You know what? I decided to be nice today and update without having reached my goal of about 15 reviews. I was kind of disappointed, to be honest, but I guess I'll live with what I've got. Ok, so here are some more replies to some reviews of yours:
Kitty-Katz-Katz: Thank you so much for noticing that mistake! I guess I got too carried away and started to type down some random stuff there… Aha! That was my bad! Sorry to all the readers who saw that mistake, and thank you Kitty for noticing the typo!
Amaurea3000: Hmm… It's ok if you don't like it that much, but would you mind if I asked you what was wrong with it?
Okami no kidzukare & Willium Rivera: Thank you! I know Zuko probably was a bit OOC, but I just had to input the fluff!
Iwalkinthelight16: Thank you very much! And certainly, I took your advice. I totally agree there should be more action and fighting. I think I'll end the Serpent's Pass journey in this chapter and continue on with some bandit invasions, old Freedom Fighters, and more arguments between the characters. BTW, it was sad they had to kill off Jet. I mean, he really didn't deserve it, but it was a sacrifice he wanted to make I guess.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 7: I Wish
"If only I had everything like you do, Sokka, then I'd be happy."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Katara, Katara, wake up!" A hushed voice whispered huskily into the sleeping water bender's ear. She felt a pair of hands shake her shoulders frantically before she was finally jerked from her comfortable slumber.
"Ugh…" Katara stared sleepily up into the eyes of Aang, who carried a distressed aura. "What?" She sat up lazily, rubbing a red eye.
"Hurry! We have to leave now! Toph and I think that Azula's caught up with us."
"What?!" Katara hissed in disbelief. This wrenched her awake. Pushing herself up, she gathered up her loosely waving hair and tied it into a messy ponytail, hastily moving about. The others, save Sokka, had already awoke and were swiftly packing up camp.
"Sokka, you lazy ass! Get up!" Toph kicked at the water tribe boy's head, a discontented frown settling on her face.
"I'm up, I'm up!" Sokka always had trouble waking in the mornings, let alone at midnight. "What time is it?" He yawned greatly.
"It's about midnight, but we have to go. Azula's on our tail," Zuko explained, launching himself onto Appa's saddle.
Sokka's eyes bulged out at this statement. "Oh. My. GOD!!! Did we get all our stuff? Is everyone here? Is everyone safe? Did we pack up every single thing? Are all the footprints erased? What about the fire we had? Are all the ashes tossed? Where exactly is she right now? How long do we have to escape?"
"Snoozles. Calm down. Miss Spoiled Fire Princess is probably a good ten miles away. As long as we are able to escape her grasp by five miles, then we're good." Toph scraped under a nail coolly.
"What. Do. You. Mean??!! The psycho bitch is out there to get us and you're telling me to CALM?!?!" Sokka practically screamed, his hands entangled in his hair and pulling at the roots.
"Yep. That's basically it." Toph yawned and mounted Appa along with Katara and Aang.
"So… Are you going to stand there and gape all day or are you going to come up and escape with us?" Katara raised a brow, stifling a low giggle.
"Of course I'm coming!" Sokka declared, trudging up to the giant beast.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here we go again… Another adventure of soaring through the skies, nearly escaping danger. Where will we land this time? What awaits us when we do reach the ground?
Katara just sat there, pondering these things with her knees curled up to her chest.
ZAP! Suddenly, a sparkle of blue lightning whizzed by her head, nearly sizzling her to a crisp. She could feel the hair on her neck prickle as the fervent heat warmed up comfortably to her formerly cool skin.
"AZULA!" Zuko alerted everyone.
"Come on, boy! Yip, yip!" Aang urged Appa to soar faster, straining the rains on his bison.
"You guys, we have to fight her from the ground. There's no other way! Up in the air, it's too dangerous!" Sokka exclaimed
Zuko clenched his fists as Appa descended slowly behind a patch of rocks.
"Hn. Perfect." Azula smirked, sparking a blue flame onto her index finger. The Rough Rhino she rode galloped heavily towards the giant bison, bearing its teeth and thrashing its horns menacingly.
"She's coming!" Toph bended a shield of rock over everyone's head, just as a streak of lightning hit. "Brace yourselves!"
