Disclaimer: I don't own 'Avatar: The Last Airbender'
Notes: This would take place instead of Book One: Water, Chapter Thirteen: The Blue Spirit. (Fourth part)
Thanks for waiting! My exams have finished (alleluia!) and I'm back to regularly updating this story. And, we have beaten the 100-reviews mark! Thanks for your continued support and keep it coming! ((Is such a review-junkie))
Ugh, I got all Darwin-y at the end (revising for your science exams can do that to you). Cookies if you can spot it.
SMOKE
Smoke... smoke... had to get out of the smoke... suddenly a warm hand gripped onto her wrist tightly. Katara stopped breathing. "Where do you think you're going, water peasant?"
Flowerperson
© 2006
Part VIII: Ping!
Admiral Zhao snickered coldly (reflecting his personality), as he understood the Blue Spirit's request. "Me? Free her? Whilst you have the Avatar?" he smirked, "I don't think so. Decide, masked warrior: the girl, or the Avatar."
The sword to the Avatar's neck moved slightly, scaring the admiral. It would be necessary in order for Zhao to learn that he was not in any position to make a deal. The Blue Spirit was in control now—it was his game. He motioned again with his other sword for the water peasant to be released. The officer growled, and another staring match ensued until the Blue Spirit was the victor once again.
Stumbling forward, the girl put a hand to her neck, wiping away the warm blood that was beginning to pool in the hollow of her throat. Waving his sword, the water peasant got the hint and stood behind him, backing away.
He almost said a taunting comment in order to infuriate Zhao more... almost. But revealing his identity would surely mean death, or perhaps a lifetime of imprisonment. Both did not appeal to the Blue Spirit. And yet, the soldier was far too calm about this. He was giving up too quickly. Surely he had another trick up his sleeve, somewhere, somehow at some point. Admiral Zhao would fight to the death to get into the Fire Lord's good books.
Soon they were out of the gate, and out of the Fire Nation fortress. His eyes continued to flicker back and forth, looking for anything that might hinder their escape. This was far too easy, especially when dealing with someone such as Zhao therefore far more suspicious.
The forest was a few yards away—they just might be able to reach it in time.
He was successful. The Avatar was in his hands, and he would finally be able to fulfil his mission. He would be able to regain the things that he craved the most and go down in history. The fame didn't appeal to him, but the honour that accompanied it sure did.
He would be able to—
Ping!
Darkness for the Blue Spirit.
-
Aang gasped as he felt the broadsword to his neck fall to the floor. He spun to look at his rescuer-and-captor to find him sprawled on top of Katara, unconscious. The water-tribe girl carefully rolled him off her then glanced to Aang. He smiled, glad to see her again, but she was biting her lip, trying to shake the swordsman awake. When she saw that he would not be cognisant for a while, her hands tentatively travelled to his mask, lifting it up...
"No," Aang hissed urgently before she had a chance to reveal anything but his chin, "We haven't got time, Katara." He glanced back to the gates of the fortress and spotted the Fire Nation troops charging forwards. "Let's get him out of here."
She nodded once and put the mask back on securely. After making a dust cloud surround them, the Avatar picked up the black-clad stranger and dragged him into the forest with Katara keeping an eye out for any stray soldiers.
-
The Blue Spirit awoke with a groan. His eyes fluttered open slowly and could see tall trees but the holes in his mask did not allow much field vision. Realising that yes, he had been unconscious (how long, he did not know), he quickly sat up only to put a hand to his head as sharp pain assaulted his cranium. Wondering where he was, he continued to look around and came to the conclusion that he was in a forest (Fire Nation foliage, mostly—he must be near Fire Nation territory).
"Oh, you're awake!"
He turned to the side and saw the waterbending girl sitting on a rock nearby. The wound to her cheek had been cleaned, as had the one on her neck. He shakily got to his feet—had they discovered who he was?
"Don't worry; we didn't want to invade your privacy so we didn't remove your mask." Even though I wanted to, her mind added with a sigh. "Although, it would be nice if I knew who our ally was."
