Oooohhh it's been a few months...

*dodges tomatoes and other rotten food items thrown*

I'm sorry! I've had a rough semester both emotionally and academically, and as such have found very little motivation to update…here's a chapter to help you forgive me!

I am EXTREMELY iffy about this chapter…it felt a bit forced, but that might just be me getting back into the groove of things.

Please let me know what you think...

PLEASE REVIEW!

Chapter 10: Taking a Stand

The afternoon sun was warm and bright, not a cloud marring the clear blue sky. Dakota held Kiki's hand as they made their way down the road leading to the village square. Lee walked beside them, grinning his toothy grin. Dakota wondered why the boy was so cheerful, and when she asked he proudly pulled out a small dagger.

"I got this!"

It was Zuko's dagger; Dakota recognized it from the day Zuko and Iroh had cut their hair. Engraved on the blade were the words: "Never give up without a fight".

"Where did you get that?" Dakota asked sharply, and Lee rolled his eyes.

"I didn't steal it, Coda, if that's what you're asking. Lee gave it to me last night. I couldn't sleep, and when I went outside he was practicing with his swords. He gave me this, and taught me some stuff. It was so cool!" Lee exclaimed.

Dakota frowned, but didn't question the boy further. Zuko wasn't stupid; he must have given Lee the dagger for a reason. "Alright, but please keep it hidden while you're in the village. For me, okay?" she asked.

Lee huffed, but nodded, tucking the sheathed knife away in his pants pocket. The minutes ticked by, and when they reached the edge of the village, Kiki tugged on Dakota's hand. The older girl looked down to see Kiki pointing to their right, her lips pursed in worry.

In a narrow alleyway, out of the way of the main road, a middle-aged man was cowering before the leader of the Earth Kingdom soldiers. The "bully" Lee was so fond of messing with.

"I-I'm sorry, but I can't help you! I have a family to feed, and–" the man began, hands shaking as they tightened around a cleaning towel. The Earthbender scoffed, stomping his foot and sending a dangerous ripple through the earth, making the poor villager stumble.

"I work hard to protect your pathetic village, Yatu, and I'd hate to have something bad happen to your family because I wasn't able to protect them properly…"

"Please!" the man cried, and the Earthbender sent a powerful block of earth into the villager's stomach. Wheezing, he keeled over, and something in Dakota's mind snapped. The Earthbender was no soldier, he was a bully, and Dakota hated bullies.

"Stay here with Kiki," Dakota ordered, passing Kiki off to Lee. Lee protested, but obediently held Kiki close to him as Dakota marched over to the Earthbender and the injured civilian.

"Stop it!" Dakota yelled, putting herself in between the two men. The villager let out pained gasps behind her, and she turned to look at him.

"Get out of here," she advised, and the man didn't waste more than a second before following her instruction. He hobbled away, and Dakota glared up at the towering soldier. He was smirking, his eyes cold and sharp.

"If it isn't the girl traveling with the scarred freak. If you were smart, you'd know not to interfere, girly."

"If you were a realsoldier, you would never attack one of the civilians you were assigned to protect," Dakota muttered, and the Earthbender's eyes flashed. He raised his fist as if to strike her, but Dakota took a step back to get out of his reach.

She didn't count on him using Earthbending so quickly, and so the small clump of rock took her by surprise. It hit her solidly in right right leg, just above the knee, making her crumple. She was about to get out of the way when a small figure jumped into the fray.

"Get away from Coda, you big meanie!" Lee cried, and leapt at the Earthbender with Zuko's dagger, slashing a shallow cut across the soldier's abdomen. The Earthbender howled in pain, and grabbed the boy's shirt, pulling him up and eyeing him with a terrible expression on his face.

"Put him down," Dakota demanded, her voice more calm than she felt. Her leg throbbed painfully, but she pushed it aside in light of Lee's situation. "I'm the one who started this; he was just trying to help me."

