A/N: This was a long time in coming. I promise I'm really trying to get better at this long-term writing thing. You don't believe me? Well, please don't throw rotten fruit. Or vegetables. Except maybe peaches. I like peaches.
Chapter 10: Awaiting the Inevitable
When Katara awoke, the first sensation she felt was a throbbing headache. The next was the wooden stake at her back, jagged and rough. Splinters dug into her kimono uncomfortably, and her boots and pants were soaked with dew. The third was the cord that secured her wrists painfully around the post, and the rope tethered over her shoulders, hips, and around her knees, ensuring that she could not move.
Moaning, the waterbender blinked, staring blurrily at the pink and orange sky. A salty ocean breeze blasted by and grit brushed over Katara's face.
Sand, she realized, and tried to focus her mind in spite of the dagger-strikes of pain ricocheting through her head. As far as she could tell, it was still early morning, and as the waterbender gathered her wits, she became aware of Ichiro, Nobu, Hiroto, and Jiro on either side of her, still unconscious, and restrained to wooden posts in a similar fashion. Behind her, Katara could hear the faint scuffling and snorting of their ostrich horses, tethered to the ground. The waterbender was dragged from her fogginess when a snarling voice erupted in the still air, destroying the silence.
"You were to bring me the Avatar, peasant! Not these filthy low-lives!"
Shaking her head slightly to clear her vision, Katara caught sight of a huddled figure at the feet of a tall, imposing man dressed in the heavy robes of royalty.
"But, Your Grace," the man protested, "The Avatar was not present when the Lotus organized this mission! I brought you the best I could!"
Katara's eyes widened. Kenta.
"Don't bother me with your lies," Ozai's expression was startlingly cold. He lifted his gaze with finality to the guard that stood behind the traitor. "Kill him."
"Please, my Lord," Kenta begged, but the Fire Lord turned his back.
The guard raised his serrated spear, and Katara squeezed her eyes shut. But the man's agonized cry tore through the air, striking hard at the waterbender's heart. She bit her lip.
Ozai waved his hand dismissively toward the guard who had executed Kenta. "Get that foul carcass out of my sight."
"Yes, my Lord," the guard quipped, and three other men helped him to drag Kenta's body away.
Suddenly, Katara jumped in fright as another man's voice rang out just behind her.
"My Lord," announced the soldier, tapping the waterbender's post with the butt of his spear, "This one is awakening."
Ozai, flanked by two more guards, approached Katara with a manic gleam in his bloodshot eyes. The waterbender held her breath, recognizing in the father an expression similar to the one she had seen in his daughter—Azula's way of grappling for control, trying to hold on to whatever shred of dignity she had previously held. Katara suspected the same reaction had come over Ozai in his defeat—he was not accustomed to failure, and he didn't accept it. So he was living a delusion that he was still in control, and that made him all the more dangerous.
This was the first time Katara had laid eyes on the Fire Lord—in the flesh, and not on a poster or a crude portrait made with noodles. His features were sharper, his amber eyes more piercing, and his thin mouth curved more steeply downward than she had ever seen in any painting, and despite herself, she shrunk back in fear.
The Fire Lord stared at the waterbender for the longest moment before speaking. He barely blinked, as if he was trying to immobilize her with only his eyes. She held his searching gaze, but her bold defiance faded into a weaker resistance as uneasiness settled in the pit of her stomach. A glitter of recognition flashed in Ozai's eyes.
"You're the Avatar's wench, aren't you?" the Fire Lord said, his voice a low growl.
Katara stared at her bound knees and said nothing.
"Well," Ozai hissed, "I'm sure your friends are quite worried about you. We must arrange a meeting to return you as soon as possible." He turned away, his expression sly.
Katara glared up at the Fire Lord's back, her blue eyes glowing with anger. The tone of certainty that slipped out of her mouth shocked even her. "Aang beat you once, and he can do it again!"
Ozai spun on his heel, facing her with eyes blazing in a terrifying display of rage. He thrust his arm forward and fell into a firebending stance.
Katara didn't flinch this time. Not even a puff of smoke came from the Fire Lord's hand, and despite her splitting headache, Katara straightened. "Go ahead," she taunted, "Roast me yourself. Show all your subjects how magnificent a firebender you are."
Except for a slight gritting of teeth, Ozai maintained his composure. He stiffened.
"You are not worth my energy, water peasant," the Fire Lord snarled, tactfully evading her challenge. He glanced toward the soldier standing just behind Katara's post. "I want her guarded by at least four soldiers at all times. She is the greatest hope we have for destroying the Avatar."
Beside Katara, Nobu stirred, moaning. Ozai's gaze was trained on him in an instant, like the eye of a falcon on its prey. The Fire Lord looked at the guard standing behind the man's stake. "Release that one," he ordered, and the guard did promptly as he was told.
