So I've been really busy and have not had time to work on this. I finally decided to go ahead and post even though I'm not happy with it. Please excuse any errors and let me know what you think. This is the first time I'm doing a character insert into the original story line and I stupidly decided to put three characters in. Please let me know if anything is confusing and I will try to fix it. Thank you!
The next evening Katara and Kay were working on folding up camp from the night before when Sokka returned from hunting for food. They had spent the day at their camp relaxing. Kay found Katara's water bending to be extremely fascinating.
"My best friend did that by accident," Kay exclaimed when she saw Katara pull a little of the water out of the stream that ran by the camp.
Katara turned to Kay surprised. She lost her concentration on the water and it fell in a puddle at her feet. "Your friend can? Then she must be a water bender. I thought you said that bending the elements didn't exist where you are from," She exclaimed.
Kay shrugged, "It doesn't. I don't know how she did it and neither does she. She kinda got mad and ended up exploding a metal pipe that ran through the wall of our house. It was full of water. She flooded our room and ruined my tv because she didn't know how to make the water stop."
Sokka started laughing, "That sounds like something my sister would do." He then laughed at Katara as he said, "That sounds like what you did when we went fishing at the south pole. Every time I tried to catch a fish you would always be playing with your magic water and then I always ended up wet. Who knew there was another one of you out in the world?"
"Well that person is in another world so I would have to say that I am still the only one like that," Then she paused, "Hey, wait a minute, what is that supposed to mean? I was not playing with magic water; I was practicing my water bending and you always ended up messing up what I was doing."
"Actually, my friend Dee and my boyfriend were the ones I was chasing when I was transported here. I wasn't fast enough to stop them when they fell into the water and I got separated from my two friends."
"So, your friends are water benders?" Aang asked for clarification.
Kay shrugged, "I guess? At least Dee is. Matt is just like me. Nothing special" It sounded more like a question.
Sokka put his finger to his chin in deep thought, "Hmm, and you said that your friend had no control over the water right?"
Kay nodded, "Right. We didn't even know that she was capable of moving water until that day but I've been friends with her since we were babies, so I don't know how she didn't find out earlier."
"That is weird," Katara commented.
"If that's the case then do you think she might be headed to the north pole to learn how to control her bending?" Aang asked.
Kay thought for a moment and then shrugged, "That would depend on where she landed here in this world and if she met people like you who know about water benders. I just hope she and Matt didn't end up in the water like I almost did. I'm not sure there would be anyone to save them."
Aang grimaced, "That would be bad. But if they landed on land then they would have probably heard about the north pole and I'm sure if your friends haven't already started on their journey there, they will soon learn that someone in the north pole would be able to help her understand her bending. It isn't about controlling the water; it is about being one with the water and allowing it to flow around you."
"So philosophical," Kay commented with a short laugh making Aang blush.
"It's part of being the avatar I guess," He explained while rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.
"Aang's right though," Katara explained. "You can't force the water to do what you want. You have to be one with the water and allow it to run around you and through you."
"Well then I guess Dee has a lot of work ahead of her if she is going to learn to work with water. I don't think Mummsie really wants to repair another broken pipe."
"Who's Mummsie?" Sokka asked.
Kay brightened slightly as she started to explain, "Mummsie is the woman who took Dee, Matt, and myself in when we were without family. We have all kind of created a small family of our own. Mummsie is the nickname we gave her because she acts like a mother to us."
"That sounds nice. It sounds like you have a bunch of people that you are close to," Aang said. He had a wistful smile and his eyes were glazed and unseeing as if trapped in thoughts from many years in the past.
"Aang doesn't really have anyone like that anymore. He was frozen in ice at the south pole for a hundred years and only just came out a few weeks ago. We have been helping him learn the elements so that he can defeat the fire lord and save the world." Katara explained. They had not divulged this information with Kay the night before because they were more curious about her and did not trust her.
Kay's eyes softened in understanding, "Well Aang," she said making him look at her confused, "You might not have the people from your past, but you have these two individuals who were willing to come with you on this journey and I guess I'm kind of along for the ride. We would be happy to be your family now."
Aang blinked at her in surprise. His gaze moved to both Katara and Sokka who both nodded their consent. A giant smile broke out across Aang's face, "Thank you," Was all he could say through the tears that had started to stream down his face.
"Of course, Aang. We are always here for you," Katara stated as she moved over to embrace the avatar.
"Well now that we've gotten all teary, I think I'm going to go out and see if I can find us some food," Sokka explained as he turned away from the teary display. Without further notice Sokka walked away from the camp, picking up a small bag as he went, to store his catch. Momo flew behind him to also escape the teary display.
"Bring us back some nice meat," Katara called back, still embracing Aang.
Dee was wandering around the ship with a feather duster in hand. The metal railings that ran along the hallways of the ship were covered in dust. She had already spent an hour going along the hall deep down in the underbelly of the ship where the rhinos lived and the engine of the large ship resided. She had spent quite a while just watching the rhinos. They were different from the ones in the world that she was from but she could still tell the type of animal it was supposed to be. One of the rhinos had stared back at her almost as if it was asking why she was wandering around like she was. When one of the soldiers came by with their food she decided she had spent enough time just hanging around and it was time to get to work.
She was responsible for the general upkeep of the living area of the ship. That included all hallways, the living quarters of all of the men, the kitchen, and the helm where the captain stood to watch for danger. Already she could tell that no one had been given this task in a very long time if ever. The rails that ran along all of the hallways were covered in either dust or grime if they were used a lot. There were cobwebs in the corners of the lower decks where the sun never reach and it seemed like very few of the crew ever came down this far. The boat groaned as it swayed in the large ocean making the quiet of the inner part of the ship almost eerie.
