Disclaimer: Where there is a will, there is a way. But I don't think I will ever own Avatar The Last Airbender. Sigh…
Chapter 11 She is my sister.
Five pair of eyes watched as a group of seven made their was to the beach. Zuko recognized two of them. They were Ty Lee and Mai, the other five were Dai Lee agents, he could tell by their clothing.
As the seven placed their feet on the sand Mai spoke.
"We've come for the Avatar, were is he?" She took her stance, blades ready to throw.
"That is none of your business." Katara said full of confidence.
"Actually, it is." Ty Lee said, as she gazed in the direction of Sokka. "Azula has send us to capture him."
"She must think we are weak." Sokka said, not liking the gaze from Ty Lee. "But she is underestimating us. We have all four elements on our side. You only have earth and fire."
"Ty Lee, would you please shut him up?" Mai asked the acrobat.
"Sure." Ty Lee replied as she made her way to Sokka with some back flips. She tried to block his chi with her fingers, but Sokka avoided each one of them.
Mai gave a few nods with her head, enough for the Dai Lee agents to know what they should do. One of them went after Toph, while Iroh and Zuko both got two agents to fight. Grinning at Katara, Mai threw a blade at her. Bending the water whip quickly into a shield of ice, Katara moved her arms, making the shield fly to Mai. Counting on Katara's attack, Mai ducked, avoiding the shield. Getting up, she ran towards Katara, knives in her hand, ready to stab the little water wench.
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Toph had a hard time fighting the one Dai Lee agent that was sent after her.
'Damn sand. I can see on solid ground, I can bent metal, but I still can't see on the sand.' The earth bender thought while she rubbed her butt. 'Everything feels blurry.' The Dai Lee agent had bended a huge rock from the sand, due to her bad sight, Toph was too slow too react and was send, flying though the air landing 30 feet away. Standing up she located the rock and ran towards it.
"Ah solid ground!" Top said relieved as her feet touched the rock. "Now you'll be sorry!!" She yelled at the Dai Lee agent who had attacked her. Stamping one foot hard on the ground, Toph send out a mid sized rock and send it towards the Dai Lee agent. Surprised by the attack, the agent was too late too defend himself and the rock met with his chest, knocking him backwards. Getting out under a pile of sand, the Dai Lee agent send some more rocks towards the young girl on top of the huge rock. Making a tent, Toph avoided getting hit by the smaller rocks.
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"So here we are again, dancing." Ty lee said as she ducked missing Sokka's club. "Too bad you're on the avatar's side, your kind of cute."
"You told me that already, too bad for you I don't like any one of the fire nation." Sokka said as he jumped, avoiding Ty Lee's feet come in contact with his.
"And jet you hang out with two of them." Ty Lee smiled. Her comment got Sokka of guard and Ty Lee saw an opening. She jabbing the upper arm of the warrior making him let go of his club. Sokka felt his arm getting numb and quickly avoided the other jab's from the acrobat.
"Can't you fight without blocking someone's chi?" The warrior asked. The acrobat made some back flip's landing a few feet away from Sokka.
"Can't you fight without your club?" She answered him with a question herself.
"Just wait until I get the feeling back in my arm." Sokka said angrily.
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Iroh had made a wall of fire when the two Dai Lee agents came after him. By the force Iroh had made the wall, the two agents flew backwards into the ocean. As peaceful as he was, Iroh did not feel like fighting. But knowing they wouldn't give up without one, he knew he had to fight. Looking over to his nephew, Iroh decided Zuko didn't need any help.
'He is doing just fine.' He though as he concentrated on the two wet Dai Lee agents, who where heading his direction.
Spinning around, Zuko pulled out his swords, sending back the rock's, that had been sent towards him by the two Dai Lee agents. One of them got hit by his own and landed, face down, in the sand.
'One down, six to go.' Zuko tough as he ran towards the still standing agent. Bending a rock from the sand, the Dai Lee agent made a shield, to protect him from the ex-prince. Putting his swords on his back, Zuko jumped on the rock, lighting a flame in his hand.