"I think that you both need to be taught a little lesson," the Earthbender snarled, and used his other hand to yank Lee's hair back so that the boy's frightened face was turned upward instead of at the ground. Dakota gasped, and what she did next was instinctive, executed too quickly for her to think about the repercussions.

"I said put him down!" Dakota yelled, and sent a whip of fire at the Earthbender's arm, the flames coiling around his forearm and searing his skin. The man screamed in pain and in shock, and dropped Lee so fast that the boy had no time to break his fall. But instead of landing on his head, the earth came up and cradled him, soft when it should have been hard. Dakota looked over to see Kiki with her hands outstretched in front of her, eyes wide and as bewildered as Dakota and Lee were. She stared at her hands, and flinched as if she had been shocked, her lips moving but no sound escaping them.

Kiki was an Earthbender. If her expression was anything to go by, she hadn't known about it until that very moment.

But before Dakota could do so much as blink, the soldier's hands were tight on her upper arms, lifting her off the ground. She cried out, because his grip hurt. He shifted, and suddenly her wrists were locked behind her back with cuffs of cold earth.

Lee, who had let out a yell at the sight of Dakota's Firebending, tried to scramble to his feet. Before he could do so, similar cuffs of dirt appeared around his hands, surprising him enough to make him loose his footing. Kiki was crying, her sweet face tear-streaked and red. The older Earthbender took a step toward her, and Dakota breathed a sigh of relief when the little girl turned and ran, rounding the corner and disappearing.

But once the relief passed, guilt settled in.

She had ruined everything. In one stupid moment of weakness, Dakota had revealed herself – and possibly Zuko and Iroh as well – as a Firebender. She looked over at Lee, but she couldn't see his face; he was facing away from her, struggling to free himself from his cuffs.

"Let's see what the rest of the fellas have to say about your kind, Firebender," the Earthbender soldier spat, pure hatred in every syllable.

Zuko was just finishing fixing the fence around the garden when he caught sight of Kiki running down the path toward the house. The adults were inside, and so Zuko was the first person she saw.

He heard her panicked crying, and his alarms immediately went off. Kiki wouldn't be crying if everything was alright; that meant that something bad must have happened. Dakota and Lee weren't with her. Where were they?

Trying to push down his own panic, Zuko dropped his tools and jogged to meet Kiki on the road. The girl's frightened eyes were only visible for a second before she threw herself into his arms. The feel of someone clinging to him so desperately was still new, and so Zuko's arms were stiff as they lifted her up. Her legs hooked around his waist, and sobs shook her entire body.

"Where are Coda and Lee?" Zuko asked curtly, forgetting for a moment that he was talking to a child. His unease made him careless, made him forget to soften his tone. Kiki didn't seem to be affected by his coolness, instead she lifted her head to stare at him, green eyes wide.

"T-The mean soldier was h-hurting someone, and C-Coda tried to stop him, but then she made f-fire–"

Zuko swore loudly, and Kiki jumped at the sudden outburst. But not once did she loosen her hold.

Damn it. Dakota had gone and put herself in danger again, and now she was in serious trouble. She had revealed her Firebending in a city filled with Fire Nation haters, and the thought sent ice slithering down Zuko's spine. He had to find her, he had to get her out of there.

Zuko leaned down, setting Kiki on her feet. The girl whimpered, not wanting to let go, but Zuko was firm. He knelt down to look her in the eye, and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Listen to me, Kiki. I need you to go find Ir…Lotek. Tell him what you saw, and that I'm going to get Coda and Lee back. Can you do that?"

Kiki's lips trembled, and she held her arms out for another hug. Zuko hesitantly held the girl close, feeling her tremors and hearing her soft cries. Something had really frightened the girl, and he peered into her face, trying to figure it out.

"Did something else happen?"

Kiki scrubbed at her eyes, face scrunching up with the force of her sobs. "I did a bad thing!" she bawled, and Zuko tried to keep his patience. He took a deep breath before responding.

"What are you talking about? What 'bad' thing?"