Now she was closer to the top where some of the open doors allowed light from the portholes to beam into the hallway. The sun made this area of the ship seem more cheerful. She was dreading the time she would have to go back down into the belly of the ship. For now she ran along the hallways with the duster and a cloth that she used to clean the dust and grime off of the hallway.
"My, look at how these rails gleam in the sunshine. I'm so glad we picked you and your friend up," Iroh's voice made Dee pause in her cleaning to look at said man. He was smiling kindly at her from the stairwell at the other end of the hall. It lead to the main deck where Iroh had no doubt been leading his nephew in his daily firebender training.
"Thank you Iroh. I'm glad to be of service," Dee replied with a small smile back.
"How is your young friend Matt doing in the kitchens?" Iroh asked moving toward said room.
Dee shrugged, "Last I checked he was arguing with your cook about some sort of seasoning."
Iroh shook his head, "I hope the two of them learn to get along soon or we might not be getting any dinner tonight."
Dee laughed, "I know Matt enough to know that with him around, no one will ever starve. He will make it a point to get something on the table. Whether it is edible or not is another story."
"As long as it is food I'm sure the crew will still eat whatever he makes," Iroh replied.
Iroh and Dee rounded the corner to the kitchen in time to hear a very loud argument taking place.
"I told you not to put anymore spice in that," The cook yelled.
"And I told you that if you add a little more spice and this other seasoning then it will bring out the flavor of the meat more. Don't you want to be able to taste this beautiful piece of meat?" Matt yelled back thrusting a can of some sort of spice into the face of the cook.
"And I told you that it was fine the way it was. Now you have ruined it," the cook yelled back.
"Men, what is going on here?" Iroh asked in his sweet grandfather like voice.
"This idiot is trying to destroy my cooking," The cook yelled while violently throwing his hands toward Matt.
"I'm trying to enhance the flavor of the meat but he wont let me," Matt replied.
"Matt, you are new here and no one has the same mind as you. You cant just come into someone else's home and demand that they do what you want to do. Its rude," Dee admonished.
"But Joe you also need to understand that he has a different flavor pallet than you do. Why not let him change up the spices tonight. It might workout or it might be a failure. If it fails you can do it your way tomorrow night," Iroh explained once again using his no nonsense grandfatherly voice.
Both men looked at each other for a second before turning away. "Fine if he wants to change up the recipe for tonight then so be it but I will do it my way tomorrow night," The cook said.
"Great, how about we switch off then? I'll make the menu tonight and you can make it tomorrow and we can try different recipes," Matt replied.
The cook gave him a look, "I don't know about all that. How about we see what everyone thinks of your dishes tonight and we can see about any dishes after that."
Matt nodded, "Works for me."
"See, they are already working together," Iroh said with a smile. Dee turned and gave him her you-cant-be-serious face. He just smiled and ushered her out of the room.
"Thank you for resolving that conflict. I believe it is time for me to return to my duties as well," Dee replied heading back to the main hallway where she had been trying to scrub some grime off of a particularly dirty section of the railing. Iroh waved goodbye and watched her disappear down the hall. He was beginning to really like these two.
A little later Aang was lounging on Appa while Katara and Kay were working on folding up a large blanket they had set out to sit on. They all looked up when they heard Momo chatter and suddenly land on the rock next to Kay.
"Great. You're back. What's for dinner?" Aang asked hopping off of Appa as Sokka came closer.
Sokka bent down in front of Katara and Kay and opened his bag. "We have a few options," He stated reaching into the bag. "First, round nuts and some kind of oval-shaped nuts. And some rock-shaped nuts that might just be rocks."
Kay, Katara, and Aang all watched him confused as he threw one of the 'rock-shaped nuts' over his shoulder.
"Dig in," He said with a giant smile.
The three others looked at each other confused hoping that someone else in the group understood why Sokka would bring back nothing but nuts, and possibly nonedible rocks.
"Seriously, what else you got?" Katara asked him. Kay sat beside her questioning his sanity. She wanted to ask him if he was okay but was afraid that he might not take it very well.
Sokka's smile fell at her question. He looked back into his tiny bag as if something more substantial would suddenly appear deep inside of it. Off to the side where the three humans were discussing the food, or lack there of, that Sokka had brought, Momo was inspecting the 'rock-shaped nut' that Sokka had brought back. He grabbed it between his tiny paws and started whacking it against a bigger rock a few times. Suddenly deciding his gentle taps were not doing enough he grabbed it with both front paws and slammed it down against the bigger rock with all his might. At the same time the smaller rock hit the bigger rock there was a huge thud that rumbled through camp. Everyone looked up in alarm as Momo blinked at the tiny rock in his paws in confusion.
"What was that?" Sokka asked in alarm. Kay glanced at Momo just to make sure he was okay to see him holding the small rock from Sokka's bag as if it could explode. He dropped the rock at the same time another rumble ran through the camp scaring the little guy.
"It's coming from over there," Aang exclaimed as he and Katara started running in the direction the rumbling came from. Kay was hot on their heels more curious than anything.
"Shouldn't we be running away from huge booms, not toward them?" Sokka asked exasperated as the trio that had just left him behind.
It didn't take long for Sokka to catch up to them though as they stopped by what had probably been a river at one time. The four of them crouched behind a log when they spotted a boy not much older than Sokka standing in the middle of it. They watched as he stomped his foot on the ground and made a gesture toward a large boulder. Kay gasped in surprise when the boulder suddenly levitated off the ground.
"Is he doing that?" Kay asked as the boulder followed the boys' movements. A second later he made a rather powerful gesture and the boulder slammed into the side of the riverbed.
"Yeah, He is an earthbender," Katara stated wonderingly.
"Let's go meet him," Aang said enthusiastically. The huge grin on his face made him look even more like the 12-year-old kid he mentally was than the 112 year old man that he apparently was. Kay followed Katara who started to sneak away from the group.
