iroh, "Bato of the Water Tribe"
Zuko was angry. But only at himself.
He took great gulps of frigid night air to keep his emotions in check. He had always been on his own; that was the main reason he was so hesitant to trust those other kids in the first place. But when they took him in and started treating him, and he saw them interact like a real family should… he knew he was missing something. Something big.
Maybe in another time, he would've been an angry person, hurt and embittered by some great wrong done to him. Or maybe he just would have been a lost soul, looking for a place to fit in. But he wasn't. Yes, he was scarred physically, but other than that, he was perfectly healthy. Beyond that, probably. He had learned many lessons at the School, mainly from a pair of Whitecoats who had taken pity on him—a dark man with bright eyes (who seemed familiar somehow), and an old, grandfatherly fellow who looked out of place at the School to begin with.
The boy breathed heavily as his great wings carried him parallel to the darkened earth below. Maybe they were his God-ordained guardians.
…Yeah. And maybe Azula was a girl with a heart of gold.
--
Sokka's heart was hammering so loudly he was sure it was about to explode out of his chest. Katara… Katara…
His thoughts became words. "Katara!" he shouted to the others.
But they had heard her, too. Immediately, the three remaining family members rushed through the door and exploded into the night, wings pushing against the air to gain altitude. They headed for the area where they had heard their sister yell for help.
The three easily dodged through the dark skeletal trees—they had done this many times before. Toph pulled up to fly within earshot of Sokka. "I hear something!" she called to him. "Less than a mile from here. I'm not sure what it is…"
The boy nodded as his dark brown hair whipped across his eyes. "I hear it, too. Aang, pull up. Both of you, follow me! Quickly!" Sure enough, the distinctive thwack thwack of a helicopter could be heard in the distance. As the trio drew closer, large black silhouettes could be seen charging through the brush underneath. "Erasers!"
They dipped down under the treeline, and Aang narrowly avoided a slashing blow at his underside. "Watch yourself, Twinkle Toes!"
"Don't call me that!"
Sokka spotted the helicopter up ahead, hovering barely an inch above the ground in a small clearing. A group of Erasers were hopping in, along with what looked like a struggling burlap sack. That was her. Sokka increased his speed and left the others in the dust. With a huge cry, he slammed his body heavily into the nearest Eraser. They both went tumbling. But the Eraser recovered more quickly than he could, and she was up and over him in a matter of seconds.
Her liquid golden eyes shone maliciously in the moonlight. Dark red lips drew cruelly over sharp canines. "I do believe you're getting in the way." She slashed her claw-like fingers at his face, but Sokka barely rolled out of the way in time. He pushed up to deliver a swift kick to her jaw, but she caught it with one hand. He flipped over and did a faceplant in the dirt. She half-smirked. "Pathetic."
Sokka spit out a mouthful of dirt and noticed how the other two were faring. Aang was performing ridiculous aerial maneuvers and taking the Erasers out one by one, while Toph was holding her own against the group of three surrounding her. He smiled proudly. He had taught them well.
He suddenly felt his opponent pull him up by the back of the collar and smash him against a nearby tree. He groaned. The female snarled at him, "You are a pathetic excuse of a leader, if you even dare to call yourself such." She let him fall to the ground. "What a waste of space."
Angrily, Sokka kicked out and managed to lay Azula flat on her back. She jumped on him, and they wrestled hand-to-hand in the dirt while the chopper continued to whip leaves and pieces of sand into their eyes. The good thing about being a mutant bird freak was that he was faster and stronger than the average human. The bad thing about being said mutant was that he had enemies who were almost as strong or stronger than he was.
Being part wolf kind of did that to them.
Sokka was nearly desperate now as he noticed the helicopter slowly rising into the air. "Toph! Aang! The chopper!" But they were nearly as powerless as he was. The Erasers had managed to pick Aang from the sky and group he and Toph together, forming a tightly-knit circle of never-ending opponents around them. Sokka pounded the ground angrily and grabbed on to both of Azula's wrists, pinning her to the earth. "Where are you taking her?" he shouted furiously.
The Eraser just narrowed her cat eyes and smiled at him. "Go to Hell."
He gave a cry and shifted to punch her in the face, but she was faster. Swiftly, she turned the tide of their fight and picked him up, throwing the teen high into the air. Sokka landed with a grunt against the sharp bark of a tree. All of the Erasers suddenly dispersed and jumped inhumanly high into the air, grabbing a hold of the skids on the chopper. Aang, in a fit of rage, jumped after them and managed to grab a skid, but Azula was there at the door, smiling like she always was. Sokka could see her mouth moving, but he could hear no words over the roar of the blades. All he could see was Aang's horrified expression, the kick in his face, and then his body falling to earth, scrawny wings trying desperately to right himself.
