Warning: Here there be mature content! Proceed at your own risk! If you decide to stick around, then I, the author, promise to take you through an exciting and well thought out plot where the characters will be developed and mature relationships explored!
Also, I suggest you read Rectify before this fic although it isn't necessary.
Chapter 1: The Attack
Three years after Aang defeated Firelord Ozai, the world was in a state of peace. Katara wiped down the mirror before her, streaking away the condensation that accumulated during her bath. And now, thanks to Toph and Earthen Fire Industries, the world will be thriving, she giddily thought, smiling at her reflection.
With a bounce in her step, Katara exited the bathroom and entered her connecting bedroom, pausing at the sight of her boyfriend of three years, Aang lounging before her.
Aang laid above the neatly made bed, one hand propping his head as the other one-handedly controlled air so that it juggled a vase, pillow and book in a tight circle. While the feat was impressive, it was not what made Katara pause but rather the look of him.
Her eyes not so subtly checked him out, drinking in his long lithe frame that looked appealing even in the brightly colored yellow and orange robe he donned. In her mind she could envision the flat plains of his body and the tantalizing blue tattoos that lined his limbs; it made her breath quicken and her heart jolt.
I wonder if I'll ever get used to him, she thought with amusement, marveling at the butterflies he evoked in her without even trying.
"Hey Katara, look at my new tr-" On impulse, Katara dropped her towel as Aang excitedly turned to face her and watched with immense satisfaction as his face became slack-jawed and bug-eyed.
The sight of her naked body had Aang losing his concentration and one by one, the items fell, comically bouncing off his bald head. Aang did not even blink an eye at the impact but continued to watch her as she cavalierly made her way to the ornate dresser across the room.
"What were you saying?" She asked coyly as she opened the doors and picked out her clothes.
She felt the warmth of him on her naked back before his arms came around her to press her against his front. A sweet laugh escaped her as she leaned her head back against his shoulder. "You really move fast and quiet, Twinkletoes," She teased, as she met his dark gray eyes.
"I can be fast," he admitted swooping her hair over one shoulder and bending down to lick from her shoulder up to her ear, causing her to shiver, "and I can be very slow and thorough." He said running the tips of his fingers over her pebbled nipples gently.
Katara let out a shaking breath, arching her back so her bottom was pressing more firmly on his arousal. They both moaned at the gesture and were soon rocking their hips together in an imitation of sex. "How do you want it, Katara?" Aang breathed right into her ear, causing her insides to tremble.
"A-Aang, were supposed to be getting ready for the meeting," She breathed as one of his hands trailed teasingly down her body to the apex of her thighs, gathering the wetness developing at her opening before running back up to circle her clit. Katara gasped as a spark of pleasure shot through her, causing a flush to develop on her face, ears and neck.
He continued to play with her body for a few more seconds, building up her pleasure before cruelly letting her go, raising his hands in surrender and stepping out of her space.
"Well if that's the case…" He said with a mischievous expression, wiggling his eyebrows as she spun on her heel to glare at him.
"Oh no, you don't," She hissed before lunging at him, earning a bellowing laugh from Aang.
"But you said-" He started but trailed off when she roughly began undoing the belt holding his robes together.
"Forget what I said, you know I was joking," She dismissed, one track mindedly working on getting him naked. Aang gave her a beaming smile before helping her, reaching up to slide the robes off his shoulders as she bent to pull down his pants.
"You're an eager one, aren't you?" He teased. Katara gave him a growl before reaching up on her tippy toes to shut him up with a kiss.
Aang quit smiling at her teasing nibble upon his bottom lip and soon their tongues were dueling for dominance as Aang stepped out of his clothes and walked them back towards the bed. Katara sighed at the feeling of their skin meeting. She loved the difference between their bodies, loved the broadness of his shoulders, the taller length of him and the strength of his arms. She felt utterly safe in his embrace and could not imagine a better place to be.
Aang flopped down onto the bed with Katara on top of him and snuck a hand between them to continue touching her.