"He looks dangerous," Sokka stated with a frown, ever the cautious one, "So we better approach cautiously."
"Hello there! I'm Katara. What's your name?," The waterbender called to the earthbender. She had not heard a thing her brother had said about being cautious. Kay was only a few feet behind her looking like she wasn't sure if she should run back to the boys or if she should greet the earthbender like Katara had.
The earthbender whipped around to see Katara and the boulder he had been lifting suddenly dropped to the ground. Kay frowned as the boy started to run away from them. She was going to call out to him to tell him that they didn't mean him any harm, but he jumped into the air and suddenly there was a landslide that filled in the river valley between them and the boy.
"Nice to meet you," Aang yelled in the hopes that the earthbender would hear him.
Katara shrugged, "I just wanted to say hi."
Aang perked up suddenly, "Hey that guys got to be running somewhere. Maybe we're near a village. And I bet that village has a market."
"Which means no nuts for dinner," Kay finished for Aang. Though she didn't know the group that well yet and she really didn't want to upset Sokka because he seemed to go from being friendly and happy to suddenly treating you like an enemy in .02 seconds, she was really hungry and wanted real food.
"Hey! I worked hard to get those nuts," Sokkka stated crossing his arms. He seemed a little more peeved at the fact that their newest member was the one saying it. Unfortunately for him the group was already far ahead of him and they didn't hear anymore of his grumbles.
It took them less than an hour to reach the village. Katara and Kay were walking together with a still peeved Sokka not far behind them.
"So great and knowledgeable lady from distant lands, where are we going to get some grub around here?" Sokka asked Kay.
Kay shrugged, "Do I really look like I would know anything about this place? Besides I'm more interested in making sure Aang doesn't get himself killed." She was watching Aang talk to a vender a little way down the street they were walking.
"I'll trade you some nuts for this hat," She heard Aang say to the vender, but she kept walking hoping not to bring too much notice to herself. It was pretty obvious from the black tank top and shorts that she was still wearing that she was not from the area and she was walking with two people in blue and white clothing from the south pole. A second later Aang was walking up to them with his newly traded hat.
He was showing it off to Sokka when Katara started to vibrate with excited energy. Kay was about to ask her what she was so excited about when she suddenly took off for a store not far from them. The doors and windows were shut on the building and it didn't look like it was really open but Katara barged in anyway.
"Hey! You're that kid," She stated. "Why did you run away before?"
Kay walked up behind Katara just in time to hear him say, "Uh… You must have me confused with some other kid."
Aang and Sokka followed behind Kay and Katara as they all filed into the building. It was indeed the boy they had seen earthbending.
"No, she doesn't. We saw you earthbending earlier," Kay stated. She was getting a little annoyed that this kid seemed like he was hiding from them. Just from this one meeting she was starting to think that she didn't like earthbenders.
The boy and his mother both gasped in alarm. Kay quickly went on the defensive thinking they were going to attack someone in the group. She was shocked when they quickly shut the door that Sokka had left open and the shutters that were partially open. The only probably was that every horror movie she had ever seen was circulating through her head. Obviously, they weren't supposed to know that he was an earth bender so of course they would probably try to kill everyone in the group.
"They saw you doing what?" the kid's mother shrieked.
"They're crazy, mom," The boy defended. Kay bristled at the idea of being called crazy but at the same time, if she played her cards right, they may be able to use the crazy card to get away if these people decided to try to kill them. "I mean, look at how they are dressed."
At his comment Sokka, Aang, and Katara started looking at their clothes self conscious. Kay felt her cheeks heat up, but she otherwise didn't show that his words affected her.
"You know how dangerous that is," His mother reprimanded him. "You know what would happen if they caught you earthbending."
Before the boy could respond there was a rapping on the door and a man yelled, "Open up."
The knocking continued as Sokka rushed to the window. He opened the blinds enough that he would be able to see who was at the door.
"Fire Nation. Act natural," He whispered to the group. Kay felt her spine stiffen at the mention of the fire nation. The night before Aang, Katara, and Sokka had spent an hour or so going over the 100 year war that had plagued the entire world. They talked about the fire nation a lot and about how horrible they were. The mention of the fire nation being right outside the door made Kay feel like running. She didn't want to face the people that controlled fire. They could potentially use that power to kill her and from the way they were described to her, they had no qualms with killing anyone who stood in their way.
Kay looked to Aang for some sort of support. He was younger than her but he was the avatar and by default that meant that he had the most power. If he was calm in this situation then she could be too. She caught his eye, and he gave her a reassuring smile as he quickly moved into what was supposed to be a relaxed natural posture but was hilariously out of place just like everyone else. If she wasn't so worried about being caught by the fire nation soldiers for being with the avatar, she would have laughed.
The mother of the boy quickly moved over to the door and when everyone was in position, she opened the door for the soldiers to come in. Kay decided that her best option was to keep her back to the door. She was looking at some of the things on the wall. She had seen the kid and Sokka stand off to the side looking at an apple, Katara was in the middle of the room eating some berries and Aang was closest to her. He was leaning on the top of a barrel with a huge smile on his face. Kay sighed when none of them moved. Obviously if they were acting natural then they would be talking or at least moving.
Just as she was sure the firenation soldiers were going to start questioning them, aang slipped and he ended up falling. It was hard but Kay was able to hold back the laughter that had bubbled up inside.
"What do you want?" The old woman demanded before the soldier could question them. "I've already paid you this week."
"The tax just doubled," The soldier told her now focusing on the old woman instead of the other occupants of the room. "Wouldn't want an accident, would we? Fire is sometimes so hard to control." he asked as he made a fire ball appear out of thin air. The ball of fire made both the old woman and Kay jump back. As he spoke the rest of their little group turned disbelieving or angry stares at the fire nation soldier.