The rock wall vibrated ominously as everyone withheld a fighting stance. BAM! It burst open, chunks of rock flying randomly into the air. Zuko crouched down, covering his neck and head.
"CHARGE!" Sokka's strangely authoritative voice was what brought Zuko to his senses.
ZIP! Another sparkle of blue lightning zapped through the air with a striking precision. It spiraled clean through the trunk of a nearby tree, then dissolving in midair at the foot of a leafy bush.
"Azula, you won't get away with this!" Zuko felt a thrash of energy flounce up in his stomach and into his chest. It swirled intensely then traveled through his veins, up into his arms. The throng of potential energy thrust up into his fingers, exerting out as a force of blazing orange fire.
A heated pressure between the fire and Azula built up, finally exploding when the spoiled princess brushed away the flame with an armored arm. She smiled smugly, a triumphant gleam in her eye. Without further ado, she charged straight at her traitorous older brother, a fierceness in her movements that she showed no one else. Her two henchmen, Mai and Ty Lee followed behind their on their own rhinos. Zuko paused, forgetting everything that was happening to him when he made abrupt eye contact with Mai, his former girlfriend.
No… Don't make me do this… Zuko stiffened slightly. He failed to notice the streak of cerulean blast towards him from the side. All he saw was Mai's alarmed look and the bashing of her rhino, which sensed her sudden change in moods. What happened next seemed to etch itself out in slow motion, every little detail happening, outlined with raw emotion.
"ZUKO!!!" An unbelievable force hit him from the side, but there was no pain. No blood oozed out from an expected wound.
"Oof!" Zuko skidded across the rocky ground, tumbling past many pebbles. "Ugh…" He propped himself up, glaring at Azula with a poisonous rage in his eyes.
"Look what you did, Zuzu. You don't belong here. All you'll do is get in the way and hurt those around you. Look at your pathetic water wench girlfriend. She had to save your ass. Are you really that weak as to get distracted by your ex while your current lover tries to save you?" Azula mocked.
Mai winced at these lines, but kept a cool poise.
Zuko looked back at Katara and cringed. The bitter guilt solidified in his chest, creating a lump of regret. The waterbender now lay, crumpled, in a sorry heap off to the side, nursing a gaping wound in her side. A dark liquid oozed over her skin, staining her clothes crimson. Her face contorted into that of pain.
"Katara!" Sokka ran over to his sister's side, followed by Aang and Toph.
"Don't listen to her Zuko! This wasn't your fault!" Katara winced at the barely audible words that managed to escape her lips.
"Azula always lies, Azula always lies…" Zuko chanted over and over again, like it would make his treacherous sister just disappear.
"On the contrary, Zuzu, you're the one who's always deceiving yourself." Azula examined a long, sharp nail.
This gesture of complete coolness made Zuko bristle. "Katara, I-I'm sorry…." He whispered to no one in particular.
"Zuko…" Ty Lee spoke softly from her position behind Azula.
"Come on, Ladies, we're taking them prisoner." Azula snapped. "Mai, Ty Lee, you get the idiot, the earthbender, my brother, and the water wench. The Avatar is mine."
"Aang, run!" Katara called out, her voice hoarse. She suddenly groaned, clutching her side in agony.
"Katara! I can't…" Aang shook his head.
"Aang, you have to go. You're our last chance of peace. If you don't go…" Sokka didn't even need to finish his sentence.
A tear slid slowly down Aang's pale cheek. This was no time to cry. Withholding his mental protests, Aang opened up his glider and started up towards the sky, Appa following close behind.
Azula growled lowly, a note of frustration in her tone. "You won't get away!" She shot one last pillar of lightning towards the ascending boy, missing him narrowly by the head.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"LET ME OUT YOU HEAR?! LET ME OUT!!!" Toph banged helplessly on the wooden cage. But her efforts were futile. She couldn't bend wood.
"We all want to get out as much as you do, Toph, but sadly, we're drugged," Zuko sympathized.
"I wasn't talking to you, Hothead." The earthbender continued to bang her head against the wooden bars, splinters flying out from the impact.
