AN: Sorry for the delay, just did a couple of my 10 IGCSEs, 2 down 8 to go in May. Hope you enjoy this chapter and review please! This chapter is of yet unbetaed so, the betaed chapter will replace this one soonish. anyway enjoy!
Whispered lore fades to memory. Shameful tales kept to thyself. Tales buried deep within ones soul. Tales that no one but you know. But some stories embed themselves in your heart. Some stories leap from mouth to ear to mouth to ear. Some stories are just mean to be told.
The Keepers: Rise
Origins II Katara
Movement III – Amazon
Katara slumped onto the beach outside of Utunus Secondary School. She relished the smell of the ocean spray and the sound of the tide crashing upon the shore. Then, she cringed in pain. The spasm shot through her abdomen and raced across her entire being. She groaned, tiredly lifting her hand up and calling the water towards her, not caring if someone were to come across her doing this. Gritting her teeth as another pang of pain rushed across her body, she willed the water to rest upon her torso and spoke one word
"Kuponya" {"Heal"}
She sighed in temporary relief as the pain numbed, remembering her day.
"Ouch!"
"Watch where you're going mister!"
The teen fell on his butt clumsily after absentmindedly bumping into her. She was late enough as it was! Her eyes flashed in anger as she suddenly realised that she now had detention for being late twice this week to school. Mentally groaning, she turned away from him and said.
"Mark my words whoever you are, I do not like you."
She cringed at the memory. That was not what she meant to say to him, in fact, if he had crashed into her any day other than the day of the start of her period, she would have probably helped him up; but instead, he caught her while she PMS-ed.
Quite suddenly a grin broke out on her face as she recalled a more pleasant event, for 2 years and a week to date, The Painted Lady had joined the fight against the forces of Accida; and even better, exactly 1 year ago, she had been accepted (however reluctantly) by the Blue Spirit as a protector of Unitas. Of course, after actually spending some time with the guy, her opinion of the Blue Spirit had changed, slightly, he was only mortal after all. She shrugged, her opinion did change, but he still could be a cold, stoical, jerk; but she did have to hand it to the guy; it was, after all, his turf first.
Her grin grew wider as she remembered exactly how she got accepted.
"Stop doing that!"
She cried out in frustration. As another group of Accidan lackeys were knocked out not by her, but by the Blue Spirit. The unit of felons lay writhing in agony on the ground and he was crouched above them, securing the bindings he placed on their limbs. He seemingly ignored her as she ranted on.
"I mean, you can't just waltz in on another person's stakeout and take over the job for them! I've been here for the past three days based on information from…"
It was at this point she realised three things. One, she was rambling. Two, she almost told the Blue Spirit that her information came from her father – not good. Three, he wasn't even listening!
"Hey, just you wait mister, this is my city too. I have a right to protect it, just as much as you do. And who told you that only you were allowed to protect this city? You don't even have the power that I do! I have magical abilities, and you? You're just some random guy that decided, hey, why don't I traipse around in spandex beating people up! You know…"
"It's kelvar."
He said, his gruff tones interrupting her. She stopped mid-rant in surprise. He never talked to her. Other than their first encounter, when they met, he had not spoken. At all. Yet there was something different about his voice. She distinctly remembered the Blue Spirit's voice being 2 octaves higher than it was now, that in mind, she scrutinised his figure.
"What?"
He questioned her, feeling uncomfortable, he preferred to work in silence, noise drew attention to him. More attention meant a higher chance of Accida finding out his true identity. Additionally, silence would prevent awkward situations. Such as the one he found himself in. He shifted noiselessly from foot to foot, wondering if could make his usual disappearance soon when she started to giggle. Then her giggles morphed, into full on belly splitting laughter. And inbetween each cry, she gasped.
"Not only are you a powerless, chauvinistic jerk. You're a powerless, chauvinistic jerk that traipses around in span- excuse me - kelvar, going through puberty, with his voice beginning to break."
"I do not traipse!"
