Chapter 10
Nami was the first one up the next morning and when Calen woke up and joined her, she was fiddling with her phone.
"What's up Nami?"
"I have a contact in a town about nine miles away and she has some information on where more prison camps are."
"Really? So, what's the plan el Capitan?"
"I have a general idea, but I'm not sure. Let's wait for everyone else to wake up and we'll see what to do from there."
"Sounds like a plan. I'll start on breakfast." Calen said and he started rummaging through the supplies for some pans, eggs and bacon. "Little help?" He asked, motioning towards the fire pit.
"Sure."
"Thanks." She just nodded and sat at the table and quickly became deeply absorbed in thought. As Calen started to fry up the bacon, Shiro, Juri and Tyshi emerged from their beds.
"Mm… smells good Cal." Tyshi commented, rubbing her eyes.
"Need any help?" Juri offered.
"I'm good, thanks though."
Shiro was quiet as he rummaged for a towel and some shower supplies and wandered tiredly off towards the lake. Shiro was back in time for breakfast and Juri went to wake Tomo, Tyshi woke Mazuki and Calen took the plate of bacon to Katoram's "room".
"Wakey-wakey! Eggs and bakey!" He sing-songed to her and her reply was an angry grunt. Then the smell of bacon wafted to her and she sat up quickly, smacking her head on the stone ceiling which was quickly followed by an angry stream of curses. Calen suppressed a laugh and walked back to the table with the bacon and everyone dug in and ate their breakfast ravenously. When everyone was mostly done, Nami cleared her throat.
"I have an informant who works in a restaurant not too far from here and she has some information on more prison camps. I would suggest taking the Jeep, but that's too fire nation and it's almost out of gas. I've been thinking and obviously I can't go because I'm supposed to be dead, Shiro can't go because we can't risk the Avatar, but Mazuki and Tyshi can go."
Tyshi, Mazuki, Juri, Katoram, Tomo and Calen all raised their eyebrows questioningly and there was a loud outburst of half finished questions that all streamed together.
"Why?... No fair… Why not me?... If she's going, I'm going too… Why don't I get to…" Nami held up her hand and silenced them.
"I'm not done yet. Mazuki knows cars so she can make it look like they're stranded on the side of the road. Two girls seems innocent, three seems like a little much, and you two can get all dressed up and draw in a couple of suckers and once their busy looking under the hood, Tomo and Calen can take them out and you guys can go to town in their vehicle. Of course, you'd have to get rid of the evidence." Nami gave a meaningful look at Calen and he nodded. "Once in town, you can inconspicuously go to the restaurant and get the information. Hey, think of it as a double date." Nami added with a wry smile. "Once we get that information, we can continue with our work.
"Cool. So they get to do all the work and I get to sit back and relax." Katoram said with a content sigh and she stretched back in her seat.
"Not fair…" Shiro muttered, scuffing his shoe in the dirt.
"Double date huh?" Tomo said excitedly and winked at Tyshi.
"It seems to be all for the best I suppose…" Juri said. "I can get Mazuki and Tyshi ready. I think I know exactly what I'm going to do." She put a hand to her chin and she eyed Tyshi and Mazuki thoughtfully. "Of course," she turned her attention to Calen and Tomo, "you too will have to clean up and put something nice on. If these two are going to look nice, you guys have to at least look presentable." She nodded to herself and then motioned for Tyshi and Mazuki to follow her. She dug through her pack and withdrew some makeup and a few other items and then motioned once more for them to follow her further off into the woods.
Calen and Tomo walked off with shower supplies in hand to clean up at the lake. After a while they came back to camp. Calen was clean shaven and dressed in a tight black shirt that accentuated his well toned body and a pair of jeans. Tomo had his black hair spiked and he wore a gray wife beater which emphasized his toned and well tanned arms and khaki pants. Nami nodded in approval and Katoram jokingly wolf-whistled at them and they waited around for Juri to finish with Tyshi and Mazuki.
"Drum roll please." Juri announced, appearing out of the woods first. "I present to you… the boy bait. Come on out Tyshi, Mazuki." She waved a hand, beckoning them forward. Mazuki came out first, her hair loosely draped around her shoulders and she looked adorable in a snug sun dress that emphasized her curvy figure.
"Nice." Shiro said appreciatively and Tomo nodded and Calen gave her thumbs up.
"Tyshi?" Juri called.
"I can't believe I'm wearing this…" She mumbled before she stepped out from behind a tree. Calen and Tomo's jaw dropped instantaneously as Tyshi emerged, her long hair curled and wearing a very tight tank top that showed quite a bit of cleavage and stopped just above her belly button and wearing short jean shorts that showed off her long, slender and shapely legs.
"Wow…" Tomo muttered and Calen cleared his throat and quickly tore his eyes away.
"Nice job Juri!" Katoram congratulated and high fived her.
"Thank you, thank you." Juri curtsied playfully.
"Ready?" Nami asked the group. The four of them nodded and Calen got in the driver's seat of the Jeep and the girls piled in the back and Tomo took the front seat and they headed off for the road. Once they got there, they pulled off onto the shoulder and the boys ran down the road a bit after deciding on signals as to when a good opportunity would drive along. Mazuki quickly opened the hood and after a few minutes, she managed to get the engine smoking and she hastily shut the hood once more and leaned against the side of the car closest to the road next to Tyshi.
"Nicely done." Tyshi complimented her.
"It's not hard to destroy cars, just to fix them."
Just shy of a half hour later, Tomo appeared briefly down the road a ways and waved abruptly and then ducked back into the thick foliage.
"Here goes nothing." Tyshi muttered and stepped out onto the road and when a small sporty white car came around the corner, she waved her arms above her head with a distressed look on her pretty face. The car slowed and pulled up behind the Jeep.
"What's the problem ladies?" A blonde man around there age asked, cocking an eyebrow and appraising the appearance of both Tyshi and Mazuki.
Tyshi pulled out her sweetest and most anguished voice. "Our car broke down. We're stranded and my phone died and we have no idea what to do now. We've just been waiting around, hoping some kind stranger would come by and help us. Do you know anything about cars? If you could fix it, I'd owe you one." Tyshi winked seductively at the blonde man and he gulped, a huge grin plastering his face.