The woman quickly backed down and bowed her head a little. She went behind the counter and retrieved a small box that contained the family's money.
"You can keep the copper one," The soldier sneered as the woman handed him all of the money that had been in the box. He threw said coins in the floor as he walked back out of the tiny shop.
"Nice guy," Sokka stated as the soldier slammed the door. The old woman began picking up the coins that were thrown on the floor. "How long has the fire nation been here?"
"Five years," The woman stated, "Fire Lord Ozai uses our town's coal mines to fuel his ships."
"They're thugs. They steal from us. And everyone here is too much of a coward to do anything about it." The boy stated crossing his arms in annoyance.
"Quiet Haru," His mother demanded. "Don't talk like that."
"But Haru's an earthbender. He can help," Katara stated.
"Earthbending is forbidden. It's caused nothing but misery for this village. He must never use his abilities," Haru's mother finished with a glare in his direction. Haru looked away from her with a frown.
Katara seemed especially taken aback by the woman's harsh words. She jumped in surprise and exclaimed "How can you say that? Haru has a gift. Asking him not to earthbend is like asking me not to waterbend."
The old woman narrowed her eyes and Katara and shook her head, "You don't understand."
Unperturbed by the older woman's glare Katara tried to reason with her, "I understand that Haru can help you fight back. What can the fire nation do to you that they haven't already?"
"They could take Haru away, like they took his father," the old woman snapped. Katara was not expecting that and was shocked silent by the revelation. She looked at Haru with sad eyes unable to think of something to say to him. He turned away from her so she couldn't see the hurt that had now settled on his face.
"Katara," Sokka spoke her name softly. When she looked up at him, he shook his head. She looked at the ground sadly but did not push the subject further.
An awkward silence settled in the room. Aang and Kay looked at each other not sure what to do to dispel the tension that that built up. Aang was about to open his mouth to speak when a loud gurgling sound rumbled through the silence. The old woman looked up from her thoughts to see Kay holding her protesting stomach. Kay's cheeks turned red in embarrassment as she tried to stop her stomach from making noises.
The old woman sighed, "I can give the four of you food and a place to stay for the night." She said no more as she started to close up the small shop.
"Thank you," Katara and Kay both mumbled.
An hour later they were walking up a hill to see a small group of beautiful cottages. In front of one of them was a small garden. Haru and his mother took the lead and were quietly conversing in front of the group just out of ear shot. Katara and Sokka were talked to each other about what they would be doing next and how they were going to get supplies for their next leg of the trip. Behind them was Aang and Kay followed by Appa. Kay found that she really like the large beast and enjoyed spending time with young Aang who seemed to treat everything like a game.
"So beautiful," Kay said as she glanced around at the mountains and the large trees that covered the earth. "My best friend would have loved to be here."
"Your friend that you followed here?" Aang asked as he absently rubbed Appa's head. He too had been looking around at the mountains.
Kay nodded, "Yeah. She and I would go running in the woods near our home all the time and we would get lost. My best friend would go running up to trees and tell them how much she loved them. She was very attuned to nature as a whole."
"Sounds like she would have made a great avatar," Aang commented. Kay looked at him confused why he would make such an odd statement to see him gazing off into the distance with a sad look.
"You know you make a great avatar Aang. From what Katara and Sokka have said you have helped so many people already."
Aang sighed but gave her a real smile, "Yeah, I have helped a lot of people and I have you guys here with me too to help me."
"Right," Katara said with her own smile. She had overheard their conversation and had dropped back to be a part of it. Sokka turned around to and walked backwards so that he could talk to them.
"Hopefully, we can get a few supplies while we are here and then we will be heading out soon," Sokka stated.
Kay nodded her understanding but Katara and Aang both groaned, "Can't we stay here for a little while longer?" Katara asked. It was obvious that both Katara and Aang had different reasons for not leaving. Aang seemed to want to look around more but Katara seemed like she was up to something.
Before Kay could comment on both of their desires to stay in a place that was obviously not very friendly from the way their earlier interaction with the fire nation soldier went as well as the fact that Haru's mom only gave them lodging for the night, Haru's mother turned back to them and gestured toward the cottage directly next to them, "There is a barn around back that the four of you and your bison may use."
She said something to Haru as the group caught up to them and then the boy started gesturing for them to follow him. "My mom said you could sleep here tonight." Haru commented as he ushered them all into the spacious barn. "But you should leave in the morning."
"Thanks. I'll make sure Appa doesn't eat all your hay," Aang commented as he gestured to Appa. Kay turned to see that the large beast was in fact eating a large mouth full of hay. She had a hard time holding back a laugh as he seemed to understand Aang and had stopped chewing as he looked at the group now watching him. A second later he turned back to the pile and continued to munch on the hay in his mouth as if it was the most natural thing to do.
"We will be fine out here," Sokka said to reassure Haru.
"Okay," Haru responded. He started to turn to leave when Katara called his name.
"Haru, do you think we could go for a walk?" She asked.
Haru looked hesitant but eventually agreed leaving Kay, Sokka, and Aang to see to the sleeping arrangements and to take care of Appa and Momo.
"Do you think she will be okay?" Kay asked concerned. People here didn't seem to be as wary of strangers as they were back in her world but especially with the fire nation so close it didn't seem like a good idea to let Katara, who only really knew about the south pole, run around with a guy they barely knew.
"She'll be fine," Sokka waved off her concern with a shrug. He was pulling blankets from Appa's saddle so that they would have something to sleep on that night. Already the sun was starting to set. It was strange how fast the day had gone by and they still hadn't had anything to eat yet.
"If you're sure," Kay mumbled. She looked at Aang who was leisurly laying out on some hay.
"Why don't you see if Haru's mom needs any help with dinner," Sokka commented when Kay didn't move. She nodded and started for the house where the older woman would be making food for the group.
