Alright so I got chapter ten done! Be warned this chapter is rated T because of gore, lots of blood is in this chapter. If you prefer not to read about blood at all or anything like that then you shouldn't read this chapter. It really isn't to bad so don't get to freaked out. Just a warning though. :) Please Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Chapter 10-Avatar State
Sokka can see the tattoos and eyes of the Avatar glow white. His heart immediately drops to his stomach. He can tell that Aang isn't in control. Sokka takes in a deep breath and begins to sprint towards his sister lying helpless on the ground.
Zuko is in the middle of fighting a group of rebels, but their eyes are now focusing behind him. He turns to see Katara sprawled out on the ground, an arrow sticking out of her shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye, Zuko sees Aang. That isn't Aang though. His eyes and tattoos glow pure white. Anger shows in his eyes. Aang was now rising slowly into the air. Zuko could feel the wind gusts start to hit him.
Sokka rushes toward Katara as the gusts of air begin to hit him hard. He glances over to a suspended Aang who is hovering twenty feet in the air. Aang arms are completely stretched out to the sides. Sokka finally makes it to Katara's side.
Tears are threatening to spill from his eyes at the sight of her. The arrow is has plunged deeply into her shoulder. Blood rushes out from the wound forming a puddle by her right side. Sokka takes Katara into his arms. His left arm slides underneath her knees and his right holds her upper back. Sokka has to hold back his lunch as he can feel the sharp arrowhead sticking out of her shoulder blade. Sokka sets his jaw and begins to run as fast as possible with the extra weight.
Gale force winds are now hitting Sokka, slowing him down. Small dirt particles fly through the forceful wind and sting his skin on contact. Sokka glances over to Aang to see him send a powerful gust of wind toward a large group of rebels. The gust hits them and they all fly into the air and somewhere into the forest beyond.
Sokka yells to Toph who is now only ten yards from him. "Toph! We need shelter!" he yells above the wind.
Toph hears Sokka's request and uses her hands to bring Sokka, Zuko, and Suki towards her. Sokka places a foot behind him as the earth under him jerks forward. Before Sokka knows it he is standing in a small circle with Toph, Suki, and Zuko. Toph widens her legs and bends her knees. With a swift movement she forms her hands into a tent shape. The earth follows her movements and slates of earth form into a tent.
Sokka then lays Katara on the earth gently. Suki kneels next to her with a look of concern. Zuko stands with wide eyes glued to the arrow sticking out from Katara. Sokka looks over Katara's pale face. Sweat trickles down his face from the sprint. Suki presses her ear to Katara's heart. "She isn't breathing well." Toph tells everyone as she stares at the wall with blind eyes.
Suki looks up to her then back to Katara before turning to Sokka. His eyes are wet and he looks like he's fighting off tears. "Don't worry," Suki tells Sokka in a tender voice. Sokka raises his eyes to hers. "Easy fix." She reassures with a small smile. Sokka nods with blank eyes.
Suki scoots over to Katara's other side, where the arrow sits lodged in her flesh. Sokka moves out of Suki's way.
Suki takes in a deep breath and gently touches the arrow shaft. She quickly brings her clammy hands back and scrunches them up. "Sokka," she calls to him softly. Sokka looks up. "I'm going to need you," Sokka comes up to Suki's side. "Alright, I'm going to pull the arrow out, once it's out I need you to quickly put your hands over the wound so it won't bleed out." Suki explains softly. Sokka nods and adjusts himself over his sister so he can be in position to stop the bleeding.
Suki inhales again before placing her hands around the arrow shaft again. One hand grips to the arrow shaft right by the entry of the wound. The other hand is placed up by the feathers of the arrow. "On three," she tells Sokka glancing at him momentarily before turning her eyes back to the arrow. "Ready, one, two," Suki pauses gripping the arrow tighter. "Three." She says loudly while yanking at the arrow. It comes out quickly with a sickening sound as the muscles in Katara's body rip more and contract. Sokka quickly places his hands over Katara's bleeding wound.
Toph has to gulp back vomit from the sound that the arrow makes. Zuko turns as he see the blood on the arrow glimmer in the dim light of the tent. Suki sets the arrow down.
Sokka uses all of his body weight to stop the blood from escaping out of his sister's body. "We need a bandage." Sokka calls out to no one imparticular. His hands are now stained with blood as well as Katara's top.
Suki nods in agreement before ripping a long strip of her Kyoshi Warrior dress off. "We need her shirt off," Suki announces. "Sokka do you have a knife?" she asks.
"Back pocket." He states pressing harder against Katara's chest.