"Ssh… Katara's sleeping." Sokka laid a finger softly on his lips, his eyes gazing back at his unconscious sister in wonder. The threesome had tried their best to heal Katara's gash. Their feats had proved fruitless, but they still wouldn't give up. In the current state, Katara would only worsen.
"Hey little girl! Shut. Up." One of the armed guards barked into the cell. "The princess has been kind enough to bring you food." He spat at the ground rudely, then tossed in a meager bowl of cold rice soup with bits of rotting bread cooked into it. He then shot a disdainful look at Katara. "Water tribe peasants."
"Watch your mouth you bastard!" Sokka was enraged. He leapt up from his spot next to Katara and lunged at the guard, only to be stopped by the bars.
It was then that the guard disrespectfully laughed like he'd never had before. His ringing outburst still echoed in Sokka's ears, even as he made his way down the hall, swinging metallic keys on his gloved finger.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Katara lay awake that night, her side bluntly drumming with torment. The unbearable pain pierced into her ribcage like nothing else before, severely causing a fresh batch of perspire to roll down her forehead. She felt dirty in this dingy little cage, her hair matted to her head. How could she sleep surrounded by dozens of guards and Aang flying somewhere far, far away. Had he even survived Azula's merciless attacks? She shuddered at the thought of Aang free-falling through the air then tumbling to the ground with a charred corpse remaining.
Knock. Knock. The hair on Katara's neck stood up.
"Zuko…" A soft, emotionless voice hissed through the bars.
She heard a brief rustling of clothes and hands scratching the grounds before the said teen answered. "Mai? What are you doing here?"
"I-I wanted to see if you were ok…" A soft breath escaped the girl's lips before she continued. "I was worried about you. Azula's still deciding your punishment. Zuko, please, take our side. I'm begging you. I don't want to see you get hurt any further."
Zuko sighed, leaning back against the wall. "No, Mai. Understand that I have to do this. My destiny's intertwined with the Ava—Aang's and there's nothing you can do to change that. I swore that I would never betray them I plan on keeping that vow."
"But Zuko! You'll only get hurt more!" Mai whimpered, glistening tears shining in her eyes like crystals.
Katara curled up tighter at the exchanged words. They seemed so close. She never even knew Zuko was capable of loving someone like that. Or was it love at all? They were all so young. What did they know about love? At least, that was what Gran-Gran would tell her.
Gran-Gran… I miss home so much…
"Mai, I'm sorry I ever left you. It was something I had to do alone. I know that deep inside, you're unable to betray Azula. Merciless or not, it's all the same. My sister hard provided you with friendship and that's something important. I'll probably regret this later but, Mai, I think it's time we go our separate ways."
Katara inhaled sharply, gasping at a sudden pain that infiltrated her body, courtesy to her injury.
"Wh-What?! Zuko… Please tell me this is a dream and you're just playing some cruel joke," Mai whispered, her voice quavering with fear.
"No, it's not, Mai."
"Is it her?" Katara could just imagine Mai pointing a snide finger at her back.
"No. Now, I'd like to get some sleep." Zuko's voice hardened and with another ruffling of cloth, he was still.
Deft, soft footsteps sauntered quickly out of the room, accompanied by a swishing of fabrics. Mai was gone in an instant, probably craving the dark depths of her room. Katara didn't even realize she was holding her breath until her lungs started to suffocate due to lack of air. Quickly, she drew in a deep gulp of crisp air, her nostrils flaring at the stench.
"Katara, I know you're awake."
Katara winced, but not out of pain. Crawling up, she clutched her side, gasping for an intake of air.
"Katara!" Zuko's eyes widened. He supported her against the thick metal wall behind her.
"You didn't have to do that."
"What do you mean?"
"You didn't have to break it. Your relationship still could've worked you know. You're all just victims of this war. After all this, after Aang finds peace, you can be together again. I know how much you'd like that."
Zuko shook his head. "No. It won't work out. What if the Avatar er… I mean Aang doesn't even make it? What would we do then? And even if he did win, Mai would be imprisoned in the dungeons."