An hour later Kay called Sokka and Aang to the house for dinner. A few minutes into the meal Katara and Haru appeared. His mother gave them a sharp-eyed look but neither person said anything about their long walk but both look happy.
Later that night the four of them were laying in the barn to go to sleep when Katara revealed what had occurred on her walk.
"It was so brave of Haru to use his earthbending to help that old man," She said with awe.
Aang who was laying on top of Appa's head grinned down at her, "You must have really inspired him."
She glanced away from him to look at the lantern in her lap with a happy smile, "I guess so."
Suddenly Sokka, who everyone thought was asleep on his bed of hay, turned toward them and almost growled, "Everyone should get some sleep. We're leaving at dawn." With that said he turned back over so his back was once again to them and tried to sleep.
"Dawn? Can't we sleep in for once?" Katara demanded.
"Absolutely not!" Sokka exclaimed whipping his head around again, "This village is crawling with fire nation troops. If they discover you're here, Aang, we'll be eating fireballs for breakfast. Good night."
"I would rather eat fireballs than nuts," Katara said just to piss him off.
"Good night," Sokka said in a more severe voice.
Kay smiled at the two of them over Katara's shoulder as Katara and Aang laughed. She was laying between Appa and Katara on the floor. They were obviously close. For a second though, it was as if Sokka and Katara were replaced with Matt and Dee. The snarky comment and commanding demeanor fit her best friend and her boyfriend so well that is was surprising for a moment. Then a wave of homesickness hit her. She missed her best friend and the fun vacations they would take into the different national parks. Right now, it was almost as if she was on one of those vacations. Katara blew the light at that moment plunging the shed into darkness and silence fell. It took a while but eventually Kay was able to fall asleep to the snores of the people around her.
While they slept a group of Fire nation soldiers, led by an old man in earth kingdom clothing, closed in on the house Haru and his mother lived in. One of the soldiers knocked on the door and when Haru answered it the old man started screaming.
"That's him. That's the earthbender," the man yelled and raved. The fire nation soldier pushed the old man on the ground and grabbed Haru before he could make a sound. They dragged him away from his home.
The next morning Aang, Sokka, and Kay were working on folding their blankets up in the shed when Katara came running in. "They took him," She yelled, "They took Haru away!"
"What?" Aang asked shocked.
"The old man turned him in to the fire nation. It's all my fault. I forced him into earthbending," Katara stated panicked.
"Slow down, Katara. When did this happen?" Sokka asked to try to get a handle on the situation. He walked over and wrapped his arm around his sister's shoulders to give her comfort. She clutched his hand to keep herself steady.
"Haru's mother said they came for him at midnight," Katara explained.
Sokka sighed, "then it's too late to track him. He's long gone."
Katara turned away from him clenching her fists in anger, "We don't need to track him. The fire nation is going to take me right to Haru."
Aang came up behind her with wide and uncertain eyes. He cocked his eyebrow as he asked, "And why would they do that?"
"Because they are going to arrest me for earthbending." Katara stated.
Sokka and Aang looked at each other confused but didn't comment.
"Is this something that happens a lot?" Kay asked them.
"What?" Sokka asked.
"The whole doing stupid things and then trying to fix them?" Kay asked.
Sokka gave her a questioning look but then thought about it, "Yeah, you know what, it does. Its like Aang and Katara going on the fire nation ship in the south pole, we end up with fire nation soldiers on us and Katara almost gets arrested and Aang does get arrested. Then we stop at Kioshi Island and the fire nation attacks us because we stay there too long and Aang gets all the girls. Then there was this time when Katara and I were young-"
"Okay that's enough," Katara snaps at him silencing whatever story he was about to tell. "I have a plan."
Katara explained to the three of them what her plan was. It wasn't a half bad plan if they were able to pull it off.
"I thought you were crazy at first, Katara, but this might work," Sokka said a little while later. The two of them were moving a large boulder over a vent in the ground. "There are ventilation shafts throughout these mines. All Aang has to do is send an air current from that vent to this one right here. The boulder levitates and Ta-da fake earthbending."
Katara turned to Aang who was off a little way with a sleeping Momo as he played with a butterfly and asked, "Aang, did you get all that?"
Kay watched from the side as he distractedly said, "Sure, sure. I got it."
She frowned and was about to comment that he wasn't really paying attention when Sokka asked him, "Do you remember your cue?"
"Yeah, yeah. Just relax," Aang said still playing with the butterfly.
"I really don't think you do," Kay spoke up but this time Aang didn't say anything, he just waved away her comment.
"You're taking all the fun out of this," Aang continued.
Sokka put his hands on his hips like a father about to scold this son, "By 'this' do you mean intentionally being captured by an army of ruthless firebenders?"
Without even flinching Aang replied, "Exactly. That's fun stuff."
Before anyone could say anything else a group of soldiers rounded the corner of the old mine. Kay waved at Sokka to get his attention. "Here they come. Get in your places," Sokka urged everyone. Aang jumped up and got ready at his vent behind the rock. Kay stood with him behind the rock so that she would be out of the way in case something went wrong with the rock. Katara and Sokka were the only ones in view of the soldiers coming their way.
Kay looked around the side of the boulder as Katara and Sokka started their fake fight. They both walked toward each other in the middle of the road which didn't make much since to Kay but she figured they knew what they were doing.
"Uh! Get out of my way, Pipsqueak," Sokka demanded as the two of them collided. Kay had trouble holding back her laughter at their horrible acting.
"How dare you call me Pipsqueak, you Giant-eared Cretin," Katara ranted back at him with equally bad acting. Kay couldn't hold her laughter back anymore and had to muffle her laughs with her hands so the soldiers wouldn't hear her. She looked over at Aang who was lost in space with the butterfly from earlier. Kay shook her head but turned back to the fake fight. Katara continued to make fun of Sokka's ears. Eventually she got to the code word.