"Oh, sure, no problem. This should be an easy fix. My buddy and I know all about cars."
Mazuki walked up to the passenger side and leaned towards the other man through the window, exposing some appealing flesh. "Really? Oh, that'd be so great! You guys are the best!"
The two men stepped out of the car and walked up to the front of the lightly smoking Jeep, being led by Mazuki and Tyshi.
"Here, I'll get the hood. It can be a little tricky at times." Tyshi offered and she reached down to unlatch the hood and jerked on it a few times, making her chest bounce suggestively before the hood finally gave way and opened.
"Let's take a look and see if we can get you pretty ladies back on the road." The second man said and he leaned into the engine compartment and started tinkering around under the hood with the help of the blonde man.
"Oh thank you so much!" Mazuki exclaimed, flouncing in exaggerated glee. Both men were thoroughly absorbed under the hood when Calen and Tomo appeared behind them and quickly knocked them out with sturdy blows to the head. The men collapsed unconscious and the boys piled them into the Jeep and Calen created a deep pit and lowered the car into it and covered it again with a thin layer of stone, leaving a small gap for air.
"Nicely done ladies." Calen commented once his work was done.
"I know, we're just that good." Mazuki teased boastfully and Tyshi laughed.
"Shall we?" Tomo asked, motioning towards the small white sport car.
"We shall." Mazuki said and she stepped towards the car and Tomo and Calen held the door open for the girls and everyone piled into the car and set off down the road towards the little town Nami had told them about earlier. The girls were sitting in the back, Calen was driving once more and Tomo sat next to him in the passenger seat.
"So… This is supposed to be like a double date thing, right?" Mazuki asked.
"Um, I guess." Tyshi said.
"Well, it that case, I call Tyshi as my date!" Tomo called.
"Yeah! That means I get Calen as my date!" Mazuki cried.
Calen caught Tyshi's eye in the review mirror and he gave her a pleading look to which she just shrugged at and then laughed. Everyone was in a good mood by the time they reached the town and everyone piled out.
"Come here date." Tyshi said jokingly and pulled Tomo next to her.
"Let's go Calen!" Mazuki cried excitedly as she wound her arm around his and began pulling him down the sidewalk and Tyshi laughed as Calen cast her yet another pleading glance.
"Come on Tomo, we can't let Mazuki leave us behind." And she tugged on his arm lightly and he willingly followed her past the little shops that lined the road.
"Is that it?" Tomo asked, pointing to a quaint little restaurant called The Lunch Box.
"I think that's the one Nami told us. What was the code word we were supposed to say again?"
"Tsunami." Tyshi said.
"Oh yeah… Well, okay then. Er, come on, uh, date." Calen said unsurely as he and Mazuki walked through the front door, Tomo and Tyshi following closely after. Calen walked up to the lady at the cash register. "Ummm… I'll take a number three with a large drink and she'll have…"
"A number six with a large drink too." Mazuki finished, hugging him closely with one arm around his waist.
"So… uh… Mazuki, I had this weird dream last night that Japan was going to get hit by a tsunami… don't think that'll actually happen, right? Not like a weird premonition thing right, getting hit by a tsunami, that'd be weird, huh?" He asked the red haired woman behind the register lamely and she gave him the strangest look.
"Uh… I'm sure we'll be fine sir… did you want any fries with your burger?"
"Oh, um, yeah, thanks." Calen stammered lamely, blushing slightly. Tyshi and Mazuki stifled giggles as the red haired woman went to get their drinks. A short brunette took over the register and after Calen paid, the woman handed him a receipt and a small folded piece of paper.
"I'm sure a tsunami won't be a problem for you." She winked and walked off into the back again. Calen stood there dumbly holding the receipt and paper and Mazuki had to push him out of the way so other people behind him could order. Tyshi and Tomo ordered there food and once they got it and paid, they sat at a table with Calen and Mazuki.
"I feel like an idiot…" Calen muttered and he carefully tucked the folded piece of paper away.
"That's because you are an idiot." Tyshi teased.
"That lady must've thought you were completely crazy." Tomo laughed.
"Way to take one for the team." Mazuki encouraged, squeezing his arm reassuringly.
"At least someone's supportive…" He mumbled as he picked up his burger and bit into it bitterly. The rest of the meal passed uneventfully as they all joked and ate in relative peace.
"Huh…" Mazuki said, staring at a table of giggly girls not far from them.
"What?" Tyshi asked, unsurely, following her gaze.
"Those girls over there are checking out our men." She said irritated.
"Really?" Tomo asked with a mix of confusion and egotism. "Too bad we're already taken, huh Calen?" He winked at Tyshi and draped an arm around her.
"Yeah, what a shame." And Mazuki elbowed him lightly in the ribs.
"Guess we have to mark our territory, huh Tyshi?" Mazuki said, bobbing her eyebrows.
"What?" Tyshi asked slightly alarmed.
"Well, I mean, we should at least thank our dates, right?" And before anyone caught her drift, she quickly grabbed the back of Calen's head and pulled him down and kissed him heavily on the lips and it was a long moment until she let him go. A pink hue lightly lit Calen's cheeks for a moment before he cleared his throat.
"You're welcome…" He mumbled, clearly abashed. Mazuki quickly checked the table of girls again.
"There, that shut them up." She turned her attention to Tyshi. "Your turn!"
"Oh… uh, thanks Tomo for lunch." And she quickly pecked him on the lips.
"What was that?" Mazuki demanded. "That's how you kiss your grandmother! Try again."
"Mazuki…" Tyshi started, but Mazuki crossed her arms stubbornly across her chest and fixed a hard gaze on Tyshi. "Fine! Come here Tomo." She hastily grabbed Tomo's neck and brought his mouth violently against hers and kissed him passionately, only letting him go after a few moments.
"Better?" Tyshi asked crossly.
"Much…" Tomo murmured dazedly. Mazuki giggled at this and Calen sat back in the booth with a hard look on his face.