Katara sighed heavily, resting a light hand on her wound. Blood had clotted around the area in a grotesque way. The dried rusty bits fell off whenever she brushed a finger tenderly to the area. It still drummed, batching the beat of her heart, but the hurt could be brushed off compared to how Zuko was feeling right now. He probably was trying very hard to grapple the emotion of being dejected, puzzled, and torn at the same time. No matter. She had felt the same way before and could probably work to console him.
"Zuko, in a world like this, the only way to survive is to have hope. Honor, respect, and all that other crap is pretty much useless, though they can come in handy when negotiating with others. That's what I've learned by traveling with the Avatar. I remember once, we arrived at a town that celebrated Avatar Day. There, we found out that by celebrating, they meant constructing large sculptures of Avatar Roku, Avatar Kyoshi, and Aang, and then burning them. A man with a torch would come and then just burst through one of the sculptures, starting an uproarious cheer throughout the large crowd that would gather."
"My father would've loved that," Zuko mused dryly.
Katara giggled softly. "Well, I couldn't help but extinguish the fires then start to persuade the people that the Avatars helped. Aang jumped out onto the shoulder of his statue and announced his arrival to the throng of villagers. You wanna guess what happened next?"
Zuko raised a brow then shook his head, 'no.' "Why are you telling me this anyway?"
"You'll see. Well, Aang was to be put to trial to see if he were to be proven guilty or not. And you know what? He had to pay bail and he gave them water tribe money. Naturally, they wouldn't accept the coins and Aang was convicted…"
Zuko chuckled at this.
"In order to get him out, we had to prove to the villagers he was no threat." Katara didn't want to get into the prickly details, so skipped straight to the end to express her point. "At the very end, after Aang had succeeded in convincing the villagers he was there for their well-being, they developed Avatar Day into something else. This time, they truly celebrated the presence of the Avatar with uncooked dough and great festivities."
"What does this have to do with anything?" Zuko inquired.
"Be patient. I'm just trying to express how trekking on a fateful journey with Aang could be fun. You need to lighten up more, Zuko. Another thing. Have you heard of the tale of Omashu? You know, the Cave of Two Lovers?"
"No…" Zuko looked hesitant to hear the story.
"Well… Once upon a time, two people named Oma and Shu met on the top of a mountain dividing two feuding villages. The twosome fell in love and by learning earthbending from badger-moles, they were able to create intricate but elaborately-built tunnels underground where they could secretly meet often with no one pursuing them. One day, the man Shu didn't show up because he had been killed in the war between the villages. Oma, as you can imagine, had been devastated and she unleashed a very powerful display of earthbending power. But, instead of harming anyone, as expected, she declared the treacherous war to be over. Both the villages helped her build one large city where they could all live in harmony as one. They called that place Omashu, which was a combination of the two names," Katara explained.
Zuko took some time to register all the information just given to him.
"Their situation sort of resembles the one both you and Mai have. I'm not saying that any one of you guys would die or something, but if you look at it this way, things may seem clearer. You and Mai are both positioned in a difficult situation right now. Your only chance of getting through is to have hope and rely on love to pull you through. Faith is what you need, Zuko, just like what Oma and Shu had."
"Are you serious? Do you really think that faith and love and all that other crap will get me through this war? Katara, you do realize that this is a fight that can't be avoided, right? Maybe it's delirium…" Zuko stared at her like she was crazy.
"No, I'm not crazy. It's like I said. Maybe you should think about it."
"Mai and I are clearly not meant to be together, so can you please just leave us alone?" Zuko pleaded, his eyes burdened with grief.
Katara looked away. She couldn't bring herself to stare into those vivid, beautiful amber eyes. Wait… Where did the word beautiful come from? Katara's mind whirled with a fluent tsunami of emotions.
"I-I'm just going to go to sleep now…" she said lowly, her voice barely above a whisper.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Toph sat in the corner of the cell, her head resting atop her drawn knees. Last night, she had heard everything Sugar Queen and Hothead had discussed. The love story had the most effect on her. Frankly, she wasn't ever the biggest fan of sappy romance tales, but this one had quite the impression on her. Her mind often drifted back to Aang when the story was brought up into her head. She wanted to know if he was alright. Basically, she was worried about him. Ever since that last alone conversation she'd had with Twinkle Toes, she'd felt different about him. Her heart beat sped up quickly, much like what happened when Katara neared Zuko.