Nobu groaned, rubbing at his bleeding wrists. The cavalryman had a purpling bruise under his left eye, and a gash on his upper arm. Ozai bent forward, staring Nobu straight in the face. The Lotus member recoiled in horror.
"Go," the Fire Lord commanded, "Report to your leaders. We want the Avatar. He will be delivered to us alone. We have your men, and the Avatar's waterbender. If he is not delivered to us, alone, by sunset today, we will kill all of them."
Nobu nodded frantically, and after a swift kick, he took off into the trees.
"Ouch!"
Yugoda steadied Aang with a hand on his arm. "Hold still!" she reprimanded, fingering the bandages wrapped around the boy's torso.
The airbender sat on his cot, and the Northern healer bent over him, unwrapping his dressings and folding the soaked fabric on the end table at the foot of the bed. Once the bandages were off, Yugoda inspected the airbender's scar, poking and prodding the skin around it, and gauging Aang's reaction.
After several minutes, the healer sat back, satisfied with her assessment. "Still tender, but it should heal. I'll rewrap it with a poultice, and after a week or so, you should be able to take it off."
Aang sighed.
Lying lazily on her back on Katara's bunk, Toph chuckled. "Oh, lighten up, Twinkletoes." She sat up, and, placing her bare feet squarely on the floor, the earthbender smirked at her friend. "If you keep sulking like this, I'm going to have to think up something funny to say in Sokka's absence."
Aang glanced toward the warrior's bunk further down the aisle, where he sat, utterly bored, trying to entertain Momo with a corner of his bed sheet. "You could just go get him," the airbender suggested with a chuckle.
Toph lifted her blind gaze toward her friend, staring pointedly.
Aang smiled despite himself. "Okay, you've got me," he grinned, "I wouldn't want you to strain yourself."
Yugoda patted the airbender on the shoulder to get his attention. "Why don't you go bathe while I get the poultice ready? Make sure you get the skin around the scar really clean."
"I can't reach it," Aang complained unnecessarily, looking up at the old healer helplessly.
Yugoda regarded him with a raised eyebrow. "Take someone with you, then."
Aang stood shakily to his feet, glancing pleadingly toward Toph.
The earthbender, sensing his gaze, held up her hands disgustedly. "Oh no," she shook her head, "Don't look at me. I am not helping you bathe yourself."
"I can ask Kaori to help, if you would like," Yugoda offered, folding the mass of soiled bandages over her arm. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind. Two of the patients she was in charge of were released from the infirmary yesterday."
Aang's brow tightened. "Uh," he stuttered, "Actually, I think I'll be just fine on my own. Thanks anyways." He disappeared in a puff of wind, leaving Yugoda mildly bewildered.
The healer glanced toward Toph. "Is he usually like that?"
The earthbender waved her hand dismissively, getting up from Katara's bunk. "Nah. He's just worried about his girlfriend."
"Hm," Yugoda mused, turning to stare after the airbender with a thoughtful look on her face.
When Aang returned from his bath, he was surprised to find all of the healers clustered at the far end of the infirmary, talking in low tones. Sokka and Suki were sitting on their respective bunks, shooting nervous glances toward the group of healers. Aang hesitated for a brief moment, unsure of what to do. Several of the other injured patients stared at the airbender curiously, and he rubbed nervously at his bare arm as their searching gazes pierced him. Aang hurried down the aisle, passing quickly by his and Katara's empty cots and making his way toward his friends.
Sokka and Suki looked up when the airbender joined them.
"What's going on?" Aang asked, glancing between the two of them worriedly.
Sokka rubbed the back of his neck in exasperation. "One of the scouts from Katara's troop came back—alone, and without his ostrich horse. We don't know exactly what happened yet, but I'd bet my entire seal jerky stash that it's not good."
The scar tissue in the center of Aang's spine tingled as the nurses chatter suddenly got louder, and the squeal of a wooden door opening and closing was drown out by Toph's voice.
Toph appeared out of the crowd suddenly, shoving her way through. Her motion was nervous and her expression was worried. She stopped at the foot of Sokka's bunk, and the cluster of healers followed her, waiting with open mouths and concerned eyes. "I spoke with the Lotus and the cavalryman who came back. This guy—Nobu, I think, said they were trying to capture Ozai from the camp, and the ambush went bad."
"What?" Sokka's voice rang out, echoing in Aang's ears. "They were supposed to be the smartest, most battle-worthy members of the White Lotus! Why would they do that?" His voice suddenly erupted into an accusing tone as he ranted, "Which idiot thought five men and my sister could just traipse into a camp of firebenders and waltz off with their leader? They needed an army! How could they just—"
"Sokka!" Suki's voice rose over the heightened tone of the warrior's. "Just calm down. Let's figure this out. Put your planning brain to work."