"Ugh, that feels so good, Aang," She moaned, throwing her head back and missing the proud little grin on his face. She bent her head back down and then braced herself above him with her arms on either side of his head and knees on either side of his waist to fix him with a hooded stare. He met her eyes with his own lust-filled gaze and an intense moment passed with only the sounds of their panting breathing and her wetness streaming through the air as he pleasured her with his fingers.
"Can I put my fingers inside you?" He asked, sending a thrill down her spine.
She wanted to say yes...really very badly wanted to say yes but they did have a meeting to get to and for the kind of play that Aang wanted would require time. So, instead of saying yes, she reached down to grab his wrist and pull his hand away from her, giving his palm a kiss before intertwining their fingers as she lowered her hips down to his; his hard hot cock nestling against her pelvis.
"I'd rather you take me nice," she kissed his jaw, "and" the tip of his nose "hard" she breathed against his lips before kissing him. She felt Aang's cock twitch against her before he swiftly flipped them over, earning a delighted squeal from her as his kisses turned frenzied.
"Spirits, Katara, you really know how to drive me wild," He moaned as he leaned back so he could line his cock with her entrance. She enjoyed the view from her position on her back, admiring his tight abdominals. Unable to resist, She reached out her free hand to trail them down his stomach and enjoyed the feeling of his muscles fluttering under her touch from pleasure.
Aang coated the tip of his cock in her juices before he then rubbed his tip against her clit. Katara gasped at the feeling, her eyes involuntarily closing as her hips began to slowly grind against it before he swiftly pulled away and entered her.
"Aang!" She cried out both from surprise and pleasure, her eyes bursting open to catch the boyish smirk on his face.
"I wanted you to look at me," He said unapologetically as he slowly circled his hips so his cock rubbed against every inch of her inner walls. Katara's breath hitched at the sensation, eyes fluttering with pleasure as he continued the movement.
"T-that feels so good," she moaned, her free hand reaching to clench the bedcover beneath them. Aang let go of her other hand to use his thumb to rub her clit and her body pulsed at the sensation.
"That feels even better, doesn't it?" Aang said, voice husky.
"Yess," she hissed with pleasure as he started to thrust in and out of her. "Everything you do…" she couldn't complete the thought as he increased his pace. Sensation overloaded her between the delicious sound of their coupling and the things he was doing to her body.
Moans spewed uncontrollably from her lips as Aang continued to drive into her. She opened her eyes and received a thrill to find Aang gazing back at her, his eyes so hooded they were slits, his cheeks stained with arousal, lips parted as he panted. He looked so far removed from his usual innocent appearance that it was positively sinful. She loved that she could turn him into this; she wanted him to lust after her, wanted him to want to possess her. It was in these moments when he took her with his cock that she could see the depths of which he loved her.
Aang stopped rubbing her clit so he could hook her legs with his arms and bend toward her close enough to kiss. This new position made him hit deeper inside her, causing Katara's eyes to widen with shock at the feeling.
"You feel so good," Aang whispered brokenly as he pounded into her. Katara's felt a pleasure spike go through her at his words, her heart beating like a frantic bird trying to escape her chest. "It drives me crazy."
She couldn't agree more with his words. She wanted to sink her teeth in him, mark him so that everyone knew he was hers. She wasn't sure when her possessive feelings for him started but she certainly had them now and they were running rampant in her. To satiate her urge, she instead clutched the bed covers and gave a salacious lick up the underside of his jaw with a wicked grin. Aang groaned a low animalistic sound that sparked pleasurable goosebumps on her skin.
She lost her sense of time as her pleasure mounted. Her ears were filled with the carnal sound of flesh meeting flesh and her own rushing blood. Tension low and deep in her stomach reached its peak and sent pulsating shockwaves of pleasure throughout her body. She withered at the onslaught, completely swept up.
She came back to herself breathlessly, her eyes slowly opening to find Aang staring at her enthralled, holding his body up so he could watch her, pained restraint evident in the set of his shoulders.
"That was so beautiful," He swallowed hard, his eyes sweeping all over her as he started pumping his cock again. "Spirits, I want to ravish you. I need to..." He stopped his movement again and leaned back, grabbing her hips and dragging them up so he could pounded into her hard and fast. She cried out with surprise at the rough way he handled her and yet it pleased her to have him lose all control.