"Toph, get a grip. You don't need anybody," the young, naive earthbender told herself confidently.
"Toph, you're up?"
"Hothead." Toph addressed him coolly. "You actually called me by my name. Impressive. So, the rumor is true. Firebenders do rise with the sun."
"Stop acting so tough. We all know you're breaking inside as well."
So, Hothead could read between the lines just as well as she could.
"What're you talking about?" Toph decided to take it the hard way. She'd avoid any contact with Hothead until further ado then, or at least, she'd try to.
"You know what I'm talking about. Don't try to hide your feelings all the time. That will only serve to depress you even more. At least I've learned to be more articulate and communicate more."
"Yeah right, you're still a social outcast, Hothead. You have no right to talk to me like that," Toph claimed.
Zuko furrowed his brows. Once, Katara had told him that he was like this earthbender. Was he really that stubborn? "I may not be as much accepted as you are, but you have an advantage. You've been with them longer. Look, all I'm trying to say is that if you reveal your heart to others, they'll have a chance to help you and you may just be able to discover more in this world."
"I'm proud of you, Hothead. You picked up from your uncle." Toph grinned, straightening her back. She tossed her head and snorted, chortling a bit before going back to speaking. "And if I were you, I wouldn't be so quick to say that the others don't accept you quite yet. It's just that you're reluctant to join in. Remember, I can sense your vibrations."
Zuko could easily guess the conversation being over right when Toph had said that. He had known that the Bei Fong family had been pretty tough, but he never guessed they had such authority. Perhaps all that wealth and power had gone to their heads, just so it did his father. Turning away, he cast a glance at the dozing companions. Katara had curled up into a tight ball, trying to keep herself warm. Sokka was right by his younger sister, his soft snoring disrupting the peace of the air.
Sometimes, Zuko felt he envied the siblings. They had a tight bond, connected not only by blood, but also by heart. Despite their daily arguments and petty fights, anyone could tell they were close. "If only I had everything like you do, Sokka, then I'd be happy," Zuko murmured to himself. If Azula and Zuko were like that, would she be with him on his side right now?
"Zuzu! What are you doing?" Azula gave her older brother a playful swat at the shoulder.
"I'm trying to finish this for you!" Zuko proudly brandished a string of dried flowers, intricately linked together with braided blades of strong grass.
"Oh! That's so sweet!" Azula perked up immediately. She snatched the floral choker away and looped it over her neck sweetly. "Thanks Zuko!"
The two siblings chuckled together, a harmonious atmosphere spiraling around them both.
Zuko chilled involuntarily at the thought that replayed itself over and over again in his mind. A scene like that was literally impossible. Azula would most definitely commit suicide before something like that would ever happen in real life. But, there was still a glimmer of hope in Zuko's heart for Azula's miraculous conversion. Sometime, in a parallel universe when cutesy Koala Sheep took over the world, Azula would be the sweet, but feisty little sister Zuko wished he's always had.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A/N: This chapter was unusually long…. . Oh well… I guess the story had a little twist and there was an awful lot of information to suck into your brains. I inserted a bit of Maiko for those who wanted to see a bit of Zuko and Mai. They broke up in the end, and that's the last you'd be seeing of the Maiko ship in this story, but I didn't want to focus too much on that triangle. I mean, it'd totally distract me from the actual plot of my story, as brought up by one of my readers, Dea BGA.
Dea BGA- Thank you for bringing that up. I'll try my hardest to focus on my main plot. Also, about Teo, Haru, Momo, and the others, I just want to clear things up. They were left behind at the Western Air Temple to fend for themselves until the Gaang (not a typo) returns after destroying Azula's team at Ba Sing Se.
Anyways, I was really disappointed and saddened by the amount of reviews I received. I was really hoping for 15… Well, with a heavy and discouraged heart, I must say to you guys that I REALLY REALLY am wishing that I'd get 15 reviews for this chapter, to make up for the loss of reviews in the last one.
Goal: 15 reviews
Note: No updates will occur until 15 or more reviews are submitted. This time, it's for real. I already have chapter 8 planned and ready to be put down on the computer. Chapter 9 is vaguely in my mind as well.