"Shall we go?" Mazuki asked cheerfully.
"Please." Calen said as he slid out of the booth and held his hand out to help Mazuki out.
"Oh! As long as we're here, can we walk around for a little bit?" Tyshi asked excitedly.
"Fine, but not too long, ok?" Calen said.
"Thank you!" Tyshi and Mazuki cried in unison. Both girls walked with their dates along the line of shops, occasionally walking inside to look at the things for sale. A few times, men would whistle at the girls and Calen and Tomo would protectively wrap a strong arm around their shoulders and send a hard glare in their directions.
The four of them were having a real good time and were really enjoying themselves when they happened across a shop that sold TVs and had a bunch in the front window tuned to the news. All the news stations were focusing on the same anchor woman and they all stopped and watch curiously.
"…very exciting news indeed. Now here's the emperor himself to discuss his new plan of action." The image switched over to the emperor of Japan, a weasely looking man with an arrogant air of confidence and dressed very regally. His beady eyes swept across the screen and he started talking pompously to the cameras.
"Yes, as many of you know, Japan is experiencing a new dawn. Our lands have become peaceful with all the bending miscreants behind bars. No more trouble makers exist to bother or thieve from my honest citizens with their cheap magic trickery of manipulating earth, air, fire and water. Only the most trustworthy fire benders have offered their loyalty and servitude to our great nation and help to patrol against the feral mistakes of our precious land." Tyshi and Calen exchanged disgusted looks with each other and listened more intently.
"Unfortunately, our land has been plagued with a renegade group of criminals, young benders if you will, who are thought to be traveling with the Avatar, no doubt the leader of this dangerous band of unlawful crooks. Anyways, these dangerous individuals have been traveling the country, breaking into our prisons and freeing dangerous individuals who have proved themselves to be dangerous to our nation and its innocent citizens. It is believed that there are eight of these dangerous people traveling together and to be wary of them. If spotted, immediately contact your closest source of authority." The four of them exchanged wary glances tainted with worry.
"However, aside from this minor setback, for I have put everyone of my available outstanding men and women on this case, doubling guards and security at all the remaining prisons, I'm proud to announce my new plan of action. I've decided that our peaceful way of life is too splendid to not share with the rest of the world!" There was much cheering coming from the background and Mazuki, Tomo, Calen and Tyshi all exchanged grave looks, the color draining from their faces.
"My first plan of action is to invade China and enforce our grandeur and idealist way of life by imprisoning all benders! Then I shall move on to the rest of Asia, then to conquer Europe and eventually North and South America! Then I shall move on to Africa and even Australia! The world shall become a peaceful place, free from criminals that abuse their genetic flaws, I shall scourge the planet of this bending disease and the world will be a better place!" At this, the emperor ended his speech and there was much rejoicing in the background and each TV set flicked back to its own individual news reporters who were discussing the emperor's speech excitedly.
Calen looked very serious. "We have to go now and warn the others; tell them what we just learned." He held up the little slip of paper. "This will have to wait till later. I think we have bigger problems right now." They all ducked their heads and walked quickly and silently back to the car and Calen started it and they drove back down the winding deserted road. A few miles from where they were supposed to pull off, a police car blocked the road and a cop stepped out and raised a hand to get them to stop. The color drained from Tyshi's face abruptly and the silence in the car turned even more ominous.
"Calen…?"
"Stay calm." He ordered and his knuckles whitened on the wheel and his grip tightened. He pulled up to where the cop was standing and rolled down the window, his composure regained. "Is there a problem officer?" He asked, his tone remarkably calm.
"Well, sort of." The cop started and he leaned down into the window to talk to Calen. There's something strange happening on this stretch of road. We're stopping everyone to warn them that it appears there are some dangerous individuals somewhere in this general vicinity. Two men have gone missing and their car was reported stolen."
Calen widened his eyes in mock shock. "Oh my…"
"No need to worry… except…" His eyes narrowed suspiciously and Calen kept his gaze steady. "Strange… this car seems to match the description of the one reported stolen… Sir, will you please step out of the car?" The police officer looked suspiciously around the car. "Will the rest of you please step out too?"
Tyshi could see Calen's muscles twitch and a vein throbbing in the back of Tomo's neck. The girls slowly opened their doors, as did the boys and everyone stepped out cautiously.
"You don't have any dangerous weapons I need to know about?" The officer asked routinely.
"No sir." Calen answered sternly.
The cop appraised Tyshi and Mazuki carefully, a slight smirk forming on his lips. "Wait here, all of you." The officer cast a weary glance at the four of them as he paced back to his car and spoke quickly with his partner. After a few moments, the first cop looked up sharply and then walked back, straightening up to full height, which was still shorter than Tomo and Calen, but it didn't bode well for them.
The officer straightened once more and put his hand threateningly on his gun holster. "It appears that this car perfectly matches the one stolen. Same license plate and everything. I'm afraid you're all under arrest." With this, he grabbed Tyshi's arm and pressed her against the hood of the cop car. He grabbed her right hand and placed a handcuff securely around her wrist and he pushed her tightly against the hood, something hard pressed into her thigh and Tyshi began to struggle. When she began to try to wriggle out from his grip, he put his whole weight into suppressing her and completely encompassed her with his body against the hood of the police car.
Suddenly Calen lunged at the man, tackling him to the ground and catching him in a choke hold. The downed officer shot a stream of fire at Tyshi which struck her dead on, severely burning her left arm and she cried out in pain.
"He's a fire bender!" Tomo cried as both he and Mazuki moved to help Tyshi. The second cop ran from their car and caught Mazuki around the throat with a broad hand and with excessive force, slammed her back and down, smashing her head against the bumper of the car they had stolen and then into the cement road with a thud and a sickening crack. Mazuki shrieked in agony and Tomo quickly dove on the second cop, and smashed his head into the ground until he no longer moved. Once the man Calen was strangling had stopped struggling and passed out he quickly stood.
"Oh no…" Calen mumbled as he checked Tyshi's arm that was brutally burnt.
"This isn't good Calen!" Tomo shouted as he hovered hesitantly over Mazuki.