"I'll show you who's boss Earth Bending Style," She yelled but nothing happened. Kay glanced back down at Aang to see that he hadn't even heard her. She quickly smacked him in the head. He looked up at her confused for a second before his eyes widened in panic.
"Earth Bending Style," Katara called again. This time Aang heard her and quickly threw air down the grate in front of him. She turned back to the fake fight to see Katara's plan working wonderfully, or at least that's what she thought. The rock lifted like Katara had planned but unfortunately the soldiers were stupider that anyone could imagine, and no one had been watching Momo.
"That Lemur. He's Earthbending," One of the guards called in amazement. Kay facepalmed at that. Momo had found his way to the back of the boulder and was holding up his hands to catch the butterfly he was chasing at the same time the rock levitated. It did kind of look like Momo was moving the boulder but it's like the soldier didn't hear any of the fake fight that Katara and Sokka had spent an hour preparing for. Katara and Sokka must have felt the same way because they looked at the soldiers as if they were all stupid.
"No, you idiot. It's the girl," Sokka yelled in exasperation pointing at Katara.
The soldiers all looked a little taken aback and blushed but quickly recovered. They took Katara away just like they planned. Sokka watched her go with a worried frown.
"Don't worry, I'm sure she will be fine," Kay said to him to try to comfort him. Aang, Kay, and Sokka all stood side by side watching Katara be led away. Kay looked over at Sokka when he didn't reply to see him pulling on his ears.
"Momo, you have some big ears," He said as if he was scolding the small mammal. Kay sweatdroped at what he said but she figured it was probably a coping mechanism. This was his way of worrying about his sister.
"Come one we need to get moving," Aang called them as he started running down the mountain. The other two followed him as they moved through a rarely used trail. Tree branches caught at Kay as she tried her best to keep up with her new friends. The two boys were much faster, and it was almost as if they were going through all of the tree branches that were smacking her in the face and pulling at her hair.
"I will never complain again about wanting to go running through the woods when Matt decides to be a lazy bum and sit on the couch. This is way to difficult," She said to herself as another tree branch hit her in the face making her stumble back a step. The boys were getting further and further ahead of her and she was starting to feel like giving up on trying to stay with them and instead finding another path down the mountain.
"We are almost there," Aang called back to her when he saw her falling behind.
"Got it," She nodded and sighed. It looked like she wasn't going to be left behind after all. They eventually made it down the side of the mountain and into the port town. Sokka handed her a hat as he put one on himself so they would blend in better with the crowd. The fire nation soldiers would have to take Katara on a ship in order to send her to any prison where she wouldn't have access to the earth.
"There she is," Kay said quietly as a cart passed by with Katara and her guards.
Aang and Sokka didn't say anything but instead started running for the woods where Appa was hiding. This was the plan. Follow her and make sure she was safe. Even though they had just met it was like they were already good friends. Kay could feel her anxiety rise as the hours passed by without Katara in the group. The boys were more solemn and quiet without her there. As the three of them were out over the water following the ship karting Katara to god knows where, Kay vowed she would do everything in her power to make sure the group would stay together in the future. At least until they found Dee and Matt.
It was getting dark now and the smoke and smog from the metal island they were approaching made the sky even darker. Kay glanced over at Aang who oozed nothing but anxiety and worry for Katara.
"She will be fine Aang. Katara knows what she is doing," Sokka said when he saw the worry on their young friends face. Aang didn't respond and Kay didn't bother to tell him that Katara was only 14. She had no idea what she was doing and didn't have any life experience to help her through this. If something went wrong, she would probably be killed.
Night eventually fell and Aang moved Appa beside the rig under the cover of night. The rig had large spotlights and many guards so getting Katara off of the rig would be a challenge.
"You guys wait here," Aang said to Sokka and Kay. Both nodded back in understanding as he disappeared over the side of the metal platform in search of Katara. They sat in anxious silence for him to return. Not long later the head of one brunette girl with large blue eyes peaked over the side of the platform at them.
"Your 12 hours are up. Where is Haru? We gotta get out of here," Sokka asked while holding out his hand to help her down and Aang jumped back on top of Appa.
"I can't," Katara said simply.
"We don't have much time, there are guards everywhere. Get on," Sokka demanded in a whisper.
"Katara," Kay called when the girl didn't move. "We have to get out of here before the guards come or it wont just be us, but all of the prisoners here will be a lot of trouble."
Still Katara didn't move.
"Katara, what's wrong?" Aang asked.
"I'm not leaving them. I'm not giving up on these people," Katara replied.
Sokka looked around but they didn't see any guards approaching. He jumped onto the platform with Aang and Kay following closely behind him. "What do you mean your not leaving?"
"We can't abandon these people. There has to be a way to help them," Katara said again.
"Maybe she is right. What do you say Sokka?" Aang asked.
"Though I feel bad I think we should let them be. If you can't get Haru to come with us tonight then you probably won't be able to get the other prisoners to come either," Kay replied before Sokka could.
"I agree with Kay. I say you are both crazy," Sokka said angrily. Just then one of the spotlights passed over their spot and all four of them had to duck. "Last chance, we need to leave, now."
"Katara spun back to her brother and firmly replied, "No."
Kay winced as her heart ached. That was the same look Dee would give her when she asked to go out during a storm or if they could have dessert for breakfast. Dee was always the adult even if she was younger than Kay and Matt by close to three months.
"I really hate when you get like this," Sokka said pulling Kay out of her thoughts on her missing friend. He was glaring at his sister, but he looked resigned to do what ever she said. "Come on we better hide," He said before running further onto the rig and hopefully somewhere safe to hide. Katara and Kay followed him as Aang turned back to Appa to tell him what to do.
They found themselves behind a couple of crates where it seemed relatively safe to talk.