Toph crossed her arms. "That's not all," she continued, "They said Ozai demanded Aang come to the negotiations alone."
Sokka sniffed, a bitter snort of laughter escaping through his parted lips. "Ha! Does he think we all fell off the cabbage cart yesterday?"
Toph's brow furrowed and her jaded eyes gleamed with anger. "The Loser Lord said if anyone else came with him, he'd kill Katara and the others. But the Lotus is willing to send a platoon of earthbenders," the earthbender reported, "And I'm going to head them up."
"No," Aang's tone quivered as he found his voice for the first time, but he kept his face carefully neutral. "I don't want anyone else hurt. Let me go." His voice was surprisingly calm, but the agonized glitter in his eye was painfully obvious.
"Not a chance, Twinkletoes," Toph denied his demand flatly. "Ozai's got Sugar Queen, and three members of the Lotus. He's got a quarrel with all of us, not just you."
Sokka scowled. "Whoever planned this ambush was a dunce."
"Stop insulting them, Sokka," Suki reprimanded with a glare.
"So," Toph interrupted the Kyoshi Warrior's impending lecture. "You guys coming with us?"
"I'm going," Suki insisted, glancing toward Yugoda with a defiant gleam in her eye, intending to beat down any resistance the Northern Water Tribe woman would present.
The healer frowned, glancing at the girl's bandaged arm. "As long as you take it easy on that wrist, you should be all right."
"I am too," Sokka added, but he flinched when he saw Yugoda's eyes blazing with disapproval.
"You're not going anywhere," the healer countered, staring pointedly at the water tribesman's bandaged leg.
Toph nudged Sokka reassuringly. "Calm down, Snoozles. Suki and I can handle this, no problem."
"What about me?" Aang inquired. "You said Ozai wanted me alone."
"You'll come in behind us," Toph replied, "We're not going to risk sending you into the face of the enemy and having them cart you and Katara off to who-knows-where. Or worse." She balled her hands into fists and cracked her knuckles.
"Besides, Aang," Sokka piped, trying to lighten the atmosphere, "You got to fight that dirt-sack by yourself last time. No way are we going to let you have all the fun this time."
"Yeah," Toph added, "I didn't get to kick very much butt during the comet, what with all the flying and falling and stuff—but it's going to be different this time."
"But—" Aang tried to protest, but, seeing the airbender's distress, Yugoda cut him off.
"No one is doing any butt-kicking until I apply the poultice to Avatar Aang's injury and rebind it," the healer reminded. "In the meantime, I suggest you prepare any planning that is necessary, and report back to the Elders of the White Lotus. Everyone else," she gestured roughly to the other healers and nurses gathered around them, "This is an infirmary, not a garden party. I'm sure you all have something to do. Get to it."
Everyone began to disperse, and Yugoda took Aang by the arm, leading him back towards his bunk, where she had set up the poultice and other supplies.
"I can't let them do that, you know," the airbender mumbled after Yugoda had guided him to sit on his bunk. He watched over his shoulder as she took fresh strips of fabric and dipped them in the poultice. "If Ozai hurts Katara—and the others," he added, almost as an afterthought, "I'd never forgive myself."
Yugoda hummed in acknowledgment as she wove several damp strips together and pressed them to Aang's back. The airbender winced as the cold, medicinal mixture seeped into the broken skin. "I have to go in alone," he murmured.
Yugoda worked steadily, applying more of the poultice and securing it around Aang's thin frame. "If you think that would be wise," she replied quietly, not glancing up from her task.
"I thought I had found a way around it," Aang's throat clenched, "I thought I wouldn't have to kill him—and that without his firebending, he couldn't hurt anyone. I guess I was wrong."
Yugoda's hand paused only briefly before continuing, and after securing the last of the bandages covering the poultice, she dried her hands on a clean towel, and placed a stern hand on Aang's shoulder.
The airbender straightened, testing the flexibility of his bandages. He glanced up at the healer. Her gaze was sharp. "Your only mistake, Aang," she said. "Is giving up so easily. Ozai can do nothing without his people. He never could. Expose the Fire Lord for what he is, and you will win the hearts of those who follow him."
Aang stared hard at his hands, folded in his lap. Then, he looked desperately at Yugoda. "How am I supposed to do that?"
The healer smiled faintly, her eyes encouraging. "You will find a way." Gathering up her leftover supplies, she hurried away to attend to another patient.
Trying not to groan, Aang buried his head in his hands.
An enthusiastic chitter alerted the airbender, and he glanced up. Momo alighted on the footboard of Aang's cot.
He smiled. "Hey, Momo," the airbender greeted. The lemur's ears pricked forward, regarding his human friend with his wide green eyes. The tip of Momo's long tail twitched back and forth as he maintained his balance on the bedpost. He chattered discontentedly.