Her body was sensitive after her orgasm and so the hard and fast pounding he gave her was boarding on painful and yet she found that that always brought the best sort of pleasure. She just had to breathe through it and then she'd reach an orgasm like no other. Plus, she liked being used this way by him. Something utterly primal enjoyed his domination of her body; she craved it.
His thrusts became more erratic and then he let out a groan before he gave one last hard thrust and stilled, spilling his seed deep inside her. Satisfaction ran through her as Aang collapsed onto her body. She ran a soothing hand up and down his back while she peppered kisses all over his shoulder.
She waited patiently as Aang caught his breath and once he did, he turned his head back toward her, giving her a featherlight kiss before sliding off her. She missed the weight of him but turned onto her side to face him with a smile none-the-less.
"We're going to be late for the meeting," she stated with ease as Aang gave her a sleepy grin.
"I wish we could stay all day in bed." He said wistfully.
"Me too," she said truthfully, reaching out a hand to trail her finger down the blue line on his arm earning a pleased moan from Aang. "But-"
"I know, I know," Aang interrupted with a sigh.
"At least you'll have a break for your sixteenth birthday," She said optimistically as she sat up and made her way off of the bed. "Ugh, I'll have to shower again," she mumbled to herself.
"That's still two months away!" Aang cried indignantly before he too got off the bed. "Surely I'll get time for a break before then."
"Doubt it," Katara quipped back as she made her way to the bathroom.
"Don't say that, you'll jinx us." Aang replied as he followed her.
"Us? I was talking about you Aang; I am most certainly taking a break."
"Why do you get one but I don't?" He cried as he shut the door and Katara started waterbending water into the tub.
"Because I'm older, that's why."
Their quips continued as they bathed together quickly. Aang airbended them dry and in no time at all, the two were putting back on their clothes and making their way through Toph's home/school.
"Where is everybody?" Aang asked when they came out of the guest wing to the dining room where some breakfast food was laid out, half of it already gone and the rest being cleaned up by maids.
"Probably already at Earthen Fire Industries like we were supposed to be ten minutes ago. We don't have time for breakfast." Katara said sharply, stopping Aang from sitting down at the table. With a pout he straightened away from the chair and made his way back to her but not before snagging a tart and taking a big bite of it, giving her a food stuffed grin.
Katara rolled her eyes as she walked away for the entrance, Aang hot on her heels. Luckily Toph's home was just across the street from Earthen Fire Industries.
They made their way to the top of the tall building and Katara couldn't help but marvel at just how industrial looking it was.
At first, she had been apprehensive of the changes that were occurring after the 100 years war. Toph's metal bending really changed the way people viewed structures and the way of life. More and more buildings were being built from metal, changing the style of places she always found comforting. Inventions such as forklifts, oil trenches and bridges were cropping up everywhere, even in the Southern Tribe and it all just seemed too much too quickly.
Then Malina, Southern Water Tribe architect and engineer extraordinaire, happened. Malina had big ideas for reconstruction that benefited all Southern Water Tribe citizens. Katara had feared that Malina's vision would endanger the Southern Water Tribe culture but she admits now that she was wrong. Not only did the reconstruction bring better prosperity to the people but it also helped build strong interconnected relationships with the other nations which were part of the reason why they were meeting today.
Katara paused before the door that read Meeting Room, drawing a curious glance from Aang.
"What's the matter," he asked, making Katara sigh.
"I just know we're going to get a ribbing for being late. They probably all know that it was because we were having sex and Sokka is going to be unbearable." Aang nodded solemnly, knowing that he would get the worst of Sokka's ire.
"Can't be worse than when we left the window open during our first time and all of the tea shop patrons heard us having sex."
"Ugh, don't remind me. I still can't meet Iroh's eyes." She said with a shiver. A coy grin lit Aang's face as he wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her closer.
"I would gladly take a thousand Sokka scoldings if it means I can make love to you." He said drawing a smile from Katara before he pulled her into a loving kiss.