"We don't have much time. What are we going to do?" Sokka asked.
"I wish I knew how to make a hurricane," Aang sighed. Sokka, Katara, and Kay all gave him an 'are you really that stupid' look in response. Seeing that look he went on to explain, "The warden would run away, and we would steal his keys."
"Wouldn't the warden just take his keys with him?" Sokka asked.
Aang shrugged, "I'm just tossing ideas around."
"I tried talking to the earth benders into fighting back, but it didn't work. If there was just a way to help them help themselves," Katara said
"For that to happen they would need some kind of earth or some rock. Something they could bend," Sokka said.
"But this entire place is made of metal," Katara replied running her hand along the metal they were sitting on.
"Isn't metal part of the earth too?" Kay asked confused. The metals used to make the metal alloy they were standing on were probably made from nickel or iron or something.
"Earth benders can only bend rocks not metals," Aang replied to her question.
"But isn't metal part of the earth?" Kay asked.
Aang shrugged, "It's found in the earth but it is not rock so it can't be bended."
After that Kay fell silent to let the other three think of a way to help the earth benders. Aang started looking around when his eyes landed on the billowing smoke still coming out of the chimneys. His eyes widened in realization.
"The smoke. This place isn't just made of metal. There is earth here," Aang said pointing at the smoke. "The coal. In other words, earth."
They spent the rest of the night coming up with a plan for how they were going to get the coal to the surface so it could be bended.
"It's almost dawn. We are running out of time. Are you sure this is going to work?" Katara asked Sokka. Kay was with them looking down at one of the vents on the rig. It was almost exactly like how they moved the rock on the mountain.
"We should be good. These vents reminded me of our little trick back at the village. We are going to do the same thing but on a much larger scale." Sokka explained. Kay was worried about the part of it being on a much bigger scale and tuned out the rest of what he said. If this didn't work, then there was no telling what the guards would do to them. She hadn't been in this world more than a few days at this point and she was already doing things against what the government in the area was doing. Then again, it seemed to her that the government might not be for the people since everyone seemed to dislike them or fear them.
"There's the intruder," the sound of an unknown male voice pulled Kay out of her thoughts. She looked around her only to realize that the three of them were surrounded by multiple guards. Her worst fears were being realized.
"Stay back, I'm warning you," Sokka exclaimed already back-to-back with his sister. Kay stood beside them in shock not knowing how she should help them.
"Katara, stop," One of the prisoners demanded. "You can't win this fight."
Kay looked around at all of the faces of the prisoners. Most of them had drawn tired faces and they looked to have given up on life.
"Listen to him well child," one of the fire benders said in a superior voice. Kay was caught between wanting to cringe from the sound of his voice and wanting to punch him for thinking he was better than everyone else. "You are one mistake away from dying where you stand." That made Kay freeze. She knew she was stupid for deciding to follow these people. She was about to get herself killed for going against the government of a place she had never been before and knew nothing about.
The guards moved in closer. Katara and Sokka were about to defend themselves when a sound came from the vent they were next to. A second later a cloud of coal came shooting out of the top and toppled over the guards as it landed on the deck of the rig. Aang followed in a flurry of dust a second later with Momo.
"Here is your chance earth benders. Take it! Your fate is in your own hands," Katara called holding up a piece of the coal for all of the earth benders to see. Haru started to move forward but the prisoner from before held him back. Some of the other earth benders backed up in fear.
From behind the group of four the fire bender soldiers laughed.
"Foolish girl, you thought a few inspirational words and some coal would be enough to change these people. Look at these blank hopeless faces. Their spirits were broken a long time ago. Oh, but you still believe in them. How sweet. They are a waste of your energy, little girl. You failed."
By the time the fire nation soldier finished speaking and started walking away Kay wanted to not only smack him but maybe wring his neck and throw him in the ocean. He was such an ass. Of course she was happy that he hadn't decided to kill them yet. Just as he was about to walk into the building a piece of coal flew past the group of four and hit the soldier in the back of his head. He looked like a wild boar about to attack when he swung around and glared at the prisoners and 'visitors' on deck.
Without saying anything the soldier flung fire at Haru who was standing not far away with coal circulating in his hand. Haru didn't have time to block the fire but someone else jumped in to rescue him with a wall of coal. Kay looked back at the prisoners to see the old man from earlier holding the wall up. Her heart quickened in both excitement and worry. This was the start of a rebellion and if it didn't work then they would be treated even more poorly.
Earth and fire clashed as the fight started. Everyone was fighting back against the fire benders but the firebenders were holding their own. Kay followed behind Sokka, Katara, and Aang as they went around destroying the firebender's weapons just so she wouldn't get caught up in the fight. Haru and the old man, now figured to be his father, blasted a hold in the door with the coal and called for a retreat of all earth benders to the ship. Aang made a funnel and Sokka, Katara, and Kay worked together to help him hold off the firenation soldiers.
The earth benders decided that wasn't enough and they worked together to knock the firebenders off the rig. A few minutes later all earthbenders were on the ships heading back to land.
"I want to thank you for saving me, for saving us," Haru said to Katara on top of the first ship.
"All it took was a little coal," Katara replied with a sheepish smile.
"It wasn't the coal, Katara. It was you," Haru replied. Kay smiled up at her friend as she blushed. It wouldn't be long before they would have to depart from the earthbenders but it was nice of him to give Katara praise for helping with the prison break. Though she hadn't been there for the whole thing, Kay had a feeling that Katara was a big reason for why they finally decided to fight back. It was almost impossible to think that someone wouldn't have thought of the coal earlier. Especially an earthbender.
Loud cheering from the boats distracted Kay from her thoughts again. "We will take back all of our villages," Haru's father called making all of the earthbenders cheer. "The fire nation will regret the day they set foot on our land!"