"I hope you're not afraid of fire." He said mockingly as he made a whip of the fire in his palm. He grinned as he saw the Dai Lee agent look up to him with widen eyes, filled with shock. With a move of his feet, the agent made the rock sank into the sand, making Zuko lose his balance. Just in time Zuko jumped off and landed behind his uncle, their back's touching each other.
"Two against three. We're out numbered." Iroh said to his nephew. Spinning around, Zuko send a blast of fire to one of the attacking agents, knocking him out.
"And now it's even again." Zuko said, forming a grin on his face.
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Toph jumped in the air and landed on the rock once more, creating pieces of sharp rock's emerge from the sand, trying to pierce the Dai Lee agent with the rock's. It was a hard task for her, she stood on solid ground, but the agent was on the sand.
"Hold still, will ya?" Toph yelled, knowing she missed the man by inches each time she send out a rock. "Do you take pleasure in attacking blind girls?" Toph was getting irritated.
"I dare you to come up this rock. Or are you afraid a little girl would kick your ass?" Hoping the Dai Lee agent was stupid enough to come too her. Feeling his steps on the rock Toph smiled to herself.
"Good boy." She whispered. The earth bender moved her feet making a wall of rock's around her. She waited a second and when she felt the Dai Lee agent nearby, Toph pushed a piece of the wall towards the agent. He quickly jumped out of the way, landing on all fours.
"Damn." Toph cursed under her breath, sending more pieces of her stone wall towards the agent. He had avoided them all, but after the fourth one he lost his balance and fell down.
"Gotcha!" Toph screamed happily, sending her last piece of wall towards the man on the ground.
Not quick enough to get up, the stone came in contact with his body, and by the force Toph had used, the Dai Lee agent was send, flying through the air, and landing in the ocean.
"Yeah!!! Toph one, Losers none!!!" Toph yelled. "Sokka, did you see that?"
No answer.
"Sokka??"
He tried to answer, but that was kind of hard when you're with your face down in the sand and a acrobat doing tricks on your back. Forcing his head up from the sand, he spit out of the mud, the sand had been turned in to, when it came in contact with his saliva.
"A little help please." Sokka said to Toph.
Suddenly a gust of wind lifted the weight of Sokka's back. Rolling on his back, the warrior looked at the figure next to him.
"Thanks Aang." He said while getting up.
"Your welcome." The boy smiled. "Get Toph out of here."
"What? No way. I want to kick some Dai Lee asses." Toph yelled from the top of the rock.
Turning to Toph, Aang made a serious look.
"You can't see clearly in sand, Toph. It is your weakness. Once they figure that out, you'll be the one they will go after." Turning to Ty Lee, who was getting up, Aang didn't saw the hurt look on Toph's face.
Knowing Aang was right Toph hung her head in defeat. Walking toward the sand, she took Sokka's hand and they left.
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"Give up." Mai ran towards Katara only to be stopped by Katara's element. Spinning around Mai ran past the wall of ice.
"We already have the city of Ba Sing Se, it is only a matter of time until the fire nation rules the world."
"I will never give up to the fire nation." Katara said as she bended the water in to a whip and struck Mai against her legs.
Feeling the impact of the water, Mai fell down in the sand. She grunted when she lifted herself up. This was beginning to get boring. She couldn't kill the water wench. That was not a part of the plan, if it wasn't for Azula, Mai had tried to kill Katara a long time ago.
An other water whip came in contact with Mai's body and she fell to the ground once more.
"Stay down!" Katara yelled as she send a third whip towards Mai, making it slam into her back.
'This is too easy.' The water bender thought as she saw Mai lying in the sand. Katara looked around her. She saw two Dai Lee agents on the ground, not moving. Ty Lee was fighting Aang and two Dai Lee agents were fighting with Zuko and Iroh. She looked into the ocean and saw the last Dai Lee agent floating on the surface.
'Way too easy.' Her toughs were disturbed as Mai had gotten up and threw a couple of knifes towards the water bender. Bending the water whip into a small shield, Katara was safe from the sharp metal. Mai jumped into the air and landed behind Katara. The water bender turned around but not quickly enough as she felt a knife sink into her flesh of her upper arm.. With a scream, Katara lost the grip on her element and sank down to her knee's.