A loud slam occurred right at that moment, making Aang and Katara jolt apart as Toph's cackle reached their ears.
"You should've known better," Toph cheekily cried after it became evident to the two lovebirds that she had used her metalbending abilities to open the door to reveal them at the most inopportune moment.
"You two, . !" Sokka demanded, jabbing his finger at them all the way from where he had stood from his chair at the round table. Zoku, Suki and Toph all laughed at their expense.
Katara groaned with dread as Sokka's face turned alarmingly red. Immediately, Aang started pointing his finger at her.
"It's her fault!" He cried, ratting her out like a scoundrel. She glared at him as she made her way into the room.
"I'll remember this. I know where you sleep." She hissed, causing Aang to gulp and give her a fearful wide-eyed look.
"Nice to see you," Zuko said around a chuckle as Katara nodded her head at him in greeting, ignoring Sokka as he continued to make a fuss. Suki stood to give her a quick hug.
"Don't worry," Suki said as she let Katara go. "He can't scold you too much without me calling him out for being a hypocrite, right darling?" Sokka gulped as Suki turned a fierce glare on him.
"R-right...err well...just don't be late again." He finished lamely, sitting back down and refusing to meet anyone's gaze.
Aang took a seat beside Zuko so Katara took a seat next to him at the round table. Toph chuckled but then clapped her hands, bringing the attention to her.
"Alright, now that everyone is here lets begin discussing the blueprints for the inter-bending schools."
"Wait, where's Satoru?" Katara asked curiously. With keen eyes, Katara observed the flicker on Toph's face.
Satoru was one of the geniuses behind making Earthen Fire Industries and Toph's business partner although Katara knew Toph's feelings were far from professional. However, Satoru was twenty while Toph was only fifteen so Katara didn't see Satoru returning Toph's feelings.
"He's busy overseeing the construction of a new palace in the earth kingdom with Megumi." Toph stated, her voice spitting out the name with unrestrained spite. Katara raised her eyebrows a little shocked at her friend's reaction.
"Is this Megumi Satoru's girlfriend?" Katara asked curiously, inadvertently ruffling Toph's feather with her probing.
"I don't know but this meeting isn't a meeting about the state of Satoru's love life!" Toph bit out.
"I know, I was just curious."
"Well don't be!" Toph snapped. Katara pressed her lips together, resisting the urge to snap back at the younger girl.
Huffing, Toph refocused on unfurling the blueprints before them. They crowded over to look at it, noting the intricate details of the structure.
"Now, as we all know, there is a rise of mixed blender relationships and it won't be long before places like Yu Dao become the norm, where the different nations are blended together." The group nodded along at Toph words. Katara couldn't help but meet Aang's eyes with a smile. "However, we've seen with Yu Dao that there is an issue of how to school the children from these relationships. Yu Dao only had schools for students to learn firebending and neglected the earthbending children. We all agreed that building separate schools for the different types of blending in each town is not only fiscally impossible but also does nothing to shape interblending relationships so the only solution is to build a school where all blenders can learn in. This led to another tricky question of how best to build a school that could accommodate this need and so this is what our team came up with." She said with a grand gesture toward the blueprint.
"The building is proposed to have four levels but not to correlate each level to a bending type but rather age and skill level-" Toph broke off, her head suddenly snapping to the door, immediately making everyone alert.
"What's wrong?" Sokka asked, reaching out to place a hand on Toph, whose face was scrunched up with confusion and concentration.
"Something not right on the ground floor. I feel a disturbance." As if to echo her words, a distant sound of something erupting reached their ears. Everyone fell into individual warrior stances facing the door but were literally knocked off their feet when the wall behind them blew apart.
Katara collided brutally with the wall, the impact knocking the air out of her. Smoke blew into the room, obscuring her vision and making her eyes burn. She sucked in a lungful of air only to start hacking as the smoke entered her lungs. Dazed, she sat up only to find Toph and Aang engaged in a fight with shadowy figures she could not yet discern.
A groan had her attention drawing to Zuko who had emerged from behind a small block of wall with a cough.
