Yay! Guys I finally got it done! :) Thank you for all of your reviews for last chapter! :) It warms my heart when ever I get one. Ok so this is how it's gonna be. I have figured that their may be about twenty more chapters at the most hopefully I won't go over that limit. Also since I am now in school and that is my number one priority right now it will probably take about two weeks. And usually count on it to be updated on a weekend, thats when I have free time. So please be patient with my updates, I know my earlier chapters I was really on top of it. But I didn't have a life back then, now I got other stuff to take care of on top of this. So if you can just bare with me and my spaced out updates that would be great. Thanks 'yall :) But please enjoy! :)
Disclaimer: Hummmm, I'm thinking, I'm thinking...I'm thinking I still don't own Avatar The Last Airbender.
Chapter 25-The Escape Part 2: Black
Zuko quickly picks up Ty Lee's cold body and flings her over his broad shoulder. He wraps his arm around the back of her knees and then takes off. He moves quickly as he sprints as fast as he can go with the light, but still extra weight, Ty Lee. And it doesn't help to have her limp body allowing her head to smack into Zuko's spine with every sprint he takes. The Firebender worries solely about getting back to the group as he retraces his steps back to them. The thoughts trying to plague his thoughts about Ty Lee have to wait.
Zuko pushes harder as he hears an explosion up ahead. His breath is labored as he rounds a corner, just hoping that, that explosion wasn't intended for his friends.
Aang narrowly misses an incoming fireball by ducking, heat grazing his head as he does so. As Aang goes to the floor he sends a powerful gust of air out with his fist. He then extends his leg so a man running falls onto his stomach. Instantly earth encloses around his body. Aang has no time to think about thanking the blind earthbender he knows is responsible for imprisoning the man, before more fire whooshes past him. Fire grazes his arm, leaving it burning. Aang cringes and turns his attention to his right bicep. A patch of his robes smoke and a hole has burned through, showing a splotch of bright pink skin.
Yet another passing blast brings Aang back to his senses. His head snaps back to attention and he realizes how eerie the scene before him is. The dim green glow contrasts with the bright flashes of fires that burn red.
Aang claps his hand together, sending a wall of air rushing towards the enemies. It knocks most off their feet, and they lay there on the damp floor gasping for air, as the air is pushed out of their body.
Aang turns to Teo to see him spinning his wheelchair fluently around, he sends punches at guts and uses a pair of metal rods connected together with a chain to hit the men. Within contact of the rods the men drop to the ground with a cry of pain. "Teo!" Aang calls out, his voice hoarse from his dry throat.
Teo, without looking at Aang, calls out over the loud battle, "What?"
"Use a couple of your bombs!"
Without any hesitation Teo digs both of his hands into the bags at his sides. His hands reappear holding the bombs he showed them earlier. Just before Teo chucks the bombs, Aang grabs everyone from the group with air and tugs them back. "What was that fo-" Sokka begins to ask before a deafening boom drowns his voice out.
"Holy Sh…" Sokka shouts out, but trials off of his sentence as he turns abruptly looking for the source of the explosion.
Teo sits, lounging in his chair, watching men once standing cry out in pain on the floor. Scorch marks cover most of their bodies. "Mother of…Teo!" Sokka yells finding what caused his heart to stop.
Teo takes no note of Sokka's irritated tone. "Come on, we have to go." He announces before wheeling away. Aang runs after him. As they round the corner they spot Zuko sprinting towards them.
"Other way," he calls. "There is nothing back there heavily guarded."
Aang stops short when he sees the limp and bloody figure on Zuko's shoulder. He now just realizes that Ty Lee isn't here either. "Is that Ty Lee?" Aang asks Zuko as he begins to run next to him, turning left instead of right, like they were going to do.
"Yes." Zuko answers with a hard swallow.
"Is she okay?" Aang questions, while everyone rounds a sharp corner to the right.
Zuko focuses straight ahead. "No."
That one word makes Aang stop cold in his tracks. His eyes are wide and mouth agape. Everyone stops. "What's the holdup Twinkle Toes?" Toph asks impatiently, tapping her foot on the ground.
Aang ignores the question. "What do you mean she won't be okay?" he asks Zuko.
Zuko's eyes water and he shakes his head. When he sets his eyes back on Aang's they are dark and emotionless. "She's dead, okay." Zuko snaps through his teeth.
