Disclaimer: I don't own anything out of this.
From the minds of Myevltwin and TheHumanWiki.
Chapter 29
Katara watched with boredom in her eyes as Zuko taught Aang Firebending. Aang was moving along great, but it seemed that he lacked the real focus to fight with the power needed for it. At least it seemed that way to Katara. She was no Firebender by any means, but she did seem to understand that its power was based on emotions in some degree.
No matter how much she wanted to not believe it, Firebending was something Aang needed to learn. She didn't want him to learn it, not from Zuko anyways. She could have tolerated Iroh, as he was mentioned by Zuko as an idea for training if they could find him, but Zentrai had shot the idea down stating that it would take them too long to find him. So they were left with Zuko for the time being.
Hakoda tapped his daughter on the shoulder and she averted her eyes from the two shirtless teens to her father for a brief moment. "What?"
Hakoda bristled at her words but calmed himself down enough to not yell at her. "Nothing… I just came to talk with you, that's all."
She huffed in annoyance and continued to watch with narrowed eyes.
"I wanted to know what you thought about Zuko. I heard about what happened between you two, and I wanted to resolve this issue now since I think this will be the only down time we can have to speak with each other. I'm sure you understand what I mean by this." She nodded mutely and stopped listening. "I know how much you hate the Fire Nation for what they did to your mother… my wife. I can't forget about her. I can't forget what they did to her and what she did for us. But I think I can forgive them, if not all of them, then maybe Zuko. He had nothing to do with her death. So I know he can't be blamed."
The young Waterbender growled. She was still halfway paying attention. It irked him to know she was brushing him off, but there was nothing he could to really make her listen to him.
He shifted uneasily and looked straight at the two boys. They were having an easy time training it seemed. They moved in perfect sync with one another. It was almost like dancing to the untrained eyes.
"Why do you think I should give up on the idea of avenging my mother?" She turned and faced him with anger flashing in her eyes. "How can you say I should even forgive them when they killed her in cold blood? Why would you even say that?"
Hakoda considered a response but had none. He didn't know what to say.
"I can't forgive them. I'll never forgive them."
"You say that now," Hakoda whispered. "But what about Jeong Jeong? He's Fire Nation and yet you wanted him to train Aang in the art of Firebending. Why would you want him as opposed to Zuko if he's Fire Nation as well?"
She gave her father a hard glare before something tugged at the back of her mind. Irony was a good word to describe it, but she didn't think that was the case. Maybe it was beyond irony and just pity and stupidity for realizing her own faults. Jeong Jeong didn't wear the Fire nation uniform.
Her mind drifted for a few minutes before Aang was given a break. Zuko grabbed his towel and dried himself off while Aang stepped up to Katara and flashed a smile. "We're going to take a break," he informed them. "I was curious on why you were glaring at Zuko the entire time." He whispered.
Hakoda opened his mouth to speak but closed it instead. He didn't know where to begin.
"What were you guys talking about?" Aang inquired.
Hakoda took a deep breath. "We were talking about Zuko and the Fire Nation. I'm sure you understand why."
Aang nodded mutely and decided to sit closer to Katara. She gave him the momentary glance he deserved before looking away.
"I'm not saying that you should just forget about what happened, Katara. What I'm saying is that you shouldn't blame Zuko for something he didn't do. He didn't kill my wife. So why blame him?"
Katara had nothing to say to her father for that one. Zuko wasn't there to kill her mother. But that still didn't mean anything to her. He was Fire Nation. Fire Nation killed her mother. What difference was there? There was no difference. Even now, with him helping Aang to learn Firebending, he was no different from back then. He was still doing this for his sake, not for theirs. Sure their goals were the same, but it was just the same as back then. He was doing this for himself and no one else. That was how it appeared in her mind and would always appear in her mind.
"Katara," Aang waved a hand in front of her face. "You were zoning out." She pushed his hand away and glared at him for a brief moment. "I know you don't like Zuko, but please, for my sake, put aside your anger and hatred for him, and help him help me. I know it looks like I'm learning Firebending like it's easy or something, but the truth is it isn't easy. I need help in learning and this is Zuko's first time teaching someone, sort of like who you were when you were trying to teach me Waterbending before we found a Master to teach you."
Katara growled out, "So you just want me to forget about what he did to me… to US… in the catacombs of Ba Sing Se?" She flailed her arms around as it to make things more drastic. "I understand that you all think he's changed, but I don't think he's changed at all. He's just using you for his own ends."
Aang shook his head. "I won't deny that he's using us. We're using him. I'm using him to learn Firebending. Everyone uses everyone, Katara. I know that's sounds wrong, but it's the way the world works. I knew that from the very beginning."
Katara turned away with annoyance flashing across her feathers. She didn't want to believe that Aang was using him either. And since she didn't want to argue the point, she just caved in and began trying to think of a way to change the subject.
"We should go figure out what Sokka and Suki are doing. I don't like leaving them alone to be honest."
Hakoda considered her words and then nodded grimly. No matter how old his son was, he didn't think he was old enough to be doing that just yet.
(-)
Ty Lee stared at the unconscious form of Naruto as he slept in the large bed assigned to him. Originally it belonged to one of the many servants that they had in this place during their stay on Ember Island, back when they were a family. The fact that Naruto got this bed, at the request of Zuko, was funny to everyone, even Zentrai. But of course the reason he was put in here was because it was also the closest to Zentrai's room, one of the five Master Bedrooms in the house. Because of the weird rooms in the house, everyone got a room to themselves with the exception of Suki, who, at night, would sometimes sneak off into Sokka's room for kicks.
The young acrobat gave a sigh of frustration. Naruto had been like this for about a week, coming in and out of consciousness when he could. When she checked his aura after he awoke the first time she saw the faint outlines of depression and fear but it was masked by joy and anger upon seeing his friends alive. She didn't know whether this was because he had been shot by the arrows or because of the state of mind he had been in when he was last active.
Rai whined for some attention and moved over to Ty Lee. The young acrobat nearly screamed when Rai planted his head in her lap and began to lick at the roof of his mouth. Its aura flashed brightly and then darkened. Ty Lee hesitated before placing her hand on top of his head and began to stroke his fur. What she remembered of the large beast was that it wasn't very keen on having someone other than Naruto pet him.
Rai's aura flickered into a show of sorrow and Ty Lee understood instantly. Rai wanted to be loved by his master, but Naruto was incapable of doing that at the moment and Ty Lee was clearly the next best option.
With tentative ease she gently petted the large beast and smiled only when it began to purr from the affection it was getting. Ty Lee didn't know if that was a good thing on her end or a bad thing from her end considering that Rai never seemed to adore attention like Shibaru did. So why did he suddenly want it now?
A soft groan resided from the bed and Naruto fidgeted before rising up with a show of annoyance spreading across his face. He glanced left towards the window and then right to spot Ty Lee with Rai's head in her lap. He chuckled and Rai jumped from his spot next to the young acrobat and onto the bed.
"Did you miss me, Rai?" He opened his maw as wide as he could and yawned. Naruto laughed and scratched at Rai's ears with a smile on his face. "So how long have I been out?"
His gaze turned and focused on the young acrobat as she blushed. Sitting straight up, a large beast in his lap, and, whether known or unknown, completely naked under the thin sheets, she turned away. Naruto smiled and told Rai to get down so he could turn and face her fully.