"What…?" Calen quickly kneeled next to Mazuki. She wasn't moving and there was a large amount of blood seeping out from under her head. "Shit… Let's get her out of the middle of the road." He very carefully scooped her up and placed her at the side of the road and examined her head wound. "Damn it! She's hemorrhaging and she's fractured the skull plate… I have to, operate." He said for lack of a better word. "I have to relieve some of the pressure, it looks like it's bleeding internally and if I let that go on too long, there could be some serious permanent damage."
"HEY!" There was an angry shout from across the road. More police cars had shown up and angry officers and soldiers were piling out of the car and quickly approaching the group.
"No!" Calen glanced around desperately from the soldiers, to Mazuki back to Tyshi and Tomo and made a split second decision. "Run!" He yelled at Tyshi and Tomo.
"What?" Tyshi yelled, panicked.
"Run! NOW! I'll meet up with you later!" Calen screamed at her and quickly erected a stone fortress around himself and Mazuki. Calen couldn't risk moving Mazuki when she was in such a critical condition. They were engulfed in darkness and Calen rifled through his pockets and found a flashlight. He turned it on just as the banging began on the stone walls surrounding him. "Hold on Mazuki." He whispered and got to work.
He dug in his pocket once more and withdrew a sharp pocket knife and undecidedly sliced a gash into the top of her head and she moaned slightly. "I'm sorry Mazuki…" He mumbled regretfully as more blood oozed out of the deep gash. "So much blood…" Calen looked around for something to soak up all the blood with, but couldn't find anything so he hastily removed his shirt and wiped her face clean.
"No! It's bleeding under the skull plate too! Mazuki, you've got to hang in there for me, okay? Promise?" He took the knife once more and carefully dug into the spongy skull plate and sweat beaded on his forehead in concentration. "Damn it… there's a blood clot." He cursed his luck and very carefully so as not to damage her brain, he removed the large bloody mass of tissue. "Good thing you're out for this girl…" Calen moaned regretfully as he mopped up more blood. He replaced the small hunk of skull plate and bended some dirt into a hard, sharp stone needle and pulled a loose string from the bloodied shirt that was now serving as a pillow for Mazuki. He threaded the needle and began to stitch Mazuki back together.
"Oh god… look at you… this is all my fault." Calen scolded himself and carefully wrapped the shirt around the unconscious Mazuki's head and cradled her in his arms and stood up within his stone barrier. He flicked the wrist the was supporting Mazuki's legs and the stone walls fell away and crushed the soldiers who were still pounding on it. Calen walked through the rubble and broken bodies and carried Mazuki through the forest towards what he thought was their campsite.
"Run!" Calen screamed at Tyshi. Tomo gripped her good arms hand and quickly pulled her through the trees as stone walls shot up around Calen and Mazuki. Some of the soldiers had stopped to try to get into the fortress Calen had created, but the rest were in hot pursuit of Tomo and Tyshi as they dashed madly through the trees.
Tomo and Tyshi had started to pull ahead, weaving between the thick forests when streams of fire started to fly all around them. Fortunately, their aim was poor and never reached its intended target. Once they were starting to lose sight of the men chasing them, Tomo tackled Tyshi to the ground and quickly pushed her under a thick growth of ferns and shielded her body with hers and shushed her. A few moments later, the soldiers that had been pursuing them dashed past their hiding spot, mere inches from where they hid. The men ran on, totally oblivious to the fact that their target was so near.
Tyshi and Tomo held completely still, neither dared to move or even breathe for several minutes. Tomo shifted cautiously and cast a weary glance around and saw nothing. Tyshi shifted, her burnt arm had been crushed beneath her and ground into the damp dirt beneath her and had been hurting excruciatingly bad for the past few minutes. Once that problem was alleviated, she leaned her head on Tomo's chest, the last of her nerves completely spent. The next thing she knew, she was sobbing hopelessly into his chest and he wrapped strong, soothing arms around her as she wept.
Neither knew how long they had been there, but by the time Tyshi had managed to calm down again, Tomo's shirt was fairly soaked. He rubbed his hand up and down her back soothingly until she pulled away.
"I'm okay now." She whispered, wiping away the last trace of her tears and she crawled out of their precarious shelter and stood, brushing herself off, carefully avoiding her dirt encrusted wound.
"Let's go back." Tomo said quietly and Tyshi nodded. "I see some smoke over there." He pointed into the distance where the slightest trace of smoke curled into the sky where it became almost invisible. Tomo led the way and Tyshi tagged along tiredly and they walked towards the camp in silence.
After walking for a while, Calen spotted some smoke twisting almost imperceptibly into the sky and he headed for that.
"Hang in there Mazuki… not much longer, and then I can get you really fixed up." After walking for another half hour, Calen came across a small and primitive town.
"Oh my god! What happened to her?" A woman shouted as she ran up to Calen who was still carrying the unconscious Mazuki.
"Fire benders. Is there a doctor in this town?"
"My husband. Right this way. Poor dear, we'll get her fixed up." Calen nodded as the kind older woman led the way to one of the small brick houses on the edge of the village and she held the door open for Calen and Mazuki. "Seiji, we need your expertise. We have a young man and a young lady here with a very bad head wound." She called into the depths of the small office and then turned her attention to Calen. "Place her on that bed over there." And she gestured towards a single bed next to a desk covered in papers and a large cabinet filled with bottles of medicine and other medical supplies.
"Thank you so much." Calen said tiredly as he carefully set Mazuki down just as an older man with gray streaks in his dark hair emerged from the room next door.
"Hello there son, my names Seiji." He offered a hand and Calen shook it.
"I'm Calen and this is Mazuki." He said, motioning towards the unconscious girl on the bed.
"Nice to meet you. Now what's wrong with this young lady?"
Calen sighed. "It's all my fault. Fire benders. They slammed her head into the concrete. She started hemorrhaging and she had a fractured skull plate. I relieved some of the pressure and removed a blood clot and stitched her back up." Calen explained and the doctor looked surprisingly impressed.