Suki quickly goes behind Sokka and reaches into his back pocket. She feels the leather of the handle. She pulls the knife out quickly and removes the sheath from the blade. With quick hands Suki goes to Katara's side and pulls up on her top. Quickly she does a cut on Katara's over dress that reaches to the end of her abdomen. Suki quickly pushes Sokka away for less than a second so she can push the dress off Katara's shoulders. Once the fabric is out of the way Sokka places his hands back on Katara's bloody skin. Suki pushes the dress under Katara. She looks to Katara's blood stained wrappings and blood covered skin. Zuko who had just turned back around from his sickness of seeing the wound inflicted on Katara sees her in her undergarments and quickly turns away again.
Suki grabs the strip of fabric she ripped from her dress and positions herself close to Katara. "Alright, you ready?" she asks Sokka. He nods. "Go," she tells him. Sokka pulls away from Katara's wound, seeing how bad it really is. Blood instantly began to flow full force from the gaping hole the arrow created. Once his hands leave the wound Suki pounces and begins to tie the fabric around Katara's wound. Within seconds Suki has the fabric wrapping around the wound and under Katara's armpit to hold it. Quickly she begins to rip more strips of fabric off her dress and she begins to tie those tightly over Katara's wound.
Soon Katara's shoulder is covered in fabric. Suki sits back and observes her blood covered hands and arms. She closes her eyes trying to get the iron smell out of her nose. She and Sokka both lean back against the wall of the tent, panting from their work.
Zuko turns back and looks at Katara who lies on the ground still unconscious but with bandages covering her wound. He releases a breath he had been holding in.
The tent is filled with a thick silence until a loud thump is heard on the other side of the earth barrier. Everyone jumps from the sudden noise. "What was that?" Sokka asks with wide eyes.
"Some guy." Toph answers without hesitation.
This reminds Sokka of what's taking place outside. "This needs to stop." Sokka says.
Suki nods in agreement. Just then a sound of rustling on the ground gets everyone's attention. A groan sounds from Katara. Instantly Sokka is at her side, gazing down at her. Her eyes are shut tightly and her left hand rests on her forehead. "Wha-What happened?" she stutters noticing Sokka above her.
Sokka smiles down at her. "You got hit by an arrow." He tells her.
Katara struggles to sit up and Sokka and Suki assist her. She gazes around the tent, "Why are we…" she begins to ask before it clicks; the sound of the howling wind just outside, everyone's worried faces, the absence of Aang.
"Where's Aang?" she questions trying to stand. Sokka pushes her down.
"He's outside, in the Avatar State," Sokka says with a small voice then continues barely audible. "And he isn't in control."
Katara's eyes widen. "What!" she exclaims standing, pain shooting through her arm but she ignores it. Her eyes go into tunnel vision for just a moment from the sudden movement and she stumbles from dizziness.
Sokka looks to the floor. "Has someone tried to stop him?" she asks all her friends.
Suki shakes her head. "Get me out there." Katara tells them strongly.
"What," Toph exclaims with wide eyes. "You have to be kidding me, Sugar Queen! If you go out there, especially in your condition, you'll get blown away!"
Katara was set on this; she knows Aang will destroy the whole town if he stays out of control. Katara slowly walks to Toph, swallowing back her vertigo. She gets up to Toph and looks her right in the eyes, even though Toph wouldn't be able to actually see it, she will be able to feel it. Katara's stare is so strong it was intimidating to Toph, and that's saying something. "Now listen to me," Katara tells her and she grips to her injured shoulder feeling the pain pinching at her nerves. "Aang will destroy Kyoshi Island if he stays out of control and every minute he stays in the Avatar State is another minute he is vulnerable to any attack, and if you don't let me go and try to stop him I swear to the sprits I will make it so you will." Katara tells Toph her anger rising. Toph gulps, Katara was furious.
"Alright, alright." Toph tells her getting a glare from Sokka.
"No Katara, I'm not letting you out there." Sokka insists and walks up to his sister.
Katara clenches her left fist. "You are going to let me out there. We have to try to stop him." Katara argues.
Sokka flares his nostrils; Katara isn't going to back down from this. "Fine, but I'm going with you." Sokka tells her.
"No you aren't. We don't need any more injured people." Katara tells him.
Sokka's temper begins to rise. "And we don't need you anymore injured than you are." He shouts.
Katara flinches from his tone. Quickly she looks to Toph who lets one of the side walls of the tent down. Quickly Katara stumbles towards the entrance.
Sokka lunges towards her but she's already out of the opening and he gets to it just after Toph closes it.
Katara brings her left arm up to block the wind from her face. Dust is flying everywhere and filling her eyes. Katara blinks trying to get the gunk in her eyes out. The wind is strong and it pushes her backwards a couple steps. She regains her foot and pushes through the wind by taking small steps.
Men are being thrown through the howling wind. Aang hovers ten feet in the air with a sphere of air protecting him. His tattoos glow and his eyes are white holes.