The Blue Spirit sneered and checked that he had both of his broadswords with him. Where was the Avatar?
She must have been able to read minds. "Aang—the Avatar—has gone to get my brother, Sokka and give him some medicine. He said that he got caught in a storm and was really ill and kinda delirious. If you ask me, I reckon that's just average Sokka." She giggled at her own joke, and he realised that she was making small-talk. Suppressing another scoff, he rubbed his hands together and continued to walk about, ready to firebend when the Avatar returned.
Suddenly stumbling on an inconvenient rock, he tripped forward but managed to save himself just in time. He still felt groggy, perhaps he had a concussion.
"Careful," she advised in the same tone that a certain uncle of his used, "You don't want to injure yourself any further. I…I—I was wondering," the peasant stuttered, "Were you just being secretive or are you a mute?"
He didn't answer; did she really expect him to?
"Oh well, I guess I'll never know. I just... wanted to thank you for saving Aang... and me from those Fire Nation soldiers. I don't really agree with your tactics—I didn't appreciate being knocked out—but you saved us, so I'm grateful. I dread to think what would have happened to me if I had stayed. Ever since my mother was killed by firebenders, and my father went away to The War, I've always been... terrified of them. Just a few days ago, I was captured by Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation—"
Irony or what? The Blue Spirit grinned behind his mask.
"—and I was trying my absolute hardest to not appear afraid. My brother always tells me that they're like animals. If they think you're afraid, it just makes them happier. But when we had an argument, he lost control and... I should have known how dangerous they were, I guess. Have you ever seen Prince Zuko?" The Blue Spirit nodded, why not? "Well, when I first saw his scar, I was scared of him—it gives off that aura of danger, you know?"
He smirked.
"But really, I pitied him."
The smirk became a scowl.
"And when I was on his ship being held captive, his uncle told me about how he got it and I felt even sorrier for him. Did you know that it was his father that did that? Scarred his son? He's my enemy, and sometimes I think that he deserved it."
She exhaled loudly, and suddenly the Blue Spirit didn't want to hear any more.
"But then, does anyone deserve that? He was doing the right thing. He spoke out against a heinous Fire Nation plan, but... what he's become now, just reflects his disfigurement. Sometimes I get the feeling he's a good person—he saved a whole village from annihilation—but then he just contradicts himself by threatening to destroy an innocent town in order to capture the Avatar so he can return home. But you know what? After hearing so many stories about the Fire Lord, I don't think that he'll ever welcome Zuko back… Avatar or no Avatar."
He definitely didn't want to hear any more of her twisting, bruising words that poked at his ego, at his confidence. Walking away, he was surprised by a soft yet firm grip on his arm. The Blue Spirit turned to see the water peasant smiling at him with eyes full of life.
"I'm sorry. You've probably had your own run-ins with the Fire Nation. Memories... we all have such painful memories. But don't worry; you don't have to talk about it. People deal with it differently. You must be like my brother, Sokka. He hardly ever mentions it, and if he does, he's always angry…" she rambled on, "So what do you want to do until Aang gets back?"
Burn you to a crisp. The Blue Spirit shrugged half-heartedly.
They lapsed into uncomfortable quiet (she had returned to sit on the rock and he still had his back to her). A few minutes later, he heard the crack of a twig behind him and spun only to find himself a few inches from the girl. Her cheeks reddened, as her gaze lowered to the floor. "I...I—I'm sorry. I was just... never mind."
Why wasn't she moving away? Her hands moved up to his metal mask, admiring the handiwork.
"This mask... is it from the Water Tribes? Blue and white are our traditional colours, so it makes sense. We never really had masks in the South Pole so I guess it must be from the Northern Water Tribe." Her azure eyes suddenly brightened, "Are you from the North Pole?"
He grabbed her hand and lowered it from his mask before shaking his head.
"Oh." She seemed to be dejected with that discovery. What a pity. "It's just that we're making our way to the Northern Water Tribe to find a waterbending master to teach Aang, and hopefully me too." Again, the awkward silence returned. The girl realised how close they were and stepped back, a faint blush across her cheeks. Why was she blushing? This little peasant really confused him, and only made his headache that much worse. The Blue Spirit was more than glad when the Avatar returned (with a lemur on his shoulder?). The other water peasant walked with him, a sceptic look on his face. Nevertheless, he rushed over to his sister.