"Well then, I'll take a look and see if there's any more I can do for her." The doctor snapped on a pair of rubber gloves and removed the bloodied black t-shirt while Calen hovered protectively near Mazuki. The doctor looked him over once more then called to his wife that had been standing idly in the door way. "Chiyoko, why don't you help Calen here get cleaned up and get him a shirt please?"
"Certainly." Chiyoko motioned for Calen to follow her.
"Actually, if you don't mind, I'd rather stay here with Mazuki."
"Of course." The woman smiled kindly and left and shortly returned with a damp towel and a clean shirt.
"Thank you. You're very kind." Calen gave her a haggard smile and scrubbed the dried blood off of him with the towel then pulled the new shirt over his bare torso.
After a few minutes of examining Mazuki's wound, the doctor turned back to Calen. "I'm very impressed by the job you've done. Not much more I can do here though. Chiyoko can do a quick healing session to repair the blood vessel damage and seal the skull plate, I can put on an antibiotic cream and give her a fresh bandage, but it looks like she should be fine and should make a rather fast recovery." The doctor said as he pulled off his gloves with a snap and riffled through his medicine cabinet and removed a small brown bottle and a syringe. "The last thing I'm going to do is give her a mild sedative and pain killer." He inserted the needle into the cap of the bottle and pulled a small amount of clear liquid into the syringe and he stuck it in Mazuki's arm and administered the drug.
"Thank you." Calen murmured, never removing his eyes from Mazuki's still figure.
"Here." The doctor offered Calen a small chair and placed it next to the bed where Calen could sit comfortably and hold Mazuki's hand while Chiyoko used some water to perform a healing session on Mazuki.
"It's lucky you found us. We've been off the grid for a few decades now, ever since the emperor took over. Our little village has gone unnoticed and the families comprised of benders have been living here peacefully. We've even recently gotten some of our family back lately." Calen glanced up at her as she looked at him knowingly. "I recognized you as soon as you walked in. My nephew has returned thanks to you and your friend's brave work and we owe you so much for it."
Calen smiled at her mildly. "I don't know what you're talking about."
The woman just nodded and focused on her work. When she was done, she straightened and fetched her husband once more. Seiji examined Mazuki one last time and applied a thick white antibiotic cream before thoroughly bandaging her head and fetching a blanket for her.
"That should just about do it. It's getting late though. Why don't you two stay here and you can leave in the morning. My wife is currently preparing a large meal and she's packed a saddle bag for our horse. I expect you to use it, she shouldn't be straining herself for the next several days."
"That is incredibly generous of you." Calen said gratefully.
"It's the least we could do." The doctor said and he winked at Calen and Calen quickly turned his attention back to Mazuki who was finally resting peacefully.
Tomo and Tyshi arrived on the border of a small village where a young boy was busy carrying a large pail of water.
"This isn't our camp…" Tomo muttered, watching the boy.
"Excuse me…" Tyshi called to him. The boy dropped the pail, startled and Tyshi bended the water back into it and helped him pick it up again. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."
"It's okay… Who are you and how did you find us?"
"My names Tyshi and this is Tomo." Tyshi gestured towards both of them. "We were looking for our camp, but we found this village instead. Let me ask you, you haven't happened to see another stranger, have you? A tall man with brown hair and a girl who's been hurt?"
"Well, I haven't seen anyone, but there's a rumor going around that there's two people at doc's hospital."
"Really?" Tyshi's face perked up. "Could you show me where they are?"
"Okay!" The young boy eagerly grabbed Tyshi's hand and started running towards a small house on the other edge of town and Tomo followed them.
As they neared the house, an older woman was walking out the door and the boy stopped abruptly. "Chiyoko! Look who I found!"
"Oh my…" The woman approached Tyshi and held out her hand to her and then to Tomo as he joined Tyshi. "Hello, my name is Chiyoko."
"Hi, I'm Tyshi." She said, shaking her hand.
"Tomo." He shook his hand as well.
"You two look like you've been through a hard time recently."
"How could you tell?" Tomo said dryly and he pulled a few sticks out of his hair and brushed more dirt from his shirt.
The woman smiled kindly. "By chance, are you looking for a couple friends?"
"Yes!" Tyshi exclaimed, hope lighting her face.
"Right this way." The woman replied and shuffled back into the house, closely followed by Tomo and Tyshi. As they rounded a corner, Tyshi spotted Calen sitting by a bed, holding an unconscious Mazuki's hand.
"Calen!" Tyshi cried, relieved to find him and Mazuki well and for the most part, intact.
Calen quickly brought a finger to his lips and gently let go of Mazuki's hand. "Good, you're alright." He gave her a weary smile and the three of them walked into an adjacent room to talk without disturbing Mazuki.
"Are you okay? What happened?" Tyshi asked, eagerly searching his grim expression.
"Well, you saw what they did to her." He spat bitterly. "Then I had to perform a little… 'operation'. After that, I got rid of the benders and started walking and found this village and Dr. Seiji took over and Mazuki should be okay now." For the first time, Calen actually took in the appearance of both Tyshi and Shiro. "Wow… you two look bad. What happened to you?"
"We ran and they followed. Then I pulled Tyshi into some thick ferns and they ran past us, after it was clear, we searched for camp and now we're here." Tomo quickly explained.
"Thanks for taking care of her Tomo; I knew I could count on you."
Tyshi looked indignant. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."
Calen just nodded, trying to avoid an argument. "Sure sure."
Chiyoko appeared in the doorway. "Pardon my intrusion, but I thought you might be hungry, and that you two might want a bath before dinner."
"Dinner?" Tomo asked, a longing look in his eye.
"Of course. Besides, I insist you stay for the night. We can't have you wandering in the dark, it's too dangerous."
"Oh, really, you don't…" Tyshi started.
"I insist." The woman stated stubbornly. "Come along. I have a nice hot bath all ready for you." The woman beckoned. Tyshi and Tomo started to follow after her, but Calen turned to walk into the other room.
"Calen?" Tyshi asked, pausing in the doorway.
"Go ahead. I'm going to stay here with Mazuki."
"Okay…" Tyshi said uncertainly and followed Chiyoko once more as she led the way to yet another stone house; a quaint little thing with thick green ivy climbing the low gray walls.