"I know, I know," Aang reached over to scratch the lemur behind the ear. "I'm sorry I haven't paid any attention to you in a while. I'll make it up to you, I promise."
Momo leapt forward onto the airbender's shoulder, wrapping his long tail loosely around Aang's throat and settling with a sigh into the crook of his neck. He purred, and from his actions the airbender imagined his companion's response.
You'd better.
The airbender patted the lemur's head affectionately. "Okay," he murmured, his thoughts whirling. "I will."
"I'm telling you, Toph, it'll be better for everyone if you guys don't go in off the bat with your fists blazing."
The earthbender bristled from where she sat at the end of Suki's cot. "Hey, if you want to just give Aang into the hands of that psychopath, go ahead!"
"Suki's right, Toph," Sokka defended his girlfriend. "Won't it be better for Katara and the others if we let Aang work his peace-making wonders before the attack?"
The airbender in question, who had arrived in the middle of his friends' little spat, stood in the aisle gazing helplessly at them. Momo was still perched on his shoulder, and the lemur's long ears pricked with discontent at the sound of his friends' argument.
Sokka acknowledged Aang with a glance, seeing the telltale lumps of the thick poultice and bandages beneath the airbender's new tunic.
"I don't see why we should have to comply with anything Ozai says. You know he's going to double-cross Twinkletoes anyway, so why even let him go?"
The warrior gestured toward Aang. "Well, why don't we let him decide?"
The airbender blinked. "Toph," he began, "I understand your concern, but we can't jeopardize Katara's life just to back me up. It's my fault that Ozai was able to escape. I should do what he says."
The earthbender crossed her arms. "Fine. But as soon as things start to go bad, you can bet your fancy pants that I'm going to smash the living daylights out of the Loser Lord, whether or not he wants me there."
"Ooh, ooh, ooh!" Sokka suddenly bounced up and down excitedly on his bunk, his eyes lighting up.
Suki smiled affectionately. "There's that brain working."
Sokka grinned, and held his hands out in a gesture that commanded attention. "Listen, guys, I think I've figured out a way that we can all have our way. But it may involve some fancy footwork."
Toph straightened. "Hit me with it, Snoozles. I'm all ears."
Two hours later, and the platoon was outfitted and ready to go. It was after mid-day already, and Toph was getting antsy. If it had been up to her, she would have run off on a rescue mission as soon as she got word of Katara's capture. But no, every movement had to be done officially and with the approval of the Lotus Elders. The process was slow and was starting to make her sick, almost as if she were back home in the well-kept gardens and tight-knit schedules of her parents' life of nobility.
Standing atop the great wall of Ba Sing Se, Toph secured the chin strap of her armored, conical helmet, and turned on her heel, crossing her arms. Before her stood a fresh unit of uniformed earthbenders, comprised of six men total. The blind metalbender wrinkled her nose, disappointed that this was all the Order could provide her with.
Oh well, she shrugged to herself, I suppose they'll have to do.
Toph could tell that a few of the men were uneasy about being led by a twelve-year-old girl, but she could fix that up quick.
It wasn't long before Toph could feel the light patter of Aang's feet trotting alongside beside Suki's sturdy strides as they made their way up the staircase that opened up to the wall's battlements. She turned toward them as they emerged into the open air, shoulder to shoulder.
Aang had taken the care to smooth out the more obvious lumps in his poultice wrap, leaving less of it visible beneath his new tunic. Suki, though she had no Kyoshi uniform on hand, had dressed herself sharply in a green tunic and loose-fitting breeches lent to her by another patient. She had even taken the liberty to reapply the traditional make-up to her face, longing for even a partially effective return to normalcy.
"Took your sweet time, I take it?" Toph commented crisply when Suki and Aang were within earshot.
Despite herself, the Kyoshi Warrior prickled irritably at the earthbender's tart comment, assuming absentmindedly that it was a jab at her painted face. "Prying Sokka off my arm was more time-consuming than the make-up," she shot back bitingly.
Toph scowled, and the skin around the corners of her eyes tightened with simmering bitterness.
"Guys," Aang warned, stepping in between them, "We have better things to do." Then, the airbender placed a sympathetic hand on the earthbender's shoulder. "Toph, as soon as Katara is back, you guys can bicker all you want, okay?"
The blind girl turned around, shrugging out of Aang's grip. She tugged the brow of her cone-shaped helmet low over her sightless eyes, and her focus settled on the vibrations of the earthbenders standing to attention. "Let's do this, then."
Random Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar, or the amazing minds of fanfiction readers. Because if I did own their minds, I would be hypnotizing them to read and review my stories, until I was able to take over the internet. Muahahahaha!