"How long have you been watching over me?" He grabbed the sheets and stood. Ty Lee turned so that her back was to him. He was crushed by it momentarily. His mind drifted back to the mission and he shook his head while reaching out. He grabbed her shoulder and she flinched. "Your back wasn't healed, was it?" He half asked, half stated.
Ty Lee gently sighed and turned so that one eye faced him. "No."
He turned away and walked towards the dresser where his clothes were located. He dropped the sheet and grabbed his pants. Ty Lee kept her back to him and slowly inched around when he grunted. His pants were on but his shirt, or what had remained of it, was in his hands. With a sigh of frustration he threw it at the corner of the room and turned to face her.
"Where's Katara?"
"Outside with Aang watching him learn Firebending from Zuko."
"We're going outside to have her heal your back."
Without waiting for a reply he grabbed her wrist and began pulling her behind him. She resisted for a moment and then let him drag her along. He had the authority to do what he wanted with her. She couldn't refuse and order, not from him or Lyra. Zentrai held the real power, but they could also order her around. Thankfully, Zentrai was the only one to order her around.
Naruto ignored the dark walls, dingy paintings, and dusty floors as he marched for the exit with Rai tagging along, his tail waving back and forth in a sign of joy. When they reached the doors and were outside, Naruto had to cover his eyes with his hands in order to wait for his eyes to adjust. After a brief moment in the sun they were set and he continued his march.
They passed through the courtyard, through the garden, around the pond, and onto the outer deck that overlooked the beach in front of the building. Katara, who sat in the shadow of a tree, stared out at the beach where Zuko was continuing his training with Aang beside him.
Naruto jerked Ty Lee to his side and groaned. Katara turned slowly and blinked at the presence of the two.
"You're awake? Good. I was beginning to worry about you."
"Heal her." He shoved Ty Lee in front of the Waterbender, his eyes narrowed into slits as if to make it a threat.
Katara's face twisted into a look of disgust. "I was unaware that she was injured."
Naruto opened his mouth for a retort but Ty Lee cut him off. "I didn't tell anyone about it." Naruto closed his mouth. "I didn't want to be of any trouble."
Naruto dismissed her words and nodded to the young acrobat. "Heal her. She's been injured for a while I would guess. Her back is the problem."
Katara was hesitant to rise and tend to Ty Lee's wounds, but complied soon after a few thoughts about what Zentrai, or god forbid Naruto, might do to her if she didn't listen.
"Take your shirt off please." Katara's hands were surrounded by water as she spoke. Ty Lee hesitated, torn between the orders Naruto was giving out and the sheer insanity of this request. She didn't want to undress in front of Naruto. "Ty Lee," Katara said with some force, "take your shirt off."
Ty Lee looked to the blond, but he didn't seem to figure the problem out. She removed her shirt and got a snort of annoyance when the shirt came off. Ty Lee didn't wear any bandages or anything to help hold or conceal her breasts. And off course Ty Lee was bigger than her in breast size.
Katara continued her work on healing the young female while Ty Lee kept her eyes closed. She kept them closed because she was afraid of what Naruto might be doing.
Katara cringed as she pulled out a small rock. A trickle of blood began to flow out. Ty Lee winced from the pain and pulled away from the Waterbender before relaxing again.
"You've got some pebbles in your back," Katara explained. She used her Waterbending to continue her healing and pull out two more small pebbles before giving her the okay. "Why didn't you mention this to me sooner? You do know that you could have had serious problems in the future if they were left unattended to."
Ty Lee mercifully opened her eyes and stared intently into the blue eyes of her blond crush. Naruto stared directly into her eyes, much to her shock. She had never met a guy that didn't stare at her breasts. Yes she didn't enjoy it, but the attention was one thing she always wanted. It was just that sort of attention was disturbing and further proved that men were, as one of her sisters once said, dirty creatures.
"Are you going to put your shirt on?" Naruto asked Ty Lee. She blushed, forgetting that she was shirtless, and hastily put it on. Naruto scratched sheepishly at the back of his head as he turned away from her. "Thank you, Katara, for healing her. I know you don't like her, just like how you don't like me, but that does mean a lot to me that you healed her." The Waterbender shrugged and returned to watching the others on the beach. "No reply, huh? I guess you really don't like me or the things I ask you to do, which is very little."
Katara gave a growl of annoyance before huffing in defeat. "I don't like you. You know that, right?" Naruto nodded with a half-smile on his face. She glared at him for his smile before continuing. "You let innocent people die for your actions when we were invading the Fire Nation. You cared very little for the safety of us. And you only worried about Aang. You never once worried about us."
"And you're point?"
"My point is that I hate you."
Naruto rolled his eyes. Hating him or not did very little to change their situation. She could hate him all she wanted. He didn't care.sk you to do, which is very little."'to watching the others on the beach. it on. nity of this request. nt of the building. djus He just wished she wasn't such a bitch at the moment. He could go without all her hateful words too.
Naruto decided to leave. Ty Lee followed without hesitation.
(-)
Lyra watched the heavily one-sided battle between Zentrai and Sokka with very little concern. Sokka was still angry about Zentrai sleeping with Suki so many years ago. Even after all of Suki's words to Sokka, he was still angry. It irked both girls to know how stupid Sokka was and how stupid boys could be. They got jealous over things like this.
With a depressing sigh, she turned her sights on something more entertaining and fruitful. Zuko and Aang were practicing their Firebending and both were looking pretty good. She was no judge of such a thing in their arts, but she figured they were doing pretty good. They could at least give Inferno a run for his money if they teamed up in a Firebending contest. That was a good thing.
Mai, who sat next to her in a bikini, sipped on her water before saying, "Do you think the war will end if Aang defeats the Fire Lord?"
Lyra gave her a slight glance before returning her gaze to Zentrai. The mute had thrown Sokka down and was sitting on him. From Sokka's facial expression it was pretty clear that Zentrai had probably farted on him too.
"Doubtful," she replied.
Mai gave an annoyed glanced to the woman before watching her boyfriend train the Avatar.
That thought did stick with Lyra. She was worried about how and when the war would end. She had always imagined that it would end, just not during her lifetime. She had hoped that it would end twenty or thirty years later after they were dead for when the backlash from the war hit.
She had once thought about how the world would end and how the war would end. She favored the idea of the war ending, but not until she was dead at times. And now the war was already starting to show signs of reaching an end. What kind of an end she had no idea on knowing, but she did know that when it ended she'd have to face the hard music of life and her choices. So many choices… all of them seeming so right at the time, now seemed so wrong.
Her eyes closed, she inhaled the scent of the ocean and savored it with a sly smile.
The crunch of sand under foot made her turn and face Naruto and Ty Lee. The blond was devoid of a shirt, but neither Ty Lee nor Lyra really cared. Upon seeing Mai, Ty Lee ran up to her and began chatting with her about how things were going for her and how she had been since her last interrogation with Zentrai. While they did that, Naruto and Lyra walked off to talk on their own.
"The war will end soon," she told him. "I can feel it."
Naruto didn't share her somber talk. "Isn't that a good thing?"
She gave him a flat look. "Did you already forget what we've done to keep Zentrai here?" Her eyes narrowed into slits. Naruto had to think for a moment before looking away in shame. "We did something pretty horrible to him. What are we going to do when the war is over?"
Naruto shrugged. "As I recall, it Gen Fu's idea in the first place. He wanted to keep Zentrai in the war to better his skills and because we needed him. It was because of her we had to split apart and because of what we did. With any luck, he'll never find her."