"Sokka!" She heard Suki's shrill anguished cry. Time seemed to freeze and yet speed up all at once as Katara turned her gaze to the sound of Suki's voice. Sokka lay before Suki, eyes closed and bleeding profusely from his head.
Katara's blood turned to ice in her veins as she gazed at her brother's prone form. Horrible flashbacks entered her mind's eyes to the time when she was young and had returned to her tent with her father only to find her mother lying on the ground in a pool of her own blood, her blank dead eyes staring out unseeingly.
No, not again...Her thoughts were sluggish refusing to make sense of the scene before her. I can't go through that again.
And then she remembered she was not that powerless little girl anymore. A fierce wave of determination swept through her as she stood on shaking legs and made her way to her brother. Uncorking her water container, Katara called the water to the hands, closing her eyes as she imagined the healing nurturing properties infusing her hands.
She wheedled her way to Sokka, falling on her knees before him and reaching out her hands to gently lay them upon his head. I can heal him...I WILL heal him!
Power streamed from her as she watched the wounds in his head begin to stitch back together. With her acute senses, she knew he had another wound in his ribs where the metal had hit him.
"Help me move him," Katara ordered Suki and together they worked to position Sokka so she could heal his ribs too. As soon as she could feel the wound finish healing, Sokka opened his eyes.
"S-Suki…" Sokka breathed, clearly still disoriented.
"I'm right here," Suki clamored over, grabbing Sokka's hand and raising it to her tear-stained cheeks. Her brother smiled, tiredly closing his eyes again as he gave a shaky breath.
Rage worse than the one she felt while confronting her mother's murderer infused her body. She stood and turned, facing the rest of the room where the battle still raged on. Her eyes zeroed in on one of the attackers and she took in their strange appearance like a predator studying their prey.
They wore black cloaks and garments with strange blue and white masks covering their faces like cowards. She watched as they attacked Aang, Toph and Zuko looking for the most opportune time to strike when the strangest thing happened.
She saw one masked assailant airbend Toph clear across the room. Her jaw dropped but both Aang and Zuko did not seem surprised by this, in fact, Aang looked positively wild with delight. The fight was now four against two and yet Aang only had eyes for the masked airbender who deflected Aang's wind strike with a wind strike of their own.
Katara had seen enough; she was just about to pounce on one of them when a cold voice cried out.
"NOW!"
Confused, Katara shot her head toward the voice that came from the entrance of the hole in the building only to turn her head back around at the sound of choking noises. With horror, she found Zuko on his knees gasping for breath as his face turned purple.
Instincts kicking in, Katara sent a whiplash strike of water at the airbender, sending the attacker crashing into one of her fellow members and effectively allowing Zuko to breathe again. She sent another attack to the enemy group that had them scrambling back while Aang tried to reach out and grab the other airbender while the person was disoriented.
Both Aang and Katara had to dodge twin jets of blue lightning heading towards them which gave the enemy time to regroup. It can't be...Katara thought, her eyes falling onto the figure still standing by the hole in the building.
Katara sent another water whip strike at the figure who deftly avoided it, the grace of the movement adding to her suspicions.
She didn't have time to contemplate further before the estranged cloaked individuals all pulled out foot long metal rods from their waistbands, clicking a button on the side that elongated the rods and turned them into gliders much like the wooden one Aang owned. Katara gaped as the assailants ran back to the opening and leaped off only for the airbender to manipulate the air currents so that all five of them were soaring through the sky.
She should have expected it but it still came as a shock when Aang ran past and quickly jumped off too, pursuing the group with his glider and giving none of them a second thought. Anger welled up in Katara at his reckless actions and she found herself storming to the opening. How could he...
"Come back!" She screamed from the ledge, knowing her voice would not reach him but needing to try anyway. "Aang, come back!"
She stiffened at the feeling of hands grabbing her shoulders and turned to find Zoku standing behind her, a frown marring his face.
"He just left like it was nothing! He could be taken! What was he thinking?" Katara hissed, meeting Zoku's eyes as if imploring him to somehow undo Aang's actions.