"I made the e-earth move, and Mama says that that's bad and now s-she's gonna h-hate me! I didn't m-mean to, I promise!" the girl wailed, and Zuko frowned deeply.

Kiki was an Earthbender? But then again, that made sense. Sela was an Earthbender – it didn't take more than a few hours in close quarters with the woman to figure that out. But while the woman seemed to go to great measures to hide her bending, Zuko hadn't known that the woman actively spoke against it to her own children. How could she so vehemently deny an ability that she herself possessed? Hadn't she thought of the possibility that her children may have inherited her bending?

Because of Sela's words, Kiki was scared of being hated by her family for something she was born with.

Irritation swelled in Zuko's chest at the sight of Kiki cowering under the knowledge of her bending, and with a quick shake of his head centered himself. He needed to get to Coda and Lee; the rest could wait.

"Kiki, I know you're scared, but I need you to focus. Lee and Coda need your help, kid. Go find Lotek, tell him what's happened. We don't have to tell your parents about your bending; it'll be a secret for now. Understand?" he demanded, the comforting words bitter on his tongue. Spirits, he wasn't cut out for dealing with children, that much was certain.

Kiki hiccupped, and slowly nodded. Zuko gave her shoulder a squeeze, and with one final look the girl made her way to the house. Zuko didn't wait around to see her enter the house; he was already turning and running toward the stables. He didn't have time to waste traveling on his own two feet, and luckily for him the ostrich horses were in their stalls and not out to graze. He saddled one, and urged the creature into a swift run, heading straight for the village.

Dakota shoulders were beginning to ache terribly. The Earthbender had not been gentle when tying her to the whipping post – she wasn't positive that it was a whipping post, but its position in the center of the town square sure made it look like one. Her arms were pulled at a painful angle behind her, and the muscles in her upper back began to scream in protest. She gritted her teeth, and tried to adjust her body so that some of the pressure was alleviated. That only made it worse, and Dakota couldn't hold back the painful yelp that resulted from the movement.

"I'm sorry, Coda," Lee muttered from his position on the post next to her. The soldier had been much more lenient with the boy, him up with his arms at his sides rather than with his arms around the post.

Dakota whipped her head around at the sound of his voice; shocked that Lee had actually spoken. The boy had been eerily silent the entire trip to the main square, and Dakota had assumed that the boy had set himself against her. After all, he and his family despised Firebenders, and Dakota had just revealed herself as the very thing Lee professed to hate.

Lee stared at her for a moment, and then looked down. The knife Zuko had given him was strewn carelessly at his feet, and the boy frowned.

"I was trying to help you, but I just got you into trouble. I shoulda listenened to you," he grumbled, and Dakota smiled past the pain. People were beginning to gather at the square, their eyes fearful as they awaited the arrival of the Earthbender soldiers. They would be back any minute, and Dakota hurried to reply, not sure of how much time she'd have to talk to Lee without the Earthbending soldiers around.

"It's okay, Lee. I'm the one who should say sorry…for everything, really. I don't know what you think of me now, but know that we never meant to hurt anyone–" Dakota paused, horrified because she had just said 'we'. Lee frowned, and Dakota cringed. She had hoped he wouldn't pick up on it, but it was all in vain.

"We? So Lee and Lotek are Firebenders, too?!" he exclaimed in a loud whisper, face blanking in shock. Dakota nodded reluctantly, and Lee sagged against his bonds, green eyes staring up at the sky.

Dakota closed her eyes, but they opened just as quickly at Lee's next words.

"Wait, so Lee and Lotek are the friends you were talking about before? Man, that makes so much sense!" Lee cried, punctuating the last three words with kicks of his feet. "I mean, Lotek's the nice, wise old guy, and Lee's the angry one! Gah, I feel so stupid!"

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you," Dakota said quietly, trying so hard not to smile at Lee's frustrating kicking. Lee turned to look at her, and she was surprised at his toothy grin.