Lyra gave him the hardest of glares before deciding that it wasn't worth it. They had both hoped that the day would never come when the war ended during their lifetime. They just hoped that if he did find out they tricked him, they'd already be dead or on some remote island so far away that the mute couldn't find them. Either way they looked at it now, they were somewhat screwed.
Naruto gave a shrug before returning to Ty Lee. She was in the middle of talking about how she had changed her hair color to make it white. Naruto half-listened as he sat down next to the two, flexed his right arm and watched Zentrai continually throw Sokka around. He didn't know what was actually funnier; Zentrai throwing Sokka around or Mai actually listening to Ty Lee's constant talking about how she changed her hair and came up with her new appearance. He found them both rather funny.
Mai finally gave an exasperated sigh and lightly struck her friend on the head. "If you went to all the trouble to hide yourself, why did you have someone change your hair color? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of trying to stay hidden?"
"I never gave him my name and I had already attained this." She gestured her clothes and leaned back on the sand. "Besides, he wasn't in the mood for asking questions. He couldn't speak. At all I think. The weird thing was that his aura kept spiking, but not at me. It was directed at someone else."
Naruto gave the girl a cautious glance before looking back at the two warring teens. Sokka was trying to murder the mute without any luck. Hakoda tried to calm his son down while Suki seemed to enjoy watching the show that was being put on. Of course she had tried already to stop Sokka and make him understand, but the Water Tribe Warrior seemed to only see her time with Zentrai as a stain on her honor and his own. Sokka was still young and didn't know that Suki probably had dozens of other boys after they had left. If he was this way right now, it was almost laughable to think of how he would be later on if Suki and him fell through and he went looking for other girls.
Ty Lee stopped talking and stared at her crush with curious glance. Naruto missed it and was too caught up in his thoughts on what would come in the future to notice that she was looking at him longingly.
Mai jabbed her elbow into her friend and said, "Have you… you know… been with him yet?" The acrobat shook her head hastily. Mai sighed. "You'll never find another man like him, Ty Lee. You should go for him while you have the chance. I mean… you said you had been looking for answers from him."
The white haired girl groaned. That had been the whole reason she hunted him down. But hadn't she got some answers from the short time she had been with them? She learned that Naruto, despite the way he had acted when they first met, and from the book, was a different person that what she believed him to be. He was kind and courteous still, but he could freeze his heart over and become a ruthless killer. He was cold and unforgiving when he had to be, and kind and caring when he had to be. He was the perfect man created in a world of war and hatred.
"I have learned a few things about him," she admitted warily. Mai perked up. "He's still human. No matter how powerful he is… no matter how many people he can slay… he's still human. Even he can fall to the simplest of people. But I think I gained more questions by the man who interrogated me. He made me look at the world in a different perspective that I never thought about."
Ty Lee smiled and looked to the sky.
"A lot of people have died during this war. They died in easy and simple ways. We cut them. We stab them. We crush them. We burn them." She closed her eyes and felt the sun's rays vanish from behind a cloud. "Why do people lie? Why do people fight? Why do people risk their lives for one another? What is the value of friendship?" She opened her eyes and frowned. "I see the world through the auras of the people around me, so when I was asked these questions, I had no answer. But I think there is no answer for them because they are a lifelong question we all want answered but will never have the luxury of having an answer."
Mai looked back to Zuko as the Avatar spoke with him about something. He didn't seem to understand one part of the training.
Ty Lee sat up straight. "What does happiness look like?" Mai blinked. "Not the color of the aura. I was asked what happiness looked like and I told Calamity that it was a pink aura. But he said he didn't want the color. He wanted to know what happiness itself looked like. How could you describe happiness to someone? He wanted to know what that looked like."
"I don't know. I really don't know."
Naruto chuckled and Ty Lee blinked. "Happiness is whatever one makes of it. But a teacher of mine once said happiness would be in the shape of a glass if you could give it a physical form. Because, although you don't normally notice it, it's definitely there. The proof is that you just have to change your point of view slightly and then that glass will reflect the light."
The two females stared at him in wonder before Mai smiled. "I suppose that would make an excellent form for it."
Naruto nodded mutely and looked down at the tired and disgruntled Sokka.
"It's scary when someone closes their mind," Ty Lee told them. "I never thought about it before because I tried to avoid the war and all the fighting. I tried so hard, but I never managed to escape it. But the future the Fire Nation is creating is a terrible one grasped with bloodstained hands. There is no future in this world for those that have died or for those that have done the killing. And all those that have died had goals and dreams that were crushed by another."
"But everyone has something as important as those," the former Jinchuuriki informed her. "Parents, siblings, friends, and lovers, people who are important to them. They trust and help each other. The bond between the people important to you ever since birth grows stronger as time passes. It's beyond reason. It will be so for the ones who are connected, because it is precious."
"But," Mai countered, "it's painful when someone dies."
"It is painful in a world of war." Naruto stood up straight, dusted his pants off, and stared out at his friend as Hakoda stepped up to defend his sons' honor. "Out of love, sacrifice is born. Through that sacrifice, grief is born. Hatred is born from grief. And when their hatred controls them, they turn into wicked people. A man who kills a man and then that mans' friend kills him for revenge. How can that solve anything in our world, let alone save it from the destructive cycle of death we're traveling down?"
The two girls were quiet for a moment. Ty Lee said, "It's not right, but we have lived in an era of fighting and that is all we know how to do. In a world where are hands only know how slay, what kind of a life will we leave for the next generation if this is all we know how to do?"
Lyra sighed inwardly as she thought about it with her blond friend. When she thought about it, she had no answer for it. She was sad and ashamed to know that the future was a dark as the way it really seemed.
"As bleak as the future seems, we can't just give up on it." Mai declared with certainty. "I know it's not my place to say I want to end the war. To be honest, I don't really care for it. It's annoying and troublesome. I hated the war only because it was degrading to hear only talk about the war and nothing else. My parents were worried about their political image and tried their best to maintain peace in New Ozai. They failed though. The city was taken back by their king of all people."
Naruto and Lyra shook their heads. That sounded right.
The blond rose without pause, cracked his back, and stared out at Zentrai. "Time for some fun." Lyra groaned and retreated to the house with Mai and Ty Lee in tow. Naruto laughed. She was off to get bandages. Not that he blamed her. It had been awhile since the two had trained and Naruto, usually being the one injured, always tested himself against his friend after recovering from whatever wounds he might have gotten to ensure that he was back to full health.
(-)
Rehka looked over the reports that were coming in. It was getting hot. Not literally in terms of actual temperature, but in terms of the war. The Fire Nation was now on a war path. They were hiding something. What that was, she had no idea. What she did know was that while they were on a war path searching for something, most likely Azula, they were becoming blind to the real threat.
"They've almost completed the plans Calamity set in place?"
Kar nodded. He mindlessly picked at one of his teeth with a small knife to remove whatever was stuck between them. It was an annoying thing in her eyes. Both having something stuck in your teeth and that he was doing it right in front of her. But he wasn't here for a full detailed report. He was here for another reason.
"That's good to hear. But I would like to know what you're take is on this plan that Calamity cooked up. Do you really think it'll work?"