Kay felt motivated in a way she had not felt since she found herself in this new and exciting world. Haru's father was a good speaker, and she could feel herself wanting to go with the earthbenders. To help them take back the land that was theirs and to show the fire nation that they were not to be messed with. She was about to jump up and proclaim to Aang, Sokka, and Katara that she wanted to stay with the earthbenders when she realized why she wanted to follow them. Haru's father reminded her of her best friend. Dee was responsible for the dance studio back in their world. She not only kept the company running but she was also the one to make sure that everyone ate even if she forgot herself sometimes. Dee was always there and ready to motivate someone who might be feeling down and out. At that realization she felt herself almost tear up. God, she missed Dee, and Matt too. He was another force that always made her get back up when she fell.
The ship made a hard left sending Dee tumbling into a door that wasn't properly latched. A second later she found herself sprawled half in the room and still half in the hallway. Her side hurt from the impact with the metal lip of the doorway.
"Ow," Dee muttered as she tried to pick herself up only to find herself falling further into the room as the ship tilted." She grabbed the nearest piece of furniture which happened to be a large dresser that was bolted to the wall and held on for dear life as the boat slowly righted itself. Once she was sure that the boat was done turning she got up on her shaky legs and looked around. There was a cot in this room along with a low table holding candles. One the wall was a tapestry with a symbol of a flame on it. Firenation symbolism of course.
Exiting the room Dee found her way to the main deck and then up the stairwell to the flydeck where the captain of the ship was.
"Uncle we need to get there now," Dee heard the shouts of Prince Zuko from the stairwell.
"What's going on?" Dee asked poking her head in the doorway before Iroh could respond to his nephew. Iroh gave her a warm smile and beckoned her into the room.
"None of your business," Zuko growled, turning to glare at her. She stopped mid-step and glanced warily at the boy that was only a year older than her.
"We got a distress call from one of the prison camps not far from here. We are changing coarse because they said they were attacked by the avatar and required assistance," Iroh explained much to his charges annoyance.
"We have to get there as quick as possible so that the Avatar doesn't get away again," Zuko exclaimed.
"Who is the Avatar?" Dee asked.
Zuko turned to her and sharply retorted, "He is the person that I must capture so that I may return to my family and regain my honor."
Dee gave him a confused look, "Okay…Why do you have to capture him?"
Zuko's glare turned sharper, "Because my father gave me this task. If I don't find the Avatar then I can never go home. It's been three years now that I have been on this ship searching the world for him and now that he has surfaced I have to find him."
"I get that your dad is kind of your dad but if he left you on this ship for three years now searching for someone then don't you think that your father is kind of a horrible person. Wouldn't you rather do something else with your time? I mean really, this guy can't be that important if he left a 13 year old to find him," Dee replied.
Zuko's hands started to sizzle with the heat of his rage, "How dare you say that! My father tasked me with this and I will not disappoint him again." Dee heard the again and decided to store that information for later. She still knew next to nothing about the people that had taken her and Matt in.
"Prince Zuko please calm yourself. Miss. Dee is not aware of who the Avatar is or why he is so important to your father," Iroh said in his most diplomatic voice. Zuko's hands continued to sizzle making Dee wary.
"I'm sorry if I have upset you Prince Zuko. I shall take my leave now," Dee replied backing away from the angry prince. Neither he nor Iroh made a comment so she assumed that it was okay for her to leave. She quickly made her way back down the stairs and into the ship. She decided that it would be safest for her to remain in the room she was assigned until dinner. Matt hadn't come looking for her so she assumed he was still worrying about his food preparations.
An hour later they found themselves at a place Dee could only compare to an oil rig. There had definitely been a fight on the platform but both she and Matt had been told to stay on the ship. Dee watched through the portal in her room as Iroh and Zuko disembarked from the ship and looked around. Obviously, the Avatar was long gone by this point, but they were looking for clues as to where he might go. Dee hoped that they wouldn't take long for Zuko and Iroh to finish what they were doing. Out here in the middle of the ocean was no place for her or Matt to be if they were going to find a way to get home. Dee looked down at the water way below the ship and frowned. She could feel it call to her just as it did the night she was pulled in and found herself here. For now Iroh had asked her to refrain from waterbending while she was on the ship incase something went wrong and she ended up causing the ship to capsize. Her description of the incident with the water pipe made him a little wary of having her practice while at sea.
There was a knock on the door. Dee looked away from the window to see Matt coming into the room.
"I thought you might want some company. Almost everyone on the ship is looking at the rig and I doubt they will be back soon," Matt explained as he sat down beside her on her cot.
Dee smiled at him and leaned into his side, "Thanks Matt. I'm sorry that you are stuck here with me."
She felt him shrug, "It isn't that big of a deal. I think both Kay and I would be more worried about the fact that you were alone if I wasn't here and I'm pretty sure you and Kay would have destroyed this whole dimension by now if the two of you had been together." At that Dee couldn't help but laugh. It was true. Kay and Dee were best friends and unfortunately they tended to cause chaos when they were together. It wasn't uncommon for them to cause sever damage to the building they lived in.
"At least Kay was still back at home safe and sound. You don't have to worry about her," Dee replied.
Matt laughed, "Yeah, I don't know what I would do if she ended up here."
"At this point I'm not even sure she would still be alive. We were lucky to get saved like we did. She probably would have died in the ocean," Dee replied.
Matt sighed, "I know she was there at the clearing and she grabbed me before we went into the water but I don't think she ended up falling in with us. If she had I'm sure she would have ended up pretty close to us in the water."
Dee looked at him now concerned but she was trying not to think about what could have happened to Kay if she had ended up following them, "Yeah, I'm sure we would have spotted her if she had ended up here with us. I'm sure she is at home panicking and driving Mumsie crazy."
Matt smiled at her but didn't say anything. They both were worried about Kay. Matt had been dating her