Now everyone's eyes widen. "What?" Suki croaks, wrapping her arms around her waist, tears pooling in her eyes.
"She's dead," Zuko snaps again. "Come on we need to go." He hisses and begins running yet again. Everyone stands shocked until they finally snap back into reality and sprint after Zuko.
The group runs in silence until Zuko stops abruptly. Two halls fork into different directions. "Should we split?" Suki asks, her small voice still startling everyone.
"No," Sokka answers. "Toph how 'bout you feel it out." Sokka asks, not as a question but a statement.
Toph rolls her eyes. "Hey wouldn't that have been a better idea before you led us right into our enemies?" She asks with a glare.
Sokka's eyes harden. "Just do it." He snaps.
Toph inhales and slams her foot into the ground. "I can't particularly find Katara's heartbeat, but there are a lot of people that way." She explains pointing her finger to the left.
Immediately Aang takes off down the short hall. He stops short of a sharp corner. "Update Toph." He whispers, not daring to look around the corner.
Toph repeats her previous movements. Her face brightens. "It's her, I can feel her," she says in an excited whisper. "She's not gonna be in good shape but she's holding on." Toph and the rest of the group smiles widely and everyone must suppress cries of joy.
Toph then begins speaking again. "There are a couple of guards, but it's an easy take out, there's only-Wait what's that?" Toph stops herself midsentence. She's quite. Dead silence hangs in the muggy air as the group waits anxiously for her news. Toph's eyes grow in size and her mouth falls to the floor. "It-it's Azula." She says in a breathless gasp.
Sokka's eyebrows shoot up. "It can't be, she's in the asylum!" he whisper-yells.
Toph shakes her head. "No it is. I would know that twisted heartbeat anywhere."
Zuko gulps loudly. "Great." He scoffs flatly.
"Yeah just dandy." Suki hisses, glaring at the wall in front of her.
Aang's eyes widen. That name, the one from his dream. A shiver crawls up Aang's spine at the thought. This can't be happening.
She screams, blood stopping, pleading, screams. They can chill you to the bone and pierce your eardrums. The screams can make tears well in your eyes from just the pain held in the sound waves. So much pain and agony is held in those heart stopping screams.
However one person finds that the screams sound like sweet music. Music that can bring a smile onto your face, make you giggle happily. Maybe not as happy, as it is evil, however. The menacing Princes Azula finds her prisoners cries to be music to her ears.
Voltage from the lightning being thrown at Katara's shackles course into her body. The electricity jolts every nerve in her body. She continually stiffens as the lightning continues to run throughout her body. Her cries and screams easily drown out the crackling of the blue lightning lighting up the cell. Tears run freely down Katara's dirt crusted face, leaving clean streaks. Her chap lips have cracked from crying out constantly. Hands being held by chains clench as pain bites at every nerve in her body. Continually, as a new wave of voltage passes through her, her face contorts in pain. Again the vile acid from her stomach has run down her face and to the floor. Blackness spots at her vision.
With yet another agonizing cry from Katara's dry throat the voltage suddenly stops. Katara's stiff body instantly goes limp. Her head falls forward and she doesn't even have enough energy to keep it up right anymore.
A chilling giggle breaks the silence that has formed. "Silly girl," Azula hisses. Her voice comes out like it did the day of the comet, off. However, Katara doesn't notice, everything sounds slightly muffled to her ears. "Oh, maybe I should just finish you off now. Taking away Yakone from me will cause you to have to deal with great consequences. I think the only thing that will teach you a lesson is death. Killing you in front of your boyfriend is little significance to me now, I want to see you suffer and die for the things you've done." Azula hisses.
The words mesh together in a cloud of sounds. Katara pays no mind to the words as she hears the distant sound of crackling. A weak thought slowly rolls into Katara's mind, lightning. She takes a shaky breath inwards as the remaining hairs on her arms stand on end from the static in the air.
However, before Azula can make a strike screaming voices are heard and immediately after a loud boom echoes through the cell. The boom snaps Katara out of her dream like state. Her head bobs in effort to get a good look at whatever is happening. Silence follows; Katara strains her ears trying to hear something again. The only sound is Azula's heaving breath from her anger. After a few seconds of no noise Katara begins to let her eye lids droop down and her breathing slow. Coldness creeps into her body in less than a second. She just feels so tired. Blackness begins to creep into her vision loud screeching sounds. It sounds as if metal is being pealed back. The screeching stops and she can distantly hear Azula hiss, "You."