"He'll be okay, Katara." He responded, his throat sounding damaged. She winced at her thoughtlessness. Her eyes fell past him to where Toph laid knocked out and Suki stood supporting Sokka. All of them looked worse for wear with scratches and bruises covering every visible inch.
"You're right, I'm sorry. I can heal your throat." She said, once again bending the water so it infused her hands. Raising them up she gently rested her hands at the base of where his neck met his shoulders and healed him.
"Thank you," Zoku said once she was finished, his voice sounding back to normal. She gave him a half-hearted shrug before turning her attention to Toph. Kneeling before her friend, Katara got to healing her too. Toph opened her eyes and coughed before sitting up with a groan and rubbing her head.
Katara sat back on her legs as she tiredly gazed at the smaller girl.
"What just happened?" The earthbender groaned. Katara sighed, her eyes fixing out the missing wall to where Aang had taken off.
"I don't know." Katara answered.
"There was an airbender." Zuko said meeting Katara's eyes before flicking them over to Toph. "The airbender knocked you off your feet and you passed out."
"I knew something was off! No one else has feet as light as twinkle toes except for her. She might have even been lighter." Toph stressed.
"Her?" Katara echoed, her head snapping back to Toph.
"Yeah, that airbender was a girl."
"Are you sure?" Katara asked, an inexplicable feeling of dread replacing the stewing anger inside of her.
"Yes, I'm sure. I might be blind but my type of vision is never wrong. She was a girl."
"Wow, I can't believe there is another airbender." Sokka said, wincing as he held his side with his free hand while leaning against the wall.
"I take it, twinkle toes went after them." Toph said.
"Yes, like a fool, he went after them." Katara gazed down. Toph gave her arm a small punch.
"Lighten up! He'll be fine! He's the avatar after all!"
"I know that but that doesn't mean he should be going after five enemies alone!" Katara huffed, getting up and walking away from Toph and brushing past Zuko's outstretched hand.
"I don't think you have to worry; Aang clearly wasn't the target," Suki pointed out. At the reminder, all eyes fell to Zuko, who frowned and rubbed the back of his neck.
"We don't know that for certain." Katara stated as she kept her gaze staring out the whole.
"Yeah, and who would attack him? The New Ozai members are all in jail." Sokka pointed out.
Katara frowned at the reminder. Barely a year after Sozin's Comet, Zuko was attacked by a group called The New Ozai Society. The New Ozai Society wished to kill Zuko and restore Firelord Ozai back on the throne despite the loss of his bending. They cruelly abducted family members of people in the court and systematically attacked Zuko. Luckily the Kyoshi Warriors protected him and quickly got word out for help. It ended up being Mai's father, Ukano, who led the society and him along with the other members were imprisoned. It had been a harrowing endeavor trying to find the missing kids and not knowing who to trust. Subsequently, Zuko and Mai ended up breaking up and Aang had been beside himself with worry over Zuko's mental state.
"Right, and it's not like people can't just decide to create new terrorist groups on a whim." Toph sarcastically drawled.
"Oh! I know, maybe it was the Dai Li! We never found those guys and they were pretty evil." Sokka guessed.
"But there weren't any earthbenders in the group," Zuko rebuked. "They were all firebenders except for the one airbender."
Katara dragged her gaze away from the horizon to fix Zuko with an assessing look.
"And then there was the one who shot lightning like Azula used to." Katara said tersely. Zuko tensed and met her gaze.
"It wasn't Azula," Zuko said, his tone brooking no room for argument. Katara narrowed her eyes on him.
"Well, it sure seemed like Azula-"
"Azula isn't the only person who knows how to channel lightning. Any firebender who dedicates the time and practice can learn it, just like anyone can learn bloodbending. It wasn't her." Katara continued to glare stubbornly at him for a moment before letting it go and turning back to gazing at the sky.
"Then we have no leads," Suki stated.
"That's not necessarily true…"Sokka said, earning puzzled looks from Suki and Zuko.
"What do you have in mind Captain Boomerang?" Toph said with a smirk.