The twelve-year-old landed with a soft thud and rolled a few feet to absorb the shock. Sokka began coughing horrendously in an effort to restart his oxygen flow.
Toph looked upset, wrapping her small, dark gray wings around her tiny frame. She was always so tough on the outside, but she had never looked so vulnerable before. Not until now.
Sokka knew that the same thing was on everyone's minds. He definitely wasn't a mind-reader—not by a long shot—he only knew what was going through his mind at the moment. Katara. Katara.
Where are you?
I can't believe I let them get away… Those—those monsters have you now. We have to start looking right now.
Where should we start? How do we know where to begin?
I hope they don't do anything horrible to you…
I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry.
"This is all my fault."
--
"This is all my fault," they said in unison. The blue-eyed one, Sokka, immediately whirled to face the figure emerging from the woods. After being shoved away by the family, Zuko hadn't managed to travel far before he spotted the Erasers. They had followed him.
Zuko didn't know why the Erasers had attacked the family, but he did know that it could only mean one thing—he wasn't alone. He was being chased, and those other kids had been attacked by the same people.
Slitted glacial irises followed the older teen's every move. "What are you talking about?" Sokka questioned suspiciously. In the background, Toph silently pulled her wings in.
Zuko's heart felt like it was hammering a million miles an hour in his chest. "Those were Erasers," he tried to explain as calmly as possible. "They—"
It suddenly dawned on Sokka that Zuko knew everything. How he knew everything and why were a mystery to him, but Zuko knew. Somehow, he knew about the Erasers, and consequently, knew about the School. But then another, more sinister, realization overcame him.
Awash with rage, the younger one grabbed Zuko by the collar and slammed him against a nearby tree. "You moron!" Sokka hissed, blue eyes roiling with anger. "You led them right to us!"
Uneven yellow eyes widened with sudden realization and horror. They had followed him… followed him… right to them. And now, they had that girl—
"They have my sister," the fifteen-year-old spoke, his entire body shaking with righteous fury. "They have her. Because of you."
Zuko stuttered. His brain shut down. Guilt began to weigh heavily upon his mind. "I—I—" Didn't mean to.
He could've easily overcome the younger brunette… but he didn't. All he could feel was guilt and regret, and all he could see was the anger and hurt and pure loss in the other's eyes. Zuko bit his lip as he felt his body fall into a cross-legged position. I didn't mean to.
The sixteen-year-old took a shaky breath. "I didn't know she was your sister," he whispered to the other male's retreating back.
There was a pause. But Sokka's voice was cold and shaky with worry when he finally spoke. "Yeah, well… now you know." And in an instant, the other three had taken off, leaving Zuko alone. Again.
--
"I don't care what you say, Toph, I'm doing this alone." Sokka stormed around the kitchen, rapidly pushing a few cans of food, an important pile of papers, and a set of clothes into a backpack. "I need to do this alone. She's my sister, and I can't stand to see anything happen to her."
Toph crossed her arms, sightless eyes poignantly staring at him with scary-accurate precision. "She's our sister, too, and we can't stand to see anything happen to her, either." Aang nodded and rested his chin on the card table.
Sokka paused on the couch for a moment before sighing heavily. "Look, Toph, not that I don't appreciate that and all, but…" He frowned, unable to get his point across.
The twelve-year-old waved a hand in the air. "No, no, I get it just right, Snoozles. Dead weight is all we'll be."
"Toph, it's not like that. It's just that you're… well—"
"Blind?"
"…Yeah." The dark teen looked embarrassed to admit it.
Her voice rose to a dangerous pitch. "And when has that stopped me before? I can see just fine, thank you very much! You of all people should realize that."
"Yeah, Toph, with the sonic vibration thing. I know, I get it—"
"And what about Aang?" she interrupted. Her companion nodded, eyebrows knitting together in rigid determination. "He's got a 'thing' for Sugar Queen—"
"I do not have a 'thing' for Kata—!"
"—and face it, dude, you're going to need some backup! You can't just waltz out there all by yourself. You're practically hanging a sign around your neck, like, 'Hey, Erasers. Here I am! Come eat me for breakfast.'" The girl shook her head, and black bangs fell before her eyes. "You're a moron if you think you can make it on your own."
Sokka pursed his lips. "OK, so what if I am a moron? But I'm still not taking you. Or Aang, for that matter." The younger moved to protest, but Sokka held up a hand. "Dude, you're twelve years old! This trip is going to be long, tiring, and especially boring." Sokka shifted uncomfortably. "And besides, we already lost Katara. We don't need to lose anyone else. Are we clear?" he said sternly, adopting that 'I'm-in-charge' tone. The duo had no choice but to nod.