Kar sat his knife in his lap, closed his eyes and said, "Most likely. Calamity is a miracle working. No doubt about it. The fact he toyed with all the Nations for so long at the age of seven means he's smarter than the average person. I bet that guy has all the answers to every question we could throw at him locked away in his head. And if he could turn Generals into his personal toys with fake information that was so believable that even we acted on it, that's saying something about his skills. His ability to predict the movements of others just by the history of their battle formations, victories, and losses is something else. So I'd say without a shadow of doubt that this will work."
Rehka laced her fingers together. For better or worse, this was the stupidest thing she had ever agreed to doing.
"Alright. Continue to monitor them as they continue their progression. How long will it take you to get back to Ba Sing Se?"
"I'm half-way there already," he said as he departed.
Rehka watched the door close before losing her focus.
Calamity's plan was a brilliant one, but a suicidal and idiotic one. He was a gambler, no doubt about it. He was risking everyone on the predictability of General Bujing. If the man was as predictable as he was making him out to be, why hadn't anyone else noticed it beforehand? He led countless attacks on the Earth Kingdom and yet each time his formations, his tactics, and even the deployment of his troops had been entirely different. So how could Calamity say that he was predictable?
The answer was pretty obvious: the man never set foot on the battlefield since his promotions. And if that was truly the case then he had no real idea on what happened in the middle of a battle. He wasn't a juggler like Calamity, as he stated so himself. If that was the case, he would divert most of his attention to the battle and not worry about guarding his rear or, in this case, the ground beneath their feet. What General would actually dream of an attack below their very feet? The answer was simple: none.
Rehka skimmed through the reports on her desk without much concern. They annoyed her greatly. She didn't mind not being on the frontlines or even trying to get information like she had done before her capture, but this wasn't something she too keen on doing for the rest of her life.
She stopped and leaned back into the chair, her eyes glued to the ceiling. There was still a lot on her plate that she had to worry about. She hadn't gotten any new reports from Zentrai, which did irk her just a bit, but what she did get from him didn't put her mind at ease.
The Airship fleet was supposedly being built in multiple locations around the world. They had to find them and shut them down before they grew too large. They discovered one by accident and sent Inferno, Blink, Geo, and Gail to destroy the facility. She hadn't gotten word of their victory yet which either meant that the message was slow to get here or they hadn't completed their task yet. In either case it was a bad thing. So long as that facility remained operational they could continue to produce more Airships. And that was something that the Assassins had to bring down.
And while they were doing this, the Order of the White Lotus was getting things set up on their end for their joint operation to take back Ba Sing Se from the Fire Nation. And should that not be enough to turn the tide of war, a secondary plan was put into motion. What Assassins she could send would go to the Fire Nation and wreck things from the inside. It was a suicide mission, but with their attention diverted and their troops spread dangerously thin they could pull it off. Throwing out all mandates for troop safety and exfiltration, they were given the choice to go in or stay behind. So far none opted for this mission but she knew that a few would go.
Rehka rose from her chair, walked towards the bookshelf, tore out of the books, and smiled. She wondered what she would do when the war was over. Would she settle down and try to find a male to be with or would she simply live in the Nameless Village for the rest of her life with her girls and act as an Advisor to Calamity when he took over. She had no doubts about his election. He would surely get the position and become their new leader.
Snapping the book shut, she decided it was time to go see her girls. Two of them were pregnant and she already knew who the father was.
(-)
It was time to avenge the defeat of his son.
Hakoda stepped forward with Sokka's sword in hand. Under normal circumstances he wouldn't have dared touch his sons' weapon, but he had no other weapons. And using the weapon of your opponent was distasteful and stood against his honor. Never use the weapon of your opponent unless in an actual battle where your life mattered. This was a simple spar.
He gave the sword a test swing, flipped it over in his hand, and slashed the closes boulder in the courtyard. The rock slide sideway and hit the ground with a satisfying thunk.
"Am I supposed to be impressed," Zentrai asked calmly.
Hakoda laughed and tested the sword again and again until he had the basic feel for it. The sword wasn't designed for him. The length was all wrong. It was set only for his son and how tall he might be in the near future. Hakoda knew his son would grow into a fine Warrior, but he doubted that he would be as tall as himself. No. Sokka would probably stand a head shorter than he was.
Hakoda went through a few stances and finally smiled as if he had it down to the letter.
Zentrai sensed his readiness and presented his sword. Against the black blade of Sokka, he had no intention of sacrificing Jet's famous Hook Swords to their mighty sting. Instead he used one of the many blades that were around the house, this one being a lengthy blade without a guard. The blade was chipped from its recent engagement with Sokka's sword and looked brittle enough to break under its own weight. But even with the damage done he still favored it over the black sword.
Hakoda took a deep breath, his sword still pointed at the ground as he spoke. "We should set up some rules for this since I don't feel that safe at the moment fighting you. So how about it?" The mute shrugged but accepted his offer. "First is no Magnetism-Bending. I'm good at what I do, but against some of your skills, I'd rather not test my luck."
"Fair enough. Any other rules?"
"This is a straight up sword fight."
The mute shrugged and took his stance. Hakoda followed and was instantly kicked in the shin by the mute who quickly back peddled away from the seething man as he hobbled around one good leg. And while Zentrai found it funny, through Hakoda's minor hisses as he coped with the pain, he found it funny as well that he hadn't thought about that happening.
"Wait," Katara shouted. His cry fell on deaf ears as the two began their battle. Steel clashed in blinding arcs, releasing loud cracks that sounded almost like thunder to those that watched. "Father said it was a straight up sword fight! Zentrai just broke the rules! He's already lost."
Sokka spoke without taking his eyes off the two. "Assassin," he muttered. Katara didn't seem to understand. "Blindside told me the same thing before he fought me in the underground training area. He said it would be a straight up sword fight. No tricks. Just a sword fight. Well, he broke the rules too. But a sword fight consists of a sword style. And if that style requires kicking, punching, elbowing, or even head butting as a form of attack, then it's not illegal.
Katara huffed in annoyance and sat beside Aang as he watched the two fight.
Hakoda swung the sword for Zentrai's neck. The mute ducked under it and was kneed in the face. His head rocked up as Hakoda brought down his fists for a twin hammer blow. The mute jumped to the left, tucked, rolled, and sprang to his feet, stopping only a few inches away from a pillar where he rested at.
The mute growled as he spat a small glob of blood onto the ground and cracked his back with a loud crack.
"One to one," Hakoda declared with a hint of amusement in his voice.
Zentrai thought about that for a second before laughing. "So what's the score to?"
Hakoda gave a disgruntled sigh of frustration. Of course the man would egg him on.
Zentrai lunged forward, his sword poised for stabbing. He thrust it forward. Hakoda pared the thrust and lashed out with an elbow blow for the mute. Zentrai slipped under the elbow and tackled into the man. Hakoda raised the sword, spin it around, and then thrust it down on the mute. Zentrai caught it before the man could complete the thrust and threw him over his head.
Hakoda tucked his knees to his chest, hit the ground, and rolled to his feet with a spring. Hakoda placed a foot on the pillar to stop his forward momentum. He spun, his sword slashing outwards in case Zentrai had moved in for an attack. Zentrai had stayed planted in the likely event of such an attack and watched with interest as Hakoda stared at him.
Hakoda took breath, presented his sword, and assumed his stance again. Zentrai wasn't going to win this fight easily. He'd make certain of that.