"It's not your fault! I mean, my village isn't the most 'Firebender friendly', if you know what I mean. But you saved me and my sister twice, and Lotek is super nice and makes awesome tea! And Lee taught me how to use a dagger…you guys can't be all that bad. I don't care what everyone else says, you guys aren't like the Firebenders who attacked our village!"

Dakota could do nothing but stare. Lee's acceptance meant more than Dakota could ever have imagined, and seeing him overcome prejudice was oddly frightening. Had Lee been prejudiced in the TV show? Had Zuko and Iroh even stopped in this town in the show? Had Dakota really made that big of an impact, or had she created a subplot of her own?

Before she could respond to Lee's proclamation, the Earthbenders swaggered into the square, shouldering aside civilians as they did so.

"Gow, you can't be serious…that puny little girl, a Firebender?" one of the smaller soldiers sneered, and the leader – Gow – smacked him upside the head.

"Then explain this," Gow snarled, brandishing his arm. Thick ropey burns surrounded the forearm, where Dakota's fire had branded itself into his skin. Dakota couldn't help the feeling of pride that filled her at the sight. The bastard deserved it…he picked on children for God's sake!

The other soldiers seemed to swell with anger for their leader, and Dakota tensed. What were they going to do to her, anyway? She had attacked a soldier; that meant…well, she wasn't sure what it meant. She didn't like the look in Gow's eyes, though, and she shared a quick glance with Lee before steeling herself.

What she didn't expect was Lee to speak up.

"You deserved that, you meanie! You were trying to hurt me, and she helped me! So what if she's a Firebender? She's a million times nicer than any of you Earthbenders are! You're the one who needs to be taught a lesson!" the boy seethed, kicking furiously in Gow's direction.

Gow let out a growl, stepping toward Lee with a threatening expression on his face. Dakota tried in vain to move, to do something, but the attempt caused another sharp spasm to go up her entire back. She cried out, and her head hung forward limply. Her hair fell in front of her face, pale strands partially obscuring her view. Lee was calling her name, and she flinched when she felt rough fingers yanking her chin upward. She met the cold gaze of Gow, and jerked her head out of his grasp.

"You Firebenders have caused enough grief, wouldn't you say? How does it feel to be a part of something so inherently evil? You can blink those big doe eyes all you want, but I see what you truly are."

Dakota felt a wave of cold, because Gow's eyes were so intense with the amount of hatred they held. His cruel face was lined with anger and anticipation. Dakota began to shake, because Gow was going to hurt her and he was going to enjoy it.

"Please don't," was Dakota's only reply, because fear made silence impossible. Gow's eyes narrowed, and he grimaced in what Dakota assumed was meant to be a grin before stepping back. There were several torches lit around the square, and the villagers shrunk back when Gow stormed over to grab one. Dakota sent Lee another glance, and saw that the boy was shaking.

"It'll be okay," Dakota said quietly, and Lee's green eyes were wide.

"But your hands…"

Dakota shifted so she was standing more firmly on her own two feet, and sent him a small smile. Lee's eyebrows shot up, and he relaxed a tiny bit.

In that moment, Dakota was infinitely grateful for those Firebending duels with Zuko. Iroh's lessons were helpful in getting the basics, but it was with Zuko that she learned the more creative ways of Firebending. For one, she was able to use her feet to Firebend as effectively as her hands, something that had obviously escaped the thought process of Gow. He must not have been in close combat with a Firebender recently, otherwise he would have thought to restrain her feet as well as her hands.

Gow strode toward her with the flaming torch in hand, and as he got closer, Dakota could hear the frightened murmurs of the villagers, the shiver of discontent. She looked around, seeing the fear and the shock and horror on their tired faces. But none stepped forward, none spoke out. It made her so sad; how terrorized must they be to not have the courage to speak out against such obvious injustice?

"You Firebenders like fire, don't ya? Well, let's see how you like getting burned for a change!" Gow spat, and Dakota forced herself to stay calm. She didn't want to show him she could still fight back with her feet, and instead focused on the flickering flames. They were almost hypnotic, waving back and forth with the slight breeze that blew through the square.