Ordinarily, this would have been rather intimidating, as he replied in his usual 'Ghost Tone™' of gruffness and growls. What made it amusing to her really, was that while it was indeed intimidating, it was only so when he said 'I do'. His 'not traipse' had somehow decided that he was not a human, but a mouse, and so turned into this ridiculously high squeak. Humorously, to her at least, he had quickly clamped his left hand over his mouth and was now trying to re-gain his 'reputation' by fixing her with a 'Soul Stare™' (patent pending of the Blue Spirit). The blank look bored into her soul and she grasped why the criminals were frightened of him. Then deftly removing his hand from over his mouth he spoke.
"Meet me at the beach, Ionpass' Cove, 20 minutes."
Behind the veil, her eyebrows rose, and she swore that his voice had dropped lower than her father's. It actually made the 'Ghost Tone' almost freaky. With that thought, she quickly, froze the criminals onto the pavement and said –
"Haraka!" {"Rapids!"}
She had to get there soon, the place of the stakeout was exactly 20 minutes away from Ionpass' Cove. In any case, she could only run so fast.
She got to the cove in 15 minutes.
It was deserted.
Maybe he was running late? Maybe he forgot? Well, if he forgot, great! She had school tomorrow anyway. She was just about to turn out of the cove when she heard him.
"You're late."
She whipped around to find him standing right behind her, casually , as if he had been in that spot the whole time. She could only read arrogance from his posture and so went on the defensive.
"Excuse me for making sure that they would stay there!"
"You want to fight?"
How could he constantly shock her? How could he so rudely interrupt her? How could he treat her like she hadn't been defending the city for the past year?
"Excuse me?" she replied angrily.
"You want to help? Tie against me."
'So,' she thought to herself, 'he thinks I won't be able to beat him, even with my powers.' And with that she had only two words to say to him,
"Bring it."
Then suddenly, she heard footsteps, running all around, surrounding her. Then, all was still. She turned. She looked. No one was around. No one was there. The Blue Spirit had lived up to his name. He had spirited away…
"COWARD!" her voice rang through the cove.
Then it hit her.
The force threw her to the ground. Sending her into overdrive. She couldn't see him. No, he kept to the shadows too well. She couldn't hear him. No, he was as stealthy as a predator. She couldn't… wait. SHE COULD!
The water in his being called to her like a moth to a flame, unbidden, she uttered words that would change their relationship from barely tolerated acquaintances, to reluctant partners.
"Maji ya ndani, kumfunga adui yangu!" {"Water within, bind my enemy!"}
Then she saw him, he was struggling within her hold. Her hold. She did it! She overpowered him. She…oh dear. She was blood bending. The one thing her mother told her that was an absolute, last resort action, and she didn't listen when her mum taught her the 'antidote', now all she could do was watch him. Watch him writhe in agony. Watch him fade in her grasp. Then, something odd happened. Words he obviously did not know spilt out of his mouth.
"Botar lume, auga!" {"Unhand fire, water!"}
She felt her hold on him release as crimson flames burst out of his body and he collapsed. 'Spirit Tone™' gone as he shakily asked her.
"What just happened?"
With such a event, as the one that just passed, all she could say simply was
"Magic."
From then on, she recalled, the Blue Spirit would meet up with her to learn how she controlled her powers. He accepted her help, (rather grudgingly actually) and showed her the true ropes of the city. Additionally, he had her, and she him, on speed dial now. She smiled, pulling out the portable Spirit Caller she kept on her person at all times. Admiring it. Then the blue, white and silver logo lit up, she quickly placed the communications device to her ear, (to protect her identity, of course) and answered.
"What's up?"
His voice for some reason, had decided to pull out of the freakishly deep regions to a smooth range of a tenor-baritone. She actually enjoyed listening to it now that it had settled there. Personally, she thought that he could probably make a living reading out books to turn into audio books.
"Straits road. Accidan thugs. Jewel heist."
"Got you."
She wondered why the Accidans were attacking during the day, they usually waited till the cover of night to attack. She then saw the silverish glow of the landscape and realised, it was night. Good thing her father knew what she was doing. She couldn't handle Sokka being all overprotective. She shuddered with the thought of what he would do if he found out that his father and sister were keeping secrets from him; and with that, she hung up, carefully placed the communicator on the ground, and cried out the words that were now so familiar to her –
"Silaha ya maji, kulinda yangu!" {"Armour of water, protect me!"}
"Ukungu!" {"Mist!"}
"Haraka!" {"Rapids!"}
and took off, into the night.
AN: So once again, sorry about the delay and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