The two met in a clash of steel that sounded like thunder. Zentrai momentarily lost the advantage when Hakoda's strength outmatched his own and forced him back. Zentrai tipped the fight in his favor by calmly thrusting Hakoda's sword to the side and sidestepping his fist. The mute backed up three paces and stared at the man as he presented his sword once again.
Zentrai consider his options. Hakoda was proving to be a better swordsman than predicted. He wasn't on Blindside's level, but he probably could have given him a bit of a challenge until he got bored with the man. His tactical mind was Zentrai's only real fear. And a sword, like any weapon, in the hands of an expert with a superior tactical mind was a deadly thing.
Hakoda lunged forward, his sword aimed for a low thrust. Zentrai parried the weapon with a quick tap of his own. Hakoda stopped his forward momentum by stabbing the sword into the ground. Before Zentrai had time to think, he lashed out with a high kick to his chest. The mute grimaced. Even though he wore his weapons like armor, the force behind the blow still got through, forcing him back enough so that Hakoda could fully get his senses back and lash out with the sword for a side body blow.
Zentrai thrust his sword up to knock the blade over his head and lash out with a spin kick to the head of the older man. Hakoda ducked back, leaned a bit too far actually, but thankful was quick on his feet and rolled away for a second swing from the mute. He staggered to his feet, presented his sword and slashed at him. Zentrai blocked it with ease and watched the man twist his sword downwards and let Zentrai's own force propel the mute forward. Without hesitation he ran his hand over the flat side of the blade and shoved it down. Zentrai was nearly at a loss for words until he had time to growl out a curse as his sword was yanked from his grip.
His sword gone, he jumped back and watched carefully as Hakoda plucked the sword out of the air before it could strike the earth. He chuckled as he held it with one hand. Two swords fighting against someone without a sword. Under normal circumstances Zentrai would have run. But he had the edge here. Assassins didn't play by the rules. But they didn't break them either. Not all the time at least. Zentrai knew that you could bend the rules without breaking them. And bend them he shall.
Reading Hakoda's thoughts was, surprisingly, not smart. He knew that Hakoda's thoughts were damn near always too complex to read. Hakoda was smart. Too smart for his own good, actually. He was like Calamity in the aspect that he could think up a half a dozen plans in the blink of eye. That was too much information for Zentrai to handle at times and if it wasn't too much for him to handle, trying to follow the plan that he was truly following was remotely impossible. And then there was the fact that not only following his projected plan was next to impossible, but that he continually thought up these radical plans and could change his own plans to meet the standards with his other plans.
Hakoda spun both swords in his hands and consider his options. Zentrai picked up eight different plans in a heartbeat and rushed forward. Zentrai grimaced. Three of his plans consisted of rushing forward and two would follow a downward slash and riser slash from both swords at the same time.
Zentrai drew a knife to each hand from his sleeve and waited for the attack.
Hakoda thrust both swords forward. Zentrai cursed inwardly as he brought hands forward and stopped the two swords cold. It was an amazing feat, but everyone knew what he did. He used his bending to help keep the blades stable against his weapons that had blocked it. Not an easy accomplishment.
Zentrai thrust both swords to the side to create an opening. With the opening made, he rammed a fist into his face. Hakoda's head snapped backwards and he loosened his grip on Zentrai's sword. Zentrai reached to get it but was stopped when Hakoda swung at him. Rather than step aside, Zentrai stepped into the swing and caught the sword between his hands. Hakoda didn't bother gasping in shock. He figured Zentrai could do that. No doubt he had used his bending to his advantage.
The mute smiled as he brought the caught sword up and then over so that it was near his head to the side. "Nice trick. Now watch mine."
Zentrai released the sword, kept one hand on the bottom of the sword and hastily smashed his other hand down on the tip of the sword just as the sword passed the halfway mark on his hand. The sword was torn from Hakoda's grasp in one fluid motion that sent it spinning in the air and sticking into the ground directly behind the bender. Hakoda didn't show his surprise. His mind showed it for the mute. He was left momentarily stunned, just long enough for Zentrai to take his sword and plant it firmly at his throat.
"I win," he declared with a smile.
Hakoda smiled back and accepted his defeat with stride. After giving his son his sword back and asking if it was a tie, the teens and one adult sat down and decided that it was close enough to dinner time to go into town and find some food to cook. Of course Hakoda had to get dressed properly just like the others and opted to wear a Fire Nation Merchant uniform rather than a military uniform.
(-)
Blink belly crawled to Geo and looked down at the factory below. She had a good view of the place from the cliff face that not only protected the factory from the turbulent waters, but also from view. The factory below didn't rise to even half the height of the dormant volcano it was built in.
From her perch she could easily make out the molten metal that was run along the gauges and into the factory where it was cooled and shipped up to the top floor of the factory. Smoke stacks belched smoke and made it hard for her to see what truly happened behind this point, but what came out to the side of the factory in the open air was the skeletal frame of an Airship that looked more like dead whales than an Airship.
She tapped her friend on the shoulder and returned to Inferno and Gail's side while Geo watched the factory.
"Well," Gail asked, "what does it look like?"
"Trouble," Blink answered. Inferno let loose something between a growl and a sigh. She wasn't sure which it was, but it wasn't good that was for sure. "The place is pretty fortified. They wanted to keep it safe in case of an attack. I'd say they have the right idea in mind when they chose this place in building the damn things."
"Is there a way in?"
Blink shrugged. She hadn't seen one, but she wouldn't put it past them to have a way in that seemed like it wasn't guarded. Chances were high that they had ever inch of that place guarded by only the best of the best for this place. And even if they did get in, getting out was going to be near impossible. It was a suicide mission after all.
Gail blew at her black bangs that dangled in front of her hazel eyes. She hefted the large shield with relative ease as she shifted from foot to foot. The triangle shaped shield was large enough to protect her and another small person behind it.
Blink stared at the shield for a moment before looking back at Geo. He was still perched on the cliffs' edge with the telescope still glued to his face tanned face. His brown hair was clean cut and kept short, but for some reason it still seemed to be longer than what it always seemed.
"Three shifts," Geo said suddenly. "They have three shifts of guards. Each guard shift works for six hours. The next set of guards wake up an hour beforehand and show up to make their runs with the previous shift for ten minutes. I think they're hunkered down tightly just in the likely event that we show up. So how you wanna do this?"
"Kill everybody," Inferno said with clear annoyance.
The two siblings grunted in acknowledgment. Of course they wanted to kill the enemy. That was how they saw them. The Fire Nation was the enemy. They weren't human. That was how they were trained to see them. But as sickening as it was, they accepted it just like the others did, some more than others.
"Well," Geo shuttered, "if we aim to do this, we should do it when the sun is at our backs or we strike with a two pronged attack. Heavy hitter storming the front door while the sneaks hit them from the back." His yellow eyes glanced in Inferno's direction. "Of course given enough time, I could come up with an alternative."
Blink knew that he could. Geo was a prodigy in all true aspects of the word. However, his major downfall was that he was very sick. So sick in fact that when he fought he grew weak and began to bleed into his lungs. He, like everyone else, knew his time was short. But he still clung to life. How he did so was beyond her. He had to be clinging to something in order to cling to life the way he did.
"If you can't come up with anything by daybreak," Blink told him, "we attack."
With that, she turned and slinked off with Inferno, Gail following a moment later. Geo stared down at the facility one last time before departing.
(-)
A pounding headache brought Answerer to consciousness. The dull ringing in her head was a good thing in her eyes. It meant she wasn't dead. And the pain helped signify that. If she was in pain, she was alive. That's what it meant to her.