"Katara!" he exclaimed, "You're okay!"
She nodded, tears beginning to fill her eyes, "Sokka, I missed you so much!"
A sibling reunion. How sweet. The elder boy turned to the Blue Spirit, the frown back on his face. "Aang told me that you saved Katara," he inhaled sharply before sticking out his hand, "Thanks. I owe you one."
One? He saved the Avatar too! (Even if he was going to just capture him again.) The masked warrior refused the gesture, and the Water Tribe warrior's scowl deepened.
"What's with the mask?" he asked, taking a step forward. The Blue Spirit took a step back, keeping the same distance between them. He turned his head to the Avatar. If he could just grab him and run... "Come on, what's with all the secrecy? It's not like we're going to tell anyone. And if we did, you'd be a hero!" He said 'hero' in a tone that made the Blue Spirit certain the peasant was suspicious of him.
He had to act now.
Lunging towards the Avatar, the Blue Spirit noticed too late that the Water Tribe boy was ready for this as he struck out with his whale-bone club. It managed to cause the tender part of the Blue Spirit's skull to throb again, and he fell to his knees. The pain! Black spots danced across his vision; he nearly slipped into unconsciousness yet again. Still hearing the ringing in his ears, the Blue Spirit threw off his mask, revealing a scarred face.
The girl—her ultramarine eyes wide and puzzled—and the Avatar gasped whereas the boy went in for another attack, raising his club. Prince Zuko dodged and responded with a stream of fire. It caught the warrior's robes but he was able to easily put them out. The Water Tribesman threw his boomerang with a rather impressive aim, one to rival the YuuYan archers. Luckily, Zuko was agile and managed to dodge the projectile on its way out, and its journey back.
What the prince did not realise was that the boy's plan—distraction—had worked and both the waterbender and the Avatar were already on the bison. The Water Tribe warrior caught the boomerang and hopped onto the Avatar's creature as it made its ascent.
"No!" he called as he sent a jet of flames.
He had been so close to retrieving the Avatar! He had had the child in his grasp! Soon the bison became a speck on the blue expanse of sky and Zuko was left with yet another day of failure and disappointment.
Just like every other day...
Blue eyes like sapphires flashed in his memory, unsettled seas of confusion and betrayal.
-
Iroh was playing the Sunghi Horn when his nephew finally returned. The grinning monkey statue he had bought from the pirates' ship was on a table next to him, its rubies reflecting the light from the sun. "Where have you been, Prince Zuko?" The young prince did not respond, storming past him. "You missed Music Night! Lieutenant Jee sang a stirring love song."
"I am going to bed." Zuko stated with a hint of annoyance. He rubbed his head then added: "No disturbances."
Casting one suspicious glance Prince Zuko's way, Iroh shrugged his shoulders and put his lips to the mouthpiece of the horn, playing one piece he had memorized in his youth.
-
"Ever since my mother was killed by firebenders"...
"I've always been... terrified of them"...
"My brother always tells me that they're like animals"...
"After hearing so many stories about the Fire Lord, I don't think that he'll ever welcome Zuko back, Avatar or no Avatar"...
"Memories... we all have such painful memories"...
Her words were not to be trusted—she was a waterbending peasant, a member of an opposing nation in this war. Yet, again and again he found himself thinking over her comments, her experiences, and her beliefs.
She was just a peasant! What did she know about war? The losses he had to bear?
An awful lot, some part of mind replied, knowing that there was some truth in her statements. She had lived through it, just as he had. There was hardly a person in this world that was not affected by this conflict.
It was—and is—necessary, another section of him rebuked. It is necessary for the more dominant nation to take control—it is Destiny, Fate, the Natural Order of Things, Survival of the Fittest.
Perhaps there was a reason to why Zuko slept with his back to the Fire Nation flag that night.
-