"We need to speak with Mai's father. Most likely he knows or can lead us to any other rebels we might have missed."
"That's a good idea." Zuko concurred.
"Aang!" Katara screamed, seeing his glider finally come into view. She watched his fast sailing with her heart in her throat. Carefully gliding back into the group Aang gave everyone a big grin but before he could even get a word out Katara was on him, pummeling every reachable inch of him with her fists.
"How dare you just take off like that! Do you have any idea how worried you made me? You could have gotten hurt!"
"Ow! Hey! I'm sorry!" Aang said as she continued to hit him, finally grabbing her wrists to stop her and giving her his most apologetic look.
"I just had to go Katara, you saw; there was another airbender here! I had to try and catch them." His eyes bore into hers imploring her to understand which she did.
"I know but still...don't do that again." She said with a glare. Aang did not respond and the stubborn look crossing his face did not reassure her.
"I see you weren't successful in knabbing the airbender," Toph said ironically.
"No, they shrouded themselves with smoke and when I airbended it away they just vanished right out of the sky. I checked all the surrounding area but I didn't find a trace of them."
"Strange," Sokka replied, rubbing his chin.
"Well, we think we will find a lead if we talk to Mai's dad." Suki chipped in, bringing Aang quickly up to speed.
"I'll send a letter out to Mai as soon as we get out of here." Zuko said.
"Uhh guys? How are we getting out of here?" Sokka worriedly questioned.
"I have just the thing," Aang said with a grin, pulling out his bison whistle from a hidden pocket in his robes.
Appa came to collect them and soon the group was back in Toph's home. Toph met up with Earthen Fire workers and managers to assess the damage. Katara, Zuko and Aang decided to help, healing and assisting wounded employees for the rest of the day while Suki attended to Sokka.
It was many hours later that Katara got a moment to break away from healing. The damage to the building was extensive and it would take a long time to fix. This mysterious group not only attacked them but also attacked the lower levels, luckily security was proficient in stopping the assailants but the battle had damaged many floors and employees. Katara could not imagine all that Toph would have to do to get Earthen Fire Industries back in order.
"Hey," Aang greeted as he came up behind her.
"Hey," she returned as he sat beside her and they both stared out at the small town.
When they first ventured to Cranefish town two years ago, there were only a handful of shops that lined the valley but now with all the factories and Earthen Fire Industries, the town was filled with houses and stores that were so unique and unfamiliar to the rest of the world. The people here were a blend of all nations hoping to better their lives...better generations of lives! It was admirable and brave.
How dare those masked cowards attack these people! Katara thought fiercely, her eyes unseeing the town before her. They can't be allowed to get away with this!
While she felt bad for Toph, she knew she could not stay and help here, she needed to pursue the assailants and so she would go with Zuko, Suki, Sokka and Aang tomorrow back to the Fire Nation to question Ukano. And he better have some answers for us, she thought darkly.
"I can't believe it," Aang said, drawing Katara's attention. "There's another airbender out there."
Katara blinked at his line of thinking and once again that feeling of dread welled in her.
"You know Aang, I understand that you want to find this airbender but you do remember that she's a criminal, right?" Katara said, gazing into his eyes.
"She?" Aang questioned, making Katara sigh.
"Yes, she. Toph said that she 'saw' that the airbender is a girl." She carefully watched his face but got no indication that this news excited him.
"Huh, well, of course, I know that she's on the wrong side of...whatever side she is on but if I can speak with her I'm sure that I can help her see reason and maybe she's not the only airbender...maybe she knows a whole bunch of airbenders? And I can help them! I've got to find her…" Katara's lips thinned with discomfort but she nodded her head.
She wanted to tell Aang not to get his hopes up, that he needed to be cautious but looking at his face, at the hopes in her eyes she just couldn't do it. Haven't you always hoped that there were other airbenders out there?
She had always wished that. She knew the depths of Aang's pain at thinking he was the last of his people and the insurmountable loss he felt. It hurt her for him to feel that way. So then what are you so afraid of? She wondered to herself.