She glanced to her left and then to the right before realizing that she was in her tent at the campsite. Despite having Blindside for a Master, he was very well mannered when it came to privacy. However, that didn't exactly stop him from walking in on her while she slept to wake her up and drag her half-naked form outside for training. The man was brutal. She was certain it wasn't something perverted on his end. But rather, it was his way of showing her cared. He was brutal, effective, and she hated him so much she was considering ways to kill him. But when she thought about it he was doing this not because he wanted to inflict pain on her, but because he was trying to give her the power to fight and win.
Answerer grimaced as she tore her sheets off and tried to rise. That very notion hurt more as she finally managed to rise to her feet and get dressed.
For over two weeks she had taken a beating like no other. The Sakabatō was a brutal weapon that, in the hands of a professional, could kill. However, if he dulled his strength enough it became a brutal cudgel that bore no remorse for its victims. In short, she had taken the worst beating of her life against the thing. She was certain she had cracked ribs, but had no way of knowing if she did or didn't. Her bruises had bruises. Her skin was so tender now that the very motion of putting on her shirt gave her the feeling that it was tearing.
Once she was fully dressed and her sword now firmly in her grasp did she ventured outside. The night had yet to yield to the coming dawn. She was by no means a morning person. But after countless weeks training with Blindside she learned to endure it. She was a morning person out of fear, not by nature.
With a flash she raised her sword and blocked a quick strike from Blindside. He stared down at her with cold eyes as he forced his duel bladed sword to cut through her own sword. Her eyes widened as she felt warm liquid run down her chest and stomach as he sword was sliced in two.
She grimaced as he stepped back and allowed her a chance to check her wound. She didn't bother checking it and charged him. For better or for worse, this was the moment she had been training for: A chance to fight Blindside as an equal.
(-)
There was no warning.
Without a word spoken Naruto charged Zentrai and lashed out with a fist. The mute ducked under it and jumped away. He was quick to put as great a distance as he could between himself and the shirtless blond. While he knew the reason for Naruto's unprecedented attack, he was, albeit, curious as to why he hadn't detected the blond until a split second before his attack.
With some distance between them, which he knew was absolutely pointless, he got a chance to sink into his mind. Naruto was in a rational mind. He was certain of that. But his mind was strangely differently. No, he corrected, it wasn't different. Rather, I'm looking at his mind wrong.
He grimaced at his mistake. Naruto was still himself. But his mind was slightly different. Enough so that he got back a strange reading from him.
Zentrai gave a quick glance while smiling. A test was the only reason this was happening. They did it all the time and now that he was up he wanted to make sure he was at full strength.
The mute's eyes darkened and before he had a clear chance to fully grasp what was happening Naruto was on him again. He cursed his luck. He hadn't forgotten about Naruto's near lighting speed.
With liquid grace he broke free of Naruto's hold, lashed out with a fist, and waited for the reaction. Naruto's mind raced as he predicted but it was sparked with something more. Naruto was tempting him with thoughts and things he had wanted him to feel, to show, and to make him believe that he was more than what he had always thought he was. Naruto, whether it was known to him or not, was thinking of Ty Lee. That was more than enough of a reason for the mute to grin and take the two body blows that the blond landed.
Staggering back and trying to make some distance, the mute flung all of the weapons from his sleeves in the direction of the blond. Naruto was took quick to be caught by such a lame throw. Zentrai knew that if he wanted to hit him he had to get him from where he couldn't see it. And that meant he had to get behind him with them. Not a hard thing to do. Overwhelm him with weapons and he'll forget about what was behind him so long as it wasn't living. Even in a fight against Zentrai he didn't learn to watch behind himself.
Naruto ran straight into the flying projectiles and darted between them with nimble grace. It seemed like he was dancing with an invisible person as he twisted, flipped, and dove under each of the flying projectiles, and in doing so closed the distance with startling effectiveness. The mute growled and brought his weapons back as Naruto threw a fist for his face. The mute had no time to dodge it and was prepared to take it and stop his own weapons when the blow never came. He halted his attack and marveled again at Naruto's mind and speed.
With a simply thought he threw his weapons out around him and let them dangle in the air like puppets on a string. They hovered without motion and waited for his command to move out. While the weapons floated Zentrai spread his mind out and found Naruto. The blond was being sneaky. A true Assassin. Naruto could do that if he put his mind to it. And it did pain Zentrai to know that what Naruto did was forced rather than something he did with his out thought. In truth, when he killed the "enemy" he wondered what their lives had been like, who would miss them, would someone come to hunt him down for what he did, and if they would remember him when they were reborn.
But Zentrai's ability to read Naruto's mind was what would allow him a chance at victory, even if they had never won a single match against one another in their previous engagements like this.
The mute stood with his arms akimbo and his mind clear. He had to get things clear in his mind fully before he had a chance to fight Naruto. Finding him was easy. He was thinking of what Naruto might do. He knew what he would do. But he had no idea on what he was truly thinking. He was shielding his thoughts from him. While he was normally incapable of doing such a thing without considerable focus, he was able to do it when it really mattered.
Zentrai, his mind utterly clear and focused, found Naruto's mind and linked with him. He grasped the location of the blond and with a thought sent his weapons straight out into the trees at the crest of the beach. He felt the kick of Naruto's will power in his mind as he pushed out while the blond erupted from the trees. The weapons turned and tailed him as if a string were tied to the blond somehow.
Naruto rolled when he hit the sand, sprang to his feet, and dashed for the mute, a plume of dust trailing in his wake. The mute grimaced. Naruto was faster than he expected and was able to get in close enough to deal a quick blow to his sternum. The mute swore in his mind and hastily threw up a shield of metal blades to keep the blond from striking him again. Naruto paid it little mind and punched straight through it. A hole formed on the second blow, but by then it was too late. Zentrai had put some distance between himself and the blond and was able to thrust out dozens of replacement blades.
Naruto grimaced and faded from view with a stomp of the foot, raising a cloud of dust to cover his tracks.
Zentrai gave out an annoyed sigh of frustration. Naruto was proving more difficult that what he would normal like. With the dust cloud blocking his vision, he knew he was at a disadvantage. With Naruto's shielding his thoughts as best he could, he could do little against him. But he knew he wouldn't be able to keep it up for long.
Naruto exploded forward and lashed out with a flying roundhouse kick. Zentrai ducked under, got behind him, and returned Naruto's kick with a backhand. Naruto took the hit, staggered sideways a bit, and then blurred into motion. Naruto darted around the mute. He ran in circles around him before coming to an abrupt halt, kicking up sand in the process, and then darted straight for the mute. Zentrai read his mind, gasped when he got only a glimmer of what the blond was about to do, and hastily put a defense up.
Thin metal blades danced in the air and as the mute brushed Naruto's mind again he was baffled. He was gone again. His mind shielded, Zentrai was left in the dark again.
A pain lanced through his side. Zentrai nearly shouted in pain as Naruto struck him three times before being forced back. The mute growled a curse and brought his hands together. To Naruto it almost looked as if he were using seals for Jutsus. In reality he wasn't. He was using his bending but for what, Naruto didn't know.
The metal blades that had been thrown already flew into the air, resting in place like obedient children before soaring towards their owner. The clanged against his other weapons he already wore and sparked outwards to give him a shell of spikes that would skewer anyone that tried to harm him with physical actions.