"At least take someone with you," Toph muttered angrily.
Aang leaned back in his chair. "I think that Zuko kid knew something about the School," he started slowly.
Sokka glared at him. "No way am I working with that freakazoid."
"Think logically here, Sokka," Aang pleaded, trying to appeal to Sokka's brain. "The Erasers have probably gotten a bunch of new moves since we escaped the School. But they were following Zuko, and they obviously had been for a while. He must know at least a little something about the Erasers. And," Aang leaned in conspiratorially, "how do you know they haven't moved the facility?"
The eldest snorted. "That's ridiculous. But," he added, albeit very reluctantly, "I guess you have a logical point. I do need someone who knows at least a little more about this newest set of Erasers. And God only knows I could use all the help I can get with finding Katara." Sokka nodded and brushed a strand of dark brown hair out of his eyes. "All right then. As much as I hate to admit it… I guess I'll just have to go and— UH. I'll just… find Zuko then," he muttered. "But as soon as we bust Katara out, I'm beating the STUFFING outta him for getting my sister caught in the first place," the teen grunted with a hint of malice.
Sokka added carefully, "You guys will be OK staying here, right?"
Toph and Aang shared a look. "Sure thing, Captain." They both saluted. "Have fun on your field trip." Sokka rolled his eyes but smiled and slung the backpack over one shoulder, leaping off the porch and taking off into the barely-graying skyline.
--
"Ooh, man… just a little lower." Toph groaned again as Aang hit a sweet spot on her back. "Du-ude… where did you learn to give a massage like this?"
"Katara taught me," the boy replied cheerfully. Toph was lying on her stomach with her dark gray wings spread out on the family room floor. (Katara would have a cow, she thought smugly.) Her wings were a charcoal-ish color, with pitch black highlights all around the feathers. Of course, she only knew this because Aang had taken the time to describe everyone's looks and colors to her.
Slim fingers coursed over her back and up to the shoulder blades—right where the nubs of her wings were attached. "Tell me about yourself and Katara again."
Aang smiled. "OK. Well, my wings are a creamy white color, with tan stripes and dark brown splotches. Katara has light brown wings—a few shades lighter than Sokka's chocolate ones—and these really cool, almost swirly designs in cream." He sighed. "They're very pretty… you should see them for yourself one day. I can't really describe them to you…"
"It's OK," the girl replied. "You've done a pretty good job so far, Twinkle Toes." She flashed a grin.
A few minutes passed before Toph asked, "Quick. What time is it now?"
"Uh—" Aang rapidly sat up and checked his watch. "Sokka's been gone about twenty minutes."
"Great." Toph jumped to her feet and stretched her hands high over her head. "Let's get cracking."
Aang pulled open the kitchen drawers and stuffed a few necessities into his pocket—a switchblade, some matches, and a few batteries. Things like that. "Are you sure you still want to go through with this?" the boy asked warily.
Toph just laughed at him and patted her companion heavily on the shoulder. "Puh-lease. Sokka's an idiot if he honestly thinks he can leave us behind." Aang smiled back and followed her out the door.
"Uh… which way did he go?"
"…Uhm…"
"…Yeah. Let's try… north?"
"Uh, OK. North—north's good with me." Toph hopped off the porch and spread her wings far, her silhouette highlighted in the growing sunrise.
Aang bit his lip. "Uh… Toph?"
"What now, Twinkle Toes?" She hovered angrily over a spot that (she assumed) was just a few feet in front of Aang.
"North is that way." He pointed.
Silence. Then, the tough girl felt her face flush. "Yeah, well—"
"Don't even say 'I knew that,' because everyone knows you totally didn't." He snickered.
"Oh, shut up. And I totally did know that!" The dark-haired girl sighed. "Let's just get airborne so we can follow that ponytailed moron—"
"—He has no ponytail—"
"—before we completely lose his trail. All right?" Aang nodded. Finally, the duo agreed on something.
Post Author's Notes: Soo. You've seen some Tokka, some Zutara, and some light!Kataang and light!Taang. So… what do you think? I'm still not sure about ships, so I MIGHT be able to be… persuaded. Or bribed. Or heck, even blackmailed, but I doubt you have anything to blackmail me with. (is suddenly nervous) OK THEN. Well, I hope you all enjoyed, and I'm sorry if it seems sloppy. I kinda rushed to push this one out there. (sweating a little)
Don't forget: I can be bribed. And persuaded through reviews. SO. It's up to you, my duckies, to choose where this ficlet shall go. xD Peace, punch, Cap'n Crunch yo.