The next day they set off on Appa for the Fire Nation, leaving Toph behind. The trip was quiet with everyone pensive. When they touched down at Zuko's palace there was a procession of maid, guards and council members waiting for them, Mai standing amongst them.
"Hello Mai," Zuko greeted with an awkward smile that his estranged ex did not return.
"Zuko," she responded deadpanned, turning to gaze at the rest of the group before addressing Aang. "I was told that you wish to speak with my father."
"Er…" Aang scratched his head, gazing back and forth between the exes.
"We think he might have some informa-" Zuko started only to be cut off by Mai who did not look at him as she spoke.
"I don't know why I was summoned. My father and I have never been close and I don't believe he would respond any differently even if I'm there for questioning."
"Mai…" Zuko trailed off, frustration leaking into his voice as Mai swiftly turned and started for the palace.
Katara sighed as the group followed her. "This is not going to go well," Sokka whispered through the side of his mouth to Suki who nodded her agreement. Zuko sped up, reaching out to Mai and beginning a heated whispered conversation.
They entered the throne room, Katara uncomfortably looking around at the cold gloomy surroundings as Mai and Zuko argued up ahead and out of earshot.
"They're going to need a moment," Katara stated as she watched the two, her eyes bugging out as suddenly Mai slapped Zuko and then nonchalantly made her way back over to them. The group watched her come with wide eyes, Sokka letting out a low whistle.
"I'm leaving," Mai hissed as she passed.
"No wait!" Katara rushed after her, reaching out to grab the older girl's arm before quickly releasing it at the glare she received. "I'm sorry! Just please, stay and help us. If there is even the slightest chance that you could reach your father then we need to take it! Zuko almost died and a lot of people were hurt because of this group. I know seeing your dad must hurt but please, if we don't at least try to get some information then Zuko could get seriously hurt, or worse." A tense pause followed before Mai let out a long-suffering sigh.
"I hate this." She stated but none-the-less walked back toward the group. Katara breathed a sigh of relief and followed.
"So are we doing this now, or what?" Mai said, inspecting her nails.
"The sooner the better; like ripping off a band-aid." Sokka said, receiving agreements from everyone.
An hour later they stood before the prison, It was isolated on its own little island off the Fire Nation shores and there were constant Fire Nation airships patrolling the surrounding water. There were several layers of protections outlying the prison that they had to go through even with Zuko present. Guards escorted them to the cell but then left them to do their bidding at Zuko's order.
Inside the cell sat Ukano looking haggard after his fall from grace. Deep lines etched his face, his once carefully groomed hair looking untamed and dirty. It's no less than what he deserves, Katara thought unsympathetically.
"Oh? Is that the Firelord himself coming to visit me?" Ukano began, turning his head to give a hard glare at Zuko. "And what did I do to earn this stupendous honor?" He said sarcastically, rising to bow disingenuously with a sneer.
"Yesterday I was attacked by a group in black cloaks and this mask." Zuko held up a detailed drawing of the mask he commissioned yesterday. Ukano studied the picture before breaking into laughter. Irked Zuko slammed the picture down onto the cell bars. "Do you know what this is? Why are you laughing? What do you know? Answer me!" Zuko ordered, growing increasingly angry at Ukano's behavior.
"Father," Mai's voice streamed out, cutting off Ukano's laughter like a knife. Immediately, Ukano's head snapped to her and he sucked in a breath as Mai crept closer. "Father, if you know something, tell us...please." Mai said the last bit as if it actually pained her.
A very real flash of pain crossed Ukano's face before he gazed away to the floor of his cell, his face hard. He closed his eyes for a second before he opened them again to look at his daughter.
"That mask is the mask of the Kemurikage Spirits. That's all I know." He said, cutting his eyes from his daughter to give Zuko a side-eyed glare. "Now, get out of here." He growled, turning his back on them.
A moment passed before Mai took a breath. "Thank you," she whispered before quickly spinning away, the group at her heels.
"I don't believe you'll have to go too far to find your culprit…" Ukano called out, his voice malicious and biting. "Where is your sister, Firelord Zuko? Where is Princess Azula, the rightful heir to the throne?"