"Go ahead Tyshi dear, it should be plenty warm, I do apologize in advance, it's an outdoor bath, but it should do." The woman showed her to an enclosed back porch with a deep rock bath dug into the ground. "When you're done, I'll have some nice clean clothes for you."
"This is very generous of you, thank you so much."
"Certainly. We watch out for our own." The woman said kindly patting her arm and departed.
Tyshi stripped down and eased herself into the warm water. She submerged her left arm and gasped as a sharp pain exploded from her burn and she quickly jerked her arm above the surface.
"Uh… I almost forgot about that…" Tyshi cooled the water temperature and cautiously lowered her arm once more. The burnt flesh stung as she gently sent clean currents of water over the dirt incrusted burn, trying to clean it the best she could without actually touching it. Once she was sure that most of the dirt had been washed from the badly damaged skin, she quickly scrubbed the rest of her body clean. Tyshi plunged under the surface and sat quietly under the water, enjoying the tranquility of the cool water. She replayed the day through her mind; it seemed like so long ago now… The day had started nicely, she had actually eaten a real meal and Mazuki had made her kiss Tomo. She smiled at that, laughing at herself and their silly antics in a day that had seemed so carefree and that had no worries. Then there had been the emperor's announcement of world domination.
She groaned at the cliché and what the man's ambitious plan would mean for her and the rest of her friends. She slowly emerged from under water as she replayed the horrific scene after they had been pulled over in the stolen car. Her arm pained her as she reminisced that particular part and she replayed her and Tomo's desperate fleeing through the forest and the way Calen looked and acted when they had reunited. She bit her lip contemplating the implications there. She sunk below the surface once more, trying to purge her thoughts on that particular subject and she exhaled deeply and surfaced once more and got out. On a chair just inside sat a few fluffy towels and a clean shirt and pair of pants. Tyshi smiled inwardly at the stranger's kindness. Tyshi didn't feel like she had the energy to bend herself dry, so she dabbed the water away with the towel and let her long wet hair drip onto the soft cotton of her shirt.
Once she was fully clothed, she exited the bathroom and Tomo approached, bare chested and horribly dirty. She smiled shyly at him and he nodded. Chiyoko greeted her warmly and they chatted merrily at the table until Tomo reemerged clean and damp. Chiyoko excused herself to fetch her husband for dinner.
"Much better." Tomo sighed as he sat heavily on a kitchen chair and leaned back tiredly.
"It's so nice of them, I mean, I never expected them to be so hospitable. A bathe, clean clothes, dinner and a place to sleep, I'm impressed."
"Like she said, we take care of our own. One for all and all for one against the evil emperor and his hordes of evil doers." Tomo teased, making comical hand gestures as he spoke. Tyshi forced a strained smile. "Ah, come on Tyshi, it'll work out in the end. We've got the Avatar on our side and a ton of pissed of benders. There's nothing we can't do." He smiled brightly, trying to assure her.
"I guess." Before they could continue their conversation Chiyoko and the doctor entered the room again. "Where's Calen?" Tyshi blurted out without thinking.
"Staying with Mazuki. No worries, my wife will bring him some dinner later." The man smiled kindly at her. "I'm Seiji, it's nice to meet you." He extended a hand and introductions were made once more. When Tyshi extended her left arm, the doctor held her hand a moment longer and carefully swiveled her arm until the burn was facing up.
"That looks pretty bad." He commented, examining the extent of her burn.
"Looks worse than it is. It should be fine." Tyshi lied, quickly pulling her arm back and hiding it beneath the table.
"None the less, may I at least put a bandage on it to prevent further infection?"
"I guess." Tyshi said reluctantly. She would have rather just forgotten the whole thing.
"Just a moment." Seiji disappeared temporarily and then reappeared with some gauze and quickly wrapped her arm.
"Thank you."
"Of course, that's why I'm here." The man smiled kindly at her.
"Anyone hungry?" Chiyoko asked, placing steaming plates of food before all of them.
"Starving." Tomo said and no sooner had he spoken he was digging in.
"It looks delicious." Tyshi said, and began to eat slowly, not consuming much for she wasn't very hungry. After awhile, Tyshi put down her fork, barely any of her food had been touched. "Wow, that was filling; I don't think I can eat another bite." Tyshi said, smiling graciously at the older couple.
"I'll bet you're tired. I can show you where you'll be sleeping." Chiyoko excused herself from the table and Tyshi followed her into a small bedroom with a guest bed set up. "Will this be alright?"
"Definitely, at least ten times better than what I'm used to. Thank you so much for everything, I really appreciate it."
"It's the least we could do. Thanks to you and your friends, our nephew and many others have finally come home."
"Oh. I'm just glad we could help." Tyshi responded, taken aback.
"Good night dear."
"Good night, and thank you again." She nodded and quietly closed the door.
Tyshi sat lightly on the bed and lightly massaged her throbbing arm through the bandage. After a bit, she lay down and tried, without success, to get some sleep. The pain in her arm got progressively worse, but she tried to ignore it as she tossed and turned all night long.
Calen stared blankly, watching the rise and fall of the blanket as Mazuki slept soundly. Calen kept replaying the scene in his head. First, the police officer stepped forward and pushed Tyshi against the hood of his car. Should he act now? Give it a moment? Something inconspicuous. They weren't much of a threat, standard cops just had to watch out for their guns… He didn't like the overly satisfied look the cop had as he pressed against Tyshi while he was arresting her. Tyshi started to struggle, this wasn't about to end well… Tyshi was shoved brutally against the hood and he lunged, grasping the man and slamming him to the ground. Something bright and hot flashed past him and there was a scream.
"He's a bender!" Someone had cried out. 'Oh no…" was his only thought, 'if I had only reacted sooner…' The man in his grasp was struggling violently. He switched his strategy and he wrapped a thick arm around the man's neck, choking off his arm supply slowly. Eventually he was bond to pass out. There was a thud and crack followed by a shrill and piercing shriek. 'Now what?' Calen had thought urgently. A scuffle and another thud, followed by a series of thumps. The man had stopped struggling and he quickly jumped to his feet to assess the damage. Tyshi was clutching her arm to her chest, that was the first thing he noticed.