Breathe in.

The flame burned a bit brighter.

Breathe out.

The flame dimmed ever so slightly.

Dakota felt the tingle as the flames became under her control, and she flexed her hands from behind her back. The flames shivered in response, and Lee gaped unabashedly. Gow was too focused on Dakota to look at the torch in his hands, and Dakota closed her eyes.

She closed her hands, clenching her fingers into fists and smothering the fire in her mind. The torch snuffed out immediately, and Dakota opened her eyes, and in any other situation she would have smiled. Gow was sputtering at the doused torch in his hands like an idiot, eyes wide and jaw dropped. Some of Dakota's humor faded when the Earthbender turned on her, his teeth bared.

"You think you're so clever, don't you? Well unfortunately for you, I don't need fire to teach you a lesson," Gow said coldly, and to Dakota's horror his gaze moved to Lee.

"No, leave him out of this!" Dakota yelled, struggling against the ropes and ignoring the pain shooting up her spine. "He's just a kid!"

"He also attacked me, with this!" Gow bellowed, leaning down to pick up Zuko's dagger. Lee paled when Gow unsheathed the blade, and Dakota felt her heart hammering in her chest. She could hold off Gow's attack for a moment or so, but then he'd tie down her legs and she'd be powerless.

"Never give up without a fight…" Gow murmured under his breath, and laughed mockingly, twirling the knife carelessly in his hand. "I suppose you think you're brave, you little brat. That attacking me alongside this Firebender," he gestured dismissively to Dakota. "makes you a hero. You're in for a rude awakening, and I'd say it's about time you learn what happens to heros…"

The villagers' fearful murmurs increased in volume, until it was an abrasive hum in the air. Gow glanced around, a brief flicker of doubt appearing in his eyes before he shook it off. The knife gleamed in the late afternoon light, and Dakota let out a shuddering breath.

This was actually happening. Lee was going to get hurt because of Dakota's lapse in judgment. Lee stared at the knife as it approached his face, and Dakota could see the panic overpowering the false bravado. He was just a child, a scared child who had put himself in harm's way to help her.

"Let them go," a familiar voice rasped, and Dakota's head snapped up to see Zuko standing there, ostrich-horse at his side. The boy's golden eyes were burning into hers, and she offered him a weak smile. He didn't smile back, and her own smile disappeared as her back screamed out in pain. She huffed, struggling to take even breaths and forcing herself to listen as Gow turned.

"Well if isn't the freak coming to save his little friend…let me guess, you're a Firebender, too? I knew that there was something off about the three of you…" Gow scorned, hands hovering over the large hammers attached to his belt.

Dakota felt hands untying her, and her breath hitched in her chest. Who…?

She craned her head to see the man she had saved from Gow crouched behind the post, his light green eyes scared but determined. Dakota saw another man working to untie Lee, who thankfully had enough sense to be quiet about it. The soldiers were too focused on Zuko to notice Lee slip out of his bonds. Dakota felt a pinch, and then she was free. She would have stumbled, but the villager silently pulled her into his arms, effortlessly carrying her into the safety of the crowd of villagers that had formed round the square.

"Thank you," Dakota whispered as he lowered her to the ground. She sat, rubbing her shoulders and wincing. The man – Yatu, that was his name – was silent for a moment, and then smiled softly.

"I never thought I would meet a Firebender, at least not under these circumstances. The boy is right; you are not like the Firebenders who attacked us. I used to think that the soldiers kept us safe, but it's been clear for some time that the soldiers are the ones we need protection from," Yatu declared.

Dakota looked around, and saw that the villagers were nodding and their expressions hardening. The hope in the air was almost palpable, and it was so strong that Dakota couldn't help but smile. It felt like progress.

Lee crawled over to her, and tugged on her sleeve. "You gotta help Lee!"

"Lee…Lee!" Dakota breathed, and lurched to her feet. She had completely forgotten about Zuko!