The two locked gazes and then exploded into motion.
Zentrai struck first. A quick punch to the sternum followed by a knee to the ribs and an elbow to the side of the head were the opening attacks. Naruto pushed through the pain of the attacks, never backing up, and struck the mute hard with a left hook to the side of the head. Zentrai turned sideways from the force behind it. The mute, while he stumbled back, flung out what weapons he could from his back. They flew upwards, and then came down with a greater force behind them. Naruto easily avoided them, and without looking knew that they had been buried deep in the sands.
Naruto tore through Zentrai's armor with ease, ripping it free for a brief moment from his control as he tossed it aside. He delivered a painful knee strike to the mutes' head then brought his foot up to hit him again before bringing it down upon his head for a three hit strike. The mute dropped to one knee and was kneed in the face for his actions. As he hit the ground, Naruto turned his back to him, brought his leg back up, and kicked him in the face, this time knocking him back and throwing the Magnetism-Bender back fifteen meters.
Naruto was on him before he could stop himself.
Zentrai's eyes were wide open and his weapons rattled on his skin. Naruto was closing in on him. He brushed Naruto's mind and for a fleeting moment, panicked. Naruto picked up on his panic and hastily figured out what the man was about to do. An explosion of power erupted from the two. Zentrai threw all of his weapons out. His shirt and pants exploded and, to the eyes of those watching, looked like a heavy rain shower. The weapons rattled and twitched in the air, some dipped towards the ground and rising back up before touching. Others, closer to Zentrai, hovered perfectly still without even a flutter of movement.
Naruto's power erupted at the same time. A crimson flurry of light that bounced around the weapons in a dazzling display of red light beams nearly blinded the spectators. The ground quaked momentarily as Naruto hit the ground and stared at his comrade. His eyes burned brightly as dark clouds rippled into existence over his head. Lightning crackled in the sky as Naruto's energy battled with some inner demon before the red energy shot skyward.
To Ty Lee, it was something more than a pillar of light. It was a creature with a dog-like body, pointy ears, and nine-tails waving in some imaginary wind. With a twitch of its ears its head shot upwards and howled. The blast of dry wind ripped through the others that watched-now huddled close to each other-were nearly knocked over from the sudden uproar of wind. For Ty Lee it was just another way of looking at the creature that had plagued her thoughts for months. But, as if the creature had caught some new threat to its former host, it looked down and in the direction of the mute.
Ty Lee gave a chance glance to Zentrai and gasped in true terror to what she saw. His aura, while normal in color for his mindset even during battle, but what she saw above him defied her understanding of auras. As if guided by the hand of evil, a spectral creature floated out of him with red eyes. It was barely taller than the mute, but while it was human in form, it was not human in the aspect of the six arms it had, each armed with a different size and style of blade. But through the haze of the blazing red aura from Naruto, and the overwhelming desire of death wavering from the strange creature, a strange set of markings blazed forth from the most elegant of its blades. Written along the side of the white sword, a series of dashes, lines, curves, and markings that looked more like pictures of animals and monuments, stood out emitting a sickly yellow light.
Ty Lee stared at the weapon and stepped back as it swung its weapons once, cleaving the air with a single swing that tore through the ragging wind of the red beast to calm the air.
With fiery gazes they charged and in a flash of light and a clash of flesh and steel that sounded more like thunder, the fight was over. Both teens held each other in a checkmate fashion, Naruto hold Zentrai by his throat with his hand pulled back and flat, ready to strike a killing blow on his friend, while Zentrai's blades were posed at the throat of the blond, ready for the kill.
"Draw," Naruto muttered as he released his friend. His aura vanished and the specter faded away like dust in the wind. Zentrai's vanished as he dropped his weapons, but unlike Naruto's it seemed to seep back into his shadow. Naruto, annoyed by the draw, kicked one of the weapons and sent it spiraling into the air before landing at the feet of Aang. "I won." He declared finally.
Zentrai laughed. "Bullshit," he shot back with a smile. "As I recall, we always went by whoever used their power first as the loser. You used your power first. Therefore, I win."
Zuko snorted. "I had no idea you were into men as well, Zentrai. I had always heard you went for girls only."
"Wow, this coming from the very same guy that was chasing after a teenager for a year. You have no room to talk, queer."
Zuko exploded into action and hastily closed the distance. The mute laughed and backed up in a lazy fashion and dodged Zuko's wild swings without grace.
Ty Lee approached with all haste, her eyes narrowed on the mute while trying to keep a straight face. "Naruto clearly won the fight." She motioned up down Zentrai's own body after he had captured the former Prince. "You're not exactly in the best of shape. And besides, you used your power first. I saw it with my own eyes."
The blond gave her a happy glance while the mute brushed her thoughts. It only took a second, and in that second he was left smiling at not only her devotion and love for the Assassin, but also another, slightly ironic, thing she had recently done to him. "Her vote doesn't count," he said with a wave of his hand. "But I'm a bit curious on as to why she showed you her breasts. Care to explain that? Or are you two already fucking."
Ty Lee blushed from the very mention of such an event while Naruto gave his friend a flat look. A mock fight ensued between the four as they argued over what being polite was and taking complete advantage of a situation like that was about.
Zentrai was at a disadvantage for a number of minutes as he dodged with childlike grace through a series of punches, kicks, and minor Firebending. It was until Zentrai's brushed Naruto's mind and learned that someone was coming. Without missing a beat he sprang into action, pinned Zuko and Ty Lee in a dome of metal blades while pinning Naruto to the ground.
"Enough," his voice boomed with godlike authority. "I'm going to release you all, but this ends now. It was all fun and games until one of us gets caught."
Katara stormed off at that point. Zentrai read her mind as she left and sighed inwardly. She wasn't aware of the precautions that Naruto had taken prior to starting their sparing session. And while he had been focused on the fight, he hadn't been completely focused on it entirely. He had been making sure that no one got in range to see them. Without knowing these precautions she had presumed the worst and stormed off with her father trailing behind her.
Zentrai released the others, placed his weapons back on his body, and began moving for the safety of the house. The others followed with the exception of Aang who stayed behind for a moment before being ordered to follow. "What about Katara," he asked.
"Her father may clear things up for here in a way we can't," Zentrai sent to him. Aang was disgruntled, but decided it wasn't his place to ask questions like that. "Zuko, start a fire somewhere inside. We'll sit around and talk for a while. I'm sure that like me you'd all like to get a few things off your chest." His eyes glued to Ty Lee's breasts. She turned away, her hands covering the things he looked at, and cried mentally over being eye candy for the perverted mute.
(-)
"Katara, wait."
She continued to walk without a moment's pause. Hakoda chased after her, but kept a good distance. Waterbending or not, an angry woman was something to be feared. His wife had a many times before got him when he got to close during her angry moments. And he had no intentions of being used for Katara's anger management sessions.
"Katara, as your father, I order you to stop."
She paused mid-step, then continued as if the threat meant nothing. Hakoda sighed and ran up behind her, grabbed her shoulder, and spun her around. Her eyes were red from tears and her face showed her inner anger. He couldn't blame her. He had heard about all the things that she had gone through because of them. The scar on her throat was proof of their actions against her passionate desire to save lives and never stay in the shadows like they did. What was he supposed to expect anyways? Three Elite Assassins, probably the best this world had ever seen, were forced to work with a bunch of kids that thought about protecting the world and saving everyone. A child's view of the world.