"Oh no…" The flesh was black and badly burnt.
"This isn't good Calen." The urgency in Tomo's voice tipped him off.
"What…?" Hesitantly he went to see what else he had allowed to happen and was horrified with the image that greeted him. Mazuki was motionless on the road, blood pouring out from beneath her. Thoughts raced through his head, running through different scenarios. "Shit… Let's get her out of the middle of the road." He had taken extra care in moving her out of the way and examined the extent of the damage. "Damn it! She's hemorrhaging and she's fractured the skull plate… I have to, operate."
Desperately he had thought to himself the grim scenario and the slim chances of Mazuki pulling through. The blood was pooling internally, putting pressure on her brain, if he didn't remove it soon, there would be permanent damage. Uh! There was nothing to work with, they were on the side of the road…
"HEY!" An unfamiliar scream had come from across the road where more police cruisers were parked and dangerous looking men were piling from them and headed in their direction. He cast a urgent from Tyshi and Tomo, standing at the edge of the road, back to the unconscious Mazuki that urgently needed attention now and he couldn't just run off with her… He made a snap decision.
"Run!" He ignored Tyshi's protest and erected a stone barrier around himself and Mazuki. Calen prayed that Tyshi and Tomo had listened to him and that they had plenty of a head start. He tried to reassure himself that Tomo wouldn't let any harm come to Tyshi and he cleared his mind and focused his attention on the unresponsive girl lying in dire need at his knees. The whole time he worked on her he mentally berated himself, blaming his slow reaction for all the damage that had been done. His hesitant stupidity had potentially killed his friend and put Tyshi in danger. He mentally kicked himself and as he slowly zoned back into the present, watching Mazuki's chest rise and fall rhythmically, continued his silent scolding.
"Knock knock." A warm voice called from the doorway, pulling Calen from his reverie. He looked up and Chiyoko was standing in the door way with a plate of food. "I have dinner if you're hungry."
Calen rubbed his eyes tiredly and stood, crossing the short distance in a few strides. "Thank you." He took the plate and sat back in his chair and ate without gusto, but he remembered his manners. "It's very good. You really didn't need to go to the extra trouble to bring it out here though."
"No trouble. Can't let our guests starve, now can we?" She smiled. "You do know we have another bed in our home…"
"Oh, thanks, but no thanks. I'm fine right here."
"Suit yourself. There are some extra blankets in those drawers under the cabinet." Calen nodded at this and turned his attention back to Mazuki.
"Good night."
"Night."
The next morning, Calen awoke to Dr. Seiji rummaging around his desk. He had fallen asleep leaning back in the small wooden chair. He stood and stretched stiffly, stretching his sore muscles. "Good morning." He mumbled sleepily.
"Good morning. I didn't mean to wake you."
"Probably for the best." The doctor walked over and offered him a plate of pancakes and bacon.
"I figured you'd be hungry, but you'd probably be too stubborn to leave and come into the house to actually eat it." The doctor smiled teasingly at him and Calen gratefully took the plate.
"Thanks, I'm famished."
The doctor nodded. "When you're finished, you're friends are eating now and I figured you'll probably want to get going as soon as you're done eating. My wife has the horse all set to go." The doctor excused himself and walked out of the room. The doctor walked back to his house and sat at the table where Tomo was shoveling down his food once again, but Tyshi was lightly prodding her breakfast.
She caught him watching her and smiled embarrassed. "I'm not usually very hungry in the morning." She explained and quickly took a bite. Once everyone was finished and Tomo had eaten the remains of Tyshi's, Tomo, the doctor and Tyshi all walked back to the hospital where Calen was just walking outside.
"Oh, good morning." Calen said, taken off guard of being greeted by the door by the three of them.
"Morning." Tomo said.
"The horse is right out back." Seiji said as he began to walk around the building, the three of them following him to where Chiyoko was saddling up a tall chestnut brown stallion.
"He's gorgeous." Tyshi commented, stroking his strong neck and the horse turned his head and stared at her with dark eyes.
"Thank you. He's our best boy; he'll take care of you and get you where you need to go." Seiji said proudly, lightly patting his velvety nose.
Calen disappeared inside the building once more. Seiji walked around the side of the horse and opened a pouch on the side of the saddle bag and motioned Tyshi and Tomo closer.
"Okay, in here I have some clean linen bandages and some more gauze. You'll need to change Mazuki's dressings regularly, as I'm sure you know and over here…" He walked to the other side of the horse and lifted the other pouch. "I added some antibiotic cream and some painkillers."
"Sounds good." Tomo said as he riffled through the medical supplies.
Calen came back outside carrying a woozy Mazuki. "Ready kiddo?" Calen asked her as he walked towards the horse. Mazuki nodded tiredly, rubbing her eyes and blinking furiously.
"How are you feeling?" Tyshi asked as Calen lifted her into the saddle and made sure she was sitting securely.
"Like I had my head smashed open." She grimaced. "Actually, I'm not too bad, the painkillers I'm on are making me a little dizzy and tired, but I'm doing better."
"You'll be okay up there by yourself though, right?" Calen asked seriously, searching her face with overly cautious worry.
"I'll be fine." Mazuki reached down and pat his head.
"Well, that should just about do it. Good luck and be careful, alright?" Seiji said as he shook Calen and Tomo's hand once more.
"Yes, please be careful." Chiyoko chimed in.
"I won't let anything else happen." Calen said sternly as he untied he reins and clucked at the horse.
"Thanks again." Tyshi and Tomo called as they walked away from the small village, Calen leading Mazuki on the horse.
After they had been walking for a while Tomo piped up. "Do you even know where we're going?"
Calen who had been leading the way only half turned. "I got a good look at a map in the doctor's office, I know where we're going." He turned his attention back to Mazuki. "How're you doing up there?" He asked as he patted he leg tenderly.
"Okay, I guess."
"You think you can deal with a slightly faster speed?"
"We'll find out, won't we?" And she laughed nervously.