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With a kick, Iroh created a fire blast, knocking one of the two Dai lee agents into the ocean, next to the one Toph had send in the ocean. A moment later they were joined by Ty Lee, who had been send in by Aang.
"Only two more to go," Zuko said as he jumped behind the remaining Dai Lee agent. He put his hands on the agent's back only to lower them as he heard the scream of a girl. Zuko looked over the Dai Lee agent's shoulder and saw something he never thought that would be so horrible to him. On the sand, lay Katara holding her upper arm with her hand. Mai hung over her with a knife, red from the blood of the water bender.
Not wasting any time, Zuko pushed the Dai Lee agent towards Mai with a powerful fire blast. The Dai Lee agent slammed into Mai and they both fell down 50 feet away from Katara. Zuko ran towards the wounded girl and sat down on his knees next to her. He rolled Katara on her back and looked at her. She was still awake. Inspecting the wound, Zuko saw that it was a deep one. It had to be stitched or else she would die of losing too much blood.
"Avatar, get her to the house. I will deal with Mai!!" Zuko yelled to Aang, but he wasn't getting any response. Getting up, Zuko walked towards Aang.
"Did you not heard what I said?" Zuko turned Aang around. "She is going to…" He stopped in the middle of his sentence when he saw Aang's eye's and tattoo's glow a light blue almost white, light. The aura of anger and wind around Aang made Zuko back up.
"Stop… Stop him." Katara said, trying to ignore the pain in her arm. "He's going in to the Avatar State."
"How? Have you felt that kid's aura?" Zuko said turning towards Katara.
"Talk to him!!" She managed to yell before slipping of to the state of unconsciousness.
"Let me." Iroh said as he walked past Zuko and grabbed Aang by the wrist . "Get Katara to the village."
Zuko nodded and took Katara in his arms. Before he took of, Zuko looked over his shoulder towards Mai and the Dai Lee agent. They were now swimming to the ship, giving up.
'This fight is over.'
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"I'm going back." Sokka said turning around. He had brought Toph to the house and the earth bender was not pleased by the choice Aang made.
Toph sat on the porch, hands under her chin, mumbling something about stupid sand and Dai Lee agents, when she felt the vibrations of Zuko running towards them with a high speed. She jumped too her feet, to feel the vibrations better.
'This is not good.' Toph thought.
"Sokka wait, Zuko is coming." She said to the warrior. Sokka turned his head around.
"Why should I wait for that moron?" He answered and without waiting for Toph to respond, Sokka walked towards the forest. He froze when he saw Zuko running towards them with his baby sister in his arms. Her arm and dress were red from blood and so were Zuko's clothing.
Zuko ran past him, into the house. Sokka and Toph were to follow him.
"What happened to Katara?" Sokka said with a trembling voice, fearing the worse.
Zuko said nothing as he laid Katara down on her sleeping bag.
"What happened!" The warrior yelled in anger. Katara was his sister and he had a right to know why she was bleeding heavily.
"Look for something I can stitch your sisters wound with." Zuko said as he tear open her sleeve to look at the wound better. Not getting any response, Zuko turned around and looked at the boy, who was now pale, caused by the sickening sight of Katara's wound.
"If you valuable your sisters life, I suggest you move your ass and get me something I can stitch your sister's wound with." Zuko growled. He watched as Sokka turned from pale to red and then storming out of the house to find someone with medical experience.
'I don't trust him with a needle near my sister.' Sokka thought as he ran towards the village.
Tuning to Toph Zuko said. "Get me some water, I'll need to clean her wound, and wash away the blood on her arm."
Without any hesitation, Toph went outside and came back, moments later, with a wooden bucket filled with fresh water. Zuko tore off a piece of his sleeve and made it wet with the water Toph had brought. He cleaned her arm, but every time a drop of water met with her blood-red sleeve, blood mixed with water trailed down her arm, making it hard for Zuko to see the wound.
'This isn't going to work.' Zuko thought.
"Help me get her dress off." He said to Toph. He got a weird look from the earth bender. He stared back at Toph but when he realized she couldn't see he turned his gaze back at Katara.
"Help me sit her up." Zuko said as he took his dagger from his boot and cut open her dress. Toph nodded and took Katara by the shoulder and pushed her into a sitting position. Once the dress was removed from Katara's body Toph laid her down and Zuko started to clean her arm and wound.