Katara pushes forward and lets out a whimper as her injured arm gets jostled by the wind. She stumbles backwards from a large gust of wind and lands on her back. Just above her, she sees a rebel soaring through the air, thirty feet up. Katara cringes as she hears his impact with the earth. She takes a deep breath that's filled with dirt and coughs it up. Katara gags up the earth in her throat as she stands again.
Once again she begins to push forward through the wind. Aang is now only ten yards away. Katara fixes her eyes on his back. A large rock comes flying through the air and hit Katara's injured shoulder. Katara screams in pain from the blow and collapses to her knees as she cradles her shoulder. Blinking back the sickness creeping into her stomach Katara stands again, still cradling her shoulder.
She takes the final steps towards Aang before she hits the air sphere. Katara places her left arm in front of her and tries to push through. Her uninjured arm gets through the speeding ball of air, and then she eases her injured shoulder through with a grimace.
Now Katara is completely through the barrier of air and she doesn't know exactly what to do. Her hair whips around her face leaving it stinging. "Aang," she shouts to the hovering boy above her. His head snaps over to her, his white eyes ablaze. "Aang, stop this," she screams, all he does it stare at her. She feels a tear escape from her eyes. Seeing Aang like this was horrible. "Aang come on, please stop," she shouts above the howling wind and grabs one of his glowing hands. She tries to tug him down with the strength of one arm. More tears run down her face as Aang only stares with cold eyes. "Aang please," she screams at him in a pleading voice. She is beyond scared now. Just the cold glare that Aang gave her was frightening. The big reason she is shaking in her boots, literally, is because she doesn't know if she can still calm him down. Katara looks up to Aang who still only stares. "PLEASE!" she screams at the top of her lungs. It never took this long before to get him out of the Avatar State.
Katara's legs give way. He wasn't listening to her. Katara sobs wondering what's going to happen next.
To Katara's surprise she can feel the wind around her lighten up. She looks up from her bent over position to Aang. He is still hovering, but the glow of his tattoos and eyes are dying out. "Aang?" she questions before she realizes he's starting to fall with shut eyes. Quickly Katara stands, leaving her dizzy, and she stumbles over just in time to catch Aang in her left arm. Her legs and arm give out from the weight and Aang falls into Katara's lap.
His eyes open slightly to see Katara hovering over him. "Katara," he asks, reaching up to touch her face. She smiles and tears of joy spill from her eyes. Aang smiles too. "I thought you were d-dead." Aang tells her tears brimming in his eyes.
Katara laughs slightly, "Nope, I'm here, not dead." She chokes out.
Aang closes his eyes happy about the news but they then pop open. "What about your shoulder?" he asks popping up and out of Katara's arms and observing her over.
Katara smiles and nods her head towards her right shoulder, "Could be better, but I'm fine." She smiles sincerely at Aang.
Aang smiles widely. "You know what fine means," he doesn't wait for her answer. "Freaked out. Insecure. Neurotic. And Emotional." He tells.
Katara gulps. That was something they used to say to each other to get the truth out about how they each were feeling. "Where did you hear that?" Katara asks.
Aang shrugs. "I don't know. It just came to me." He answers.
Katara smiles widely. "What?" Aang asks.
Katara shakes her head. "Nothing, we need to get back to everyone." She tells him. Aang nods and pulls himself up. He stands over Katara and offers her his hand. She takes it and he hauls her up ignoring the pain emanating from her shoulder. They begin to walk back to the earth tent before dizziness washes over Katara and she crashes into Aang. Aang holds onto her to keep her from falling. "Hey you ok?" Aang asks as he stops and gazes into Katara's spinning eyes.
Katara nods. "Of course." she tells him weakly.
Aang shakes his head. "No, I don't think you are." He insists.
Katara rolls her eyes. "Aang it's alright, I'm alright." she argues with him. Aang shakes his head again.
Before Katara can object any more, Aang swoops her into his arms. Katara has to blink to set her eyes straight from the sudden movement and she has to force back her lunch. However, the vertigo subsides as she rests her head on Aang's chest. She wants to protest about Aang carrying her, but decides against it. Where she is right now, in Aang's sturdy arms, is where she fells safe. Katara desperately wants this moment to last forever, but knows it will only continue for a few more seconds...
There it is. I know that the ending was really cheesy, but I thought it was sweet. Cheese can always make things so much better! :) LOL. But seriously did you guys like it? I know I always ask that question and it must really be getting old, but I need to know. I want to know if you hated it, or if you loved it, or if you are in the middle. Because honestly I'm beginning to worry that I'm starting to become predictable... :/
You guys are so great though and the next chapter will be coming shortly, within the next three days. :) Tell me what you think of the chapter though! :D