Tyshi who had been hanging back a little ways eyes widened. 'Faster? I'm having trouble keeping up now!' She rubbed her eyes, trying to get her blurred vision to snap back into a sharp focus.
"Ready?" Calen asked and Mazuki nodded so he clucked his tongue and sped up to a jog and the horse sped to a bouncy trot. Calen kept a strict eye on Mazuki as the horse sped up and she started to slide off to the side. "Woah woah woah!" Calen jerked back on the reins and ran over and caught Mazuki.
"Is she okay?" Tomo asked worriedly.
"Mazuki?"
"I'm okay. I guess I just lost my balance. Really, I'm fine." She said, trying to brush off the incident. Calen looked at her doubtfully and sighed.
"Tyshi, will you ride up there with her, you know, keep her balanced and stuff?"
"Yeah, no problem."
Calen carefully situated Mazuki back in the saddle and kept a wary hand on her as Tyshi struggled to get into the saddle. Her arm was giving her a hard time again, her strength was waning and her vision began to blur again as she tried to pull herself up.
"Here, I'll help you." Tomo said and he gripped her waist and helped lift her.
"Thanks." Tyshi said and flashed him a weary smile.
"You got her?"
"Yes."
"You sure?"
"I've got it under control." Tyshi snapped impatiently.
"Okay." Calen grabbed the reins and they took off at a steady trot again, Calen and Tomo jogging to keep pace with the horse. Mazuki started to slip to the right and Tyshi caught and corrected her.
"You got her?" Calen asked.
"I've got her." Tyshi snapped impatiently.
"I'm fine Calen." Mazuki tried to reassure him. "Sorry Tyshi…" Mazuki whispered to her and Tyshi just rolled her eyes.
"You doing alright?
"Yeah, sorry, I just can't seem to keep my balance… I keep dozing off too. I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it."
They stayed at a steady pace for a few miles and Tyshi only had to correct Mazuki a few times. A fallen tree blocked the way, but it was low enough that both Calen and the horse jumped it and that jarred Mazuki enough that she suddenly fell to the left against Tyshi's bad arm and in its injured state, she wasn't strong enough to catch her.
"Calen!"
Calen immediately ran back and caught Mazuki before she hit the ground. He gave Tyshi a frustrated glare and straightened up, carefully cradling Mazuki.
"Are you okay Mazuki?" He asked.
"I'm fine."
Calen gave a deep frustrated sigh. "Tyshi, I can take it from here."
"Okay…" She said quietly and slid off the saddle. Calen set Mazuki up in the saddle and then vaulted onto the horse behind her. He grasped the reins and carefully supported Mazuki's weight in front of him.
"Let's get moving. We don't have any time to waste." Calen straightened out the horse and set off quickly again.
Tyshi looked upset and set off on the long slow trek again.
"You alright?" Tomo asked as he joined her by her side and Tyshi just nodded and tried to focus on keeping up. Tomo cheerfully kept Tyshi company as she slowly lagged behind.
"Hurry up." Calen complained impatiently as he half turned on the horse, watching Tyshi and Tomo's slow progress. Tyshi tried to walk faster, ignoring her hazy vision, forcing her tired body forward. Tomo ignored Calen and kept a supportive hand on Tyshi's arm as she continuously stumbled through the thick forest. Calen continued to spur them on irritated with how slow they were traveling. Tomo continued to ignore his persistent nagging, but Tyshi was pushing herself.
"If we could get back sometime today that'd be great." Calen commented snidely.
Finally, Tyshi snapped. "You know what? I'm going as fast as I can okay? In case you haven't noticed, you're on a horse and I'm walking. And I'm not exactly in the best shape, alright?" Tyshi stood there fuming and suddenly she collapsed, Tomo quickly caught her before she hit the ground.
"Tyshi?" Tomo asked, stunned as he held her, shaking and unconscious.
"Tyshi!" Calen turned the horse around and bolted off the saddle and ran up to her. "What happened?" He demanded.
"I don't know! She just collapsed. Maybe someone was pushing her to hard!" Tomo cried accusingly. Calen's face hardened and he removed the bandage around her arm. Beneath it, the blackened flesh festered, giving off a rank odor, puss oozed from the infected wound.
"Oh god…" Calen brushed a hand across her forehead that was beaded in sweat. "She's burning up. This infection's really bad, she has one hell of a nasty fever…"
"Now what…?" Tomo asked anxiously.
"God damnit! She needs immediate attention. There could be serious consequences if we don't get that fever down soon and that infection under control. Why didn't she say anything…?"
"I think she tried to but someone wasn't listening. You were far too occupied with Mazuki to even remember she had been injured." Calen's features darkened as he lightly brushed his fingers down her hot sweaty cheek.
"Is she going to be alright?" Mazuki asked worriedly, watching from horseback.
"It depends…" Calen responded, looking up at her with a tortured expression.
"On what?"
"How fast we can get her back to camp…" He responded, looking from Mazuki on the horse back to Tyshi shivering in Tomo's arms.
"Take the horse." Mazuki blurted.
Calen bit his lip, clearly torn.
"Take it." She insisted and started to carefully lower herself off the saddle and Calen helped her down.
"You sure?"
"Hurry up and go already!"
Calen bent and swept Tyshi up in one fluid movement. "Thank you." He propped Tyshi up in the saddle and quickly took his place behind her. "Tomo, you got it, you can take care of Mazuki?" He asked.
"It's all under control now hurry up!" Calen nodded and quickly spurred the horse forward, coaxing it into a flat out run.
Tomo and Mazuki watched the horse disappear into the thick woods. "Ready?" Tomo asked Mazuki, turning to her. She nodded and started walking. "Wait." Tomo scooped her up and continued walking the direction Calen had just rode off in.
Hey guys, it's Sarahplainntall. Sorry it took me so long to update and I apologize again for how corny and crappy that last chapter was. I hope you enjoyed this chapter better, it was supposed to be longer, but it ended up being VERY long, so I split it in half, so I should be able to update it again soon. Leave me comments and I take suggestions/ideas for future chapters, just tell me what you want to happen and I'll see if I can work it in.