She fought for a moment to escape and then stopped. Her father was strong. She had always known that. He was stronger than her in more ways than one. But she fought to get loose for a couple of minutes before giving up entirely. She couldn't outmatch him strength or wits. She was trapped.
"Katara, listen to me. I know what they've done to you. I know what they've done around you. I know that they've left villages to die that you wanted to save. But you-"
"How come they do that?"
Hakoda bit back the urge to hit her. If she was a Warrior, not a civilian forced into a fighting, he might have disciplined her. But she was his daughter and a civilian with Waterbending abilities that had been thrust into fighting. He couldn't look the other way, but he couldn't strike her for her innocence. That was one thing he loved and hated about her.
"How come they scold me for using my bending in the eye of the public where soldiers might see me, but they can do it right now? Sure there was no one around, but we don't know that. Someone could have been watching."
"You're right, Katara. Someone could have been watching us. But don't you think they were making sure of that before the fight began?" Her mouth opened in retort but he waved her off. "I don't know how Naruto's power works, but what I do understand is that his ability to make copies of himself allows him to destroy them at will and take their memories. So don't you think that he might have had a few of those in the area to make sure that no one could see them fighting?"
The young Waterbender hissed a curse.
"And what about Zentrai? His ability to read minds would also allow him to see out such a threat? So if you add all that up, I'd say they knew what they were doing and that they were safe enough to fight without being seen. And even if they did get seen, don't you think they'd find out and make us leave or protect us from harm?"
"They said they only need the Avatar. They're only here to protect Aang. And if you knew about the things that they did, like leaving those innocent villagers to the mercy of the Fire Nation that lived on the river, why don't you go shout at them?"
"Katara, I know you are no Warrior. You are a civilian with Waterbending abilities that was forced into fighting. You didn't want to fight. Maybe you want to fight now. But back then you didn't want to fight. And because of that, you never got training on how to deal with these situations."
"What training? Are you saying that what they've done is perfectly normal? That we should just the Fire Nation destroy everything and never give a damn about them? They've killed so many people. They destroyed that village in the river because we helped them. Because they destroyed their factory. How can you justify their actions when they never stop to take care of the rest of the problem that would ensue?"
Hakoda released his hold and stepped back. Better for some distance at this point. "Katara, I have a question for you. What would have happened if you said and defeated those that came that time? Do you think they would simply leave them alone at that point? Did you really think that the Fire Nation would just leave them alone? They wouldn't. They want to control the entire world."
"So I would have stayed."
Hakoda shook his head. "Being a martyr is all well said and good, but it does nothing for you in the end. You can't save everyone, Katara."
"I can try."
"Then you'd die failing. The world you believe in isn't just black and white, Katara. If that were the case, that would mean that all people of the Fire Nation are evil and that we are good. That is what you're saying. That is what you firmly believe in if you see the world as black and white. Zuko isn't evil. I've seen other Fire Nation people fight the good fighting against their own people. So don't think for a moment that this world is black and white, Katara. Because it isn't."
Her father began to leave, stopping only to say; "Katara, if you had to save the lives Earth Kingdom by letting a Fire Nation village destroyed by Earth Kingdom troops, would you do it?"
Hakoda left her with her thoughts, not bothering to look back.
(-)
Calamity sat patiently in his chair like a child in timeout. He wasn't in trouble. He was thinking of the perfect battle strategy for the battle to come. It all road on him it felt like. He felt the weight of the world, a corrupted world by war, hunger, hatred, and deceit riding on his shoulders. He wanted nothing more than to watch the world burn around his feet and start anew.
The line of the Avatar should be the first thing to go. People hide behind the power of the Avatar, using it for their own ends. People lie. People die. People hate. And they turn on one another. That was the world they were fighting to protect. It sickened him.
"So why do people exist at all?" He rubbed his temples and removed his mask. The door cracked open and Den stared at him. "Have you made all the preparations for what is coming?"
"Yes," he answered tightly. Calamity nodded his thanks. "What are you after, Calamity? Why would someone like you want to fight at all? You hate this very world we're trying to save. Why bother fighting at all?"
"Why are you fighting to protect a world that has fallen so far that it cannot be saved any longer? Why would you want to save this world?"
"I still have hope in the power of the Avatar. That is why I want to save this world. His power can save the world."
The masked man gave a loud sigh of frustration. "And that is the reason this world is so pathetic in my eyes. When we have no power we turn to the people who do have it. We turn to the Avatar. In a time long before the creation of the Avatar, we didn't rely on the power of others. We relied only on our own powers. The military was the backing force for every Nation. They stood shoulder to shoulder fighting, hating, and killing one another. Now, when the threat of war breaks out we turn to the Avatar in the hope that he can save us. That thinking is wrong and will be our downfall. It was our downfall."
Den stood his ground. "And that's why you want this world to fall to the ground. Is that it?"
Calamity considered removing his mask but stopped his hand short. "I hate humanity more than I hate this world. Do you know why?" Den shook his head. He clearly didn't want to listen, but he knew he had to listen. "I hate humanity for what we represent. We are a warring race that destroys anything we don't like or someone says is evil. We crave war because we want to destroy each other. No matter how good natured we are; we desire blood on our faces. The bodies of others ripped open and torn asunder right before our eyes…"
(-)
Inferno stood over the burned remains of a dozen Fire Nation troops and slave workers. He had made out the slaves as a combination of Earth Kingdom citizens and soldiers and Fire Nation citizens that must have spoken out against the war.
Their broken bodies were crushed beneath his feet and other metal structures. Some were slain by his blade. Others were burned to a crisp by his Firebending. No matter what the mission had been completed. They had destroyed the Factory and everyone in it just as they had been ordered to.
"No survivors," Rehka said to them.
So they left no survivors.
(-)
"…we struggle against all odds in the hope that the righteous will prevail over the wicked. That being on the side of good will enable you to triumph without fail. We believe that the light of the Spirits shines down upon those that have been forsaken by their Nation or thrown against the wall, and that is why we stand up to fight. We fight, believing that we have the strength to stand up against them even if we have no hope of winning…"
(-)
Answerer spat up blood, dropped to one knee, and held her bleeding body with one hand, her other hand grasping the remains of her cut up sword. Blindside walked calmly towards her, his double-bladed sword dangling just a mere centimeter off the ground. It was so low she thought it was touching.
She got to her shaky feet, wobbled for a moment, and then charged him.
He passed by her.
She screamed silently as her blood soared into the air.
Answerer hit the ground unmoving. Her blood pooled around her.
With a flick of the wrist, her blood was thrown from his blade and the Rank Five Assassin sheathed his blade.
(-)
"…that is why I hate humanity. We are weak. We're not like how we used to be before the time of the Avatar."
"You make that sound as if you were there personally," Den commented offhandedly. Calamity smiled behind his mask. There were times he felt like he was there and yet not there during these times. "But everything is set with Azula. All we need now is to wait a few days before the comet arrives and we're all set. But are you certain that this is a good idea. What if we didn't break her the way we thought we did?"
Calamity rose to his feet. "Good thought," he said. He walked past him. Den followed hastily behind the man. They reached Azula's cell, he tore it open without a second thought, stared at her from behind his mask, and then kicked Azula down to the ground. "Den, get your men."
Azula began to cry.
Calamity smiled. Everything was falling into place. With one more rape they would finally have total confirmation that Azula was theirs to command and that she was without a shadow of a doubt broken.