Sokka stormed back into the house with a needle and tread in his hands.
"I couldn't find anyone in the village, it is completely deserted." He said as he shove Zuko out of the way. He wanted to stitch his sister wound himself. Zuko saw Sokka's hand move towards the wound on Katara's hand. 'Imbecile.'
"What do you think you are doing?" Zuko said as he grabbed the needle from Sokka's hand.
"Seriously." Zuko lightened a flame in his palm and held the needle in it until it was red from the heat.
"What, are you going to give her a burn mark?!!!" Sokka yelled as he jumped to his feet.
"Are you completely brainless?" Zuko said as he cooled down the needle and put the thread trough the needle's eye.
"I burned al of the germs on the needle. If you stitch someone with a dirty needle you might infect the wound with all the germs on it." Zuko put the needle on Katara's skin and took a deep breath.
"Know it all." Sokka grunted under his breath.
"I think he knows what he is doing." Toph said. "Let him stitch up Katara's wound." She placed a hand on the warrior's shoulder and gently pushed him down in a sitting position. Sokka crossed his arms and sighed. He didn't want the help of a fire nation scum, but he must admit, Zuko knew what he was doing. Still, Katara was his sister, and when his father and the other men from his tribe left to fight in the war, Sokka was the one to look after his tribe and his sister. His face turned from angry to worried, when Katara let out a groan as Zuko put the needle in her flesh.
"She is regaining consciousness." Zuko said.
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Iroh held Aang by his wrist and tried to get him out of the avatar state.
"Listen young Aang. Your friend is in good hands. Believe me when I say that, going into the avatar state is a waist of energy." Iroh said as he pulled Aang down. Aang was still glowing but the aura of anger and wind slowly powered down.
"Azula's men has given up. Now it is time for you to give up your anger." Iroh had Aang's feet touch the ground and the moment they did Aang left the avatar state. Letting out a small groan, Aang fell into Iroh's arms.
"Rest, young one." Iroh said as he walked back to the village, Aang in his arms.
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"You two, hold her down." Zuko said as Katara tried to move away letting out an other groan when he pierced her wound with the needle. Toph and Sokka held Katara down by her shoulders.
"That stings." She whispered.
"Only for the whole time." Zuko said with a smile on his face. "Hold still."
Katara gritted her teeth as Zuko continued to stitch her wound. The pain was too much, but her pride kept her from crying.
'I will not cry in front of a fire bender, I will not… cry…' Katara thought as she slipped of to unconsciousness once more.
"What have you done to my sister." Sokka said as Zuko washed away all of the blood on Katara's arm and his hands.
"Nothing, I stitched her wound." Zuko replied, cleaning his dagger, not looking up.
"That is not what I meant. What have you done to Katara that she needed the stitching in the first place?" Sokka walked up to Zuko and grabbed him by the shoulder, turning him around.
"Don't EVER lay a finger on me again!!" Zuko yelled as he dropped his dagger, knowing if he would held it in his hands, Sokka was the next one who needed stitching.
"I didn't do anything to her, Mai did!! She had stabbed Katara with one of her knifes." Zuko's eyes shot flames and his blood was boiling. Did he just got touched and yelled at by a peasant? The same one whom he just saved his sisters life? Zuko's eyes turned back to normal when he saw Sokka's face turn from anger to a face filled with shame.
"She needs rest. She would be okay in a couple of days." Zuko said as he walked passed Sokka and out of the house.
"Where does he think he's going?" Sokka said making a move to go after him only to be stopped by Toph.
"Let him." She said.
"Let him? Why? He just finished stitching up my sister and now he leaves us to look after her." Sokka said.
"How would you feel," Toph said as she placed her hand on Sokka's shoulder. "How would you feel if you had to help Zuko if he was in a life threatening shape?" Sokka didn't answer.
"You would help him, but you would end up having mixed feeling. Zuko had to help one of his former enemies. His ego got hurt doing so. I know, I felt it." Toph said.
Sokka let out a sigh, knowing Toph was right. He owed Zuko an apology. He owed Zuko big time for saving his sisters life.
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