Another voice that is female speaks. "Yep, it's us again. Miss us?" The cocky coating to the words would bring a smile to Katara's lips if she weren't so out of it. However she knows the voice, it's familiar, but the cloud blocking her thoughts makes the name unclear.
A low growl just makes it through the fog in Katara's mind. Next thing that she hears is the sound of fire crackling and air whooshing past, rocks breaking against stone, and the pitter-patter of feet running around. Suddenly the world fades for a moment, but quickly returns. Katara can just barely catch the whacking of something hitting a body than a thump. "Bind her down," is heard and then blackness creeps over Katara again.
The world comes rushing back again and someone calls out, "Toph, get these off of her!" Instantly warm arms wrap around Katara's waist, and someone's rough hands cradle her cheeks. Slowly her head is lifted, and through blurry vision Katara can make out a figure of a person in front of her.
Distant words come through her ears. "Katara, stay with me. Please you have to stay with us. Come on, fight through it!" A man's voice pleads with her, and it cracks through the pleas. Honestly, Katara tries her hardest to comply with the man. He sounds as if losing her will break his heart. Katara doesn't want to disappoint him. So she tries as hard as she can to stay awake, but sleep wants to take over.
The next thing Katara is aware of is the cold metal around her wrists is suddenly gone. A clatter sounds, as if muffled under a pillow, in Katara ears. Instantly after, the same sensation happens to her ankles.
Again blackness takes over her eyes, and when she comes back someone is cradling her close to their body. Warmth spreads through her skin at the gentle touch of someone carrying her. However her head moves limply up and down in a bobbing sensation. They must be running, she thinks to herself.
Then suddenly a whoosh of air rushes past and someone calls, "Get her out of here, we'll hold them off."
Blackness again. "Which way?" the frantic voice cuts through Katara's dream like state.
"This way!" A determined voice calls.
The next sentence comes in fragments to Katara. "Trust-instincts."
Then again blackness.
The next thing cold air is nipping at Katara's skin. A shiver runs down her spine. She can hear the sound of rock sliding into place. Then someone shouts, "Come on, Toph!" Then pounding of feet running past.
The last thing Katara knows before she slips off yet again is a soothing male voice pleading with her, "Come one Katara, you have to stay with us. I love you."
Then blackness quickly shifts to a bright white light. Next thing Katara is aware of is she is now in a large meadow. Various flowers give color to the high grass around. A blue cloudless sky with a bright yellow sun shows above her head. The smell of the ocean lingers in Katara's nose. Sounds of waves crashing against the shore, sends a content sigh rushing out of her mouth. Katara looks down at herself and is marveled to find herself not bloody and in ripped clothing. But instead she completely clean, so clean it's almost as if she's glowing. And she is not in ripped and tattered clothing, but instead she is wearing a pure white dress. It is strapless at fits to her body down to her waist where is relaxes in a flowing skirt that reaches to her knees. And she can feel that her feet are bare.
Katara can't help but touch the sparkling skin on her bare shoulder. She then feels that her hair is let down. The waterbender pulls her hair forward and it feels as if it's silk. It shimmers and shines in the light and is in perfect waves. Katara looks up, confused. What happened? How did she get like this?
However, all of her racing thoughts come to a complete halt when she sees someone standing ten feet from her. Her stomach dips and she can't help but rub her eyes to see if her vision is playing tricks on her. When she sees the same person in front of her, her eyes widen. Katara's mouth drops and she can't help but stare. The one before her wares a kind smile to match her kind sparkling eyes. Blue eyes meet blue eyes, and Katara can't help the tears welling in her eyes. She takes a small set forward, her gaze questioning. She can only manage one word to come out of her mouth. In a gasp she asks, "Mom?"
Ok there it is. Hope you guys liked it. It isn't as long as the last chapter. Still tell me what you think in a review. Keep up telling me what you want to see less or more of, I can handle it! And thank you all who told me the stuff your getting tired of in last chapter. Also after you review, please go to my Facebook page (Kataanglover98) or go to my Twitter ( kataanglover98) or my blog ( .com) Those all will give you upcoming news and sneaks and stuff like that so go to one or two or all of those three places. :) Thanks 'yall and don't forget to review! :)