Zuko was sheathing his sword, a fallen soldier groaning on the ground. Dakota pushed her way to the front of the crowd, and saw Gow smirk.

"Why so shy, Firebender? Show us what you really are!"

To everyone else, Zuko appeared calm, but Dakota could see the tension in his shoulders. Zuko was furious, the kind of furious that is so intense that the person almost seems relaxed. The scary kind of furious, because it made the person unpredictable.

Dakota felt a small hand on her arm. She looked down to see Lee staring solemnly up at her.

"Go help him! He's the one you like, isn't he?"

Dakota opened her mouth to deny it, but after a moment closed her mouth. She had lied to Lee enough in the time they'd known each other; he deserved the truth.

Dakota nodded, and Lee grinned.

"Then what're you waiting for, Coda? Kick the soldiers' butts!"

It was such an odd request, but after looking at the other villagers and seeing the approval there…Dakota grinned, letting the fire well up inside of her chest and in her skin. Ah, that was better.

Dakota turned and strode into the square, brushing past the soldiers without so much as a glance in their direction. Shock prevented them from doing much, and by that time she was already by Zuko's side. Zuko's eyes were hard, his scowl deeply etched into his face, but behind it she could see the relief in his eyes.

He had been worried about her.

Dakota held his gaze for a moment longer before turning to face the flabbergasted soldiers. With a sigh, she let a ball of fire appear above her fingers, powerful and bright. A collective gasp rose from the crowd, and Dakota could see Lee's jaw drop at the display.

Zuko's scowl lessened slightly, and he drew his dual swords, flames appearing around the blades and sending deep shadows across his face.

Gow's face fell, and he took a small step backward. But then he recovered, and sneered.

"Do you really think you can beat all of us?" Gow asked, and his Earthbending companions rose to stand beside him. Dakota tensed as the soldiers raised their weapons, and felt Zuko take a step closer to her.

"They don't stand alone, Gow."

Dakota and Zuko turned to see Hue – the village leader – shuffle over to stand beside them. He may have been leaning on a staff, but his shoulders were strong and sure. One by one, all of the villagers trickled in, Yatu being the next after Hue. Lee stood on Zuko's other side, the boy having snatched up the fallen dagger and holding it in front of him.

Dakota looked around at all of the villagers, full of wonder at the strength they were showing. To be in the middle of such a revolution…it was such an otherworldly experience. Dakota wondered if Zuko felt the same; from the awed look on his face, it looked like he did.

Hue looked around at his fellow villagers, and seemed to take heart from their stance behind him.

"You have terrorized this village long enough, Gow. You were sent here to protect us, but all you have done is exploit us. It is time for you and your soldiers to leave this place. It is clear from the presence of these two young people that Firebenders are not the threat, here. You may have your Earthbending, but we have numbers, and fire on our side. Leave quietly, and there will be no need to fight," Yue said calmly, but the threat behind the words was clear.

Gow and his soldiers stood, aghast, for several minutes. The air whooshed through the village, making the wind chimes ring out and break the silence.

Finally, one of the soldiers turned and mounted his ostrich-horse. The others followed, until Gow was the only one remaining. The Earthbender stared at Zuko and Dakota, his eyes dark and menacing. Zuko took another step toward Dakota, small enough to be subtle, but Dakota caught it – it was hard to miss it when she was so focused on him.

"Leave," Zuko ordered, his tone dark and leaving no room for argument. His shoulder overlapped Dakota's slightly, and she realized that he was doing that shielding thing again. Did he realize he was doing it? Dakota glanced at Zuko, but his expression gave nothing away.

Gow let out a derisive snort. "I'll go, but know this; they're Firebenders. They're the ones who started this damn war, they're the ones we need to be fighting. You'll wake up one day with everything you love burned to the ground, and you'll have no one to blame but yourselves."

And with that, Gow mounted his ostrich-horse and followed his fellow soldiers out of the village, leaving nothing but a cloud of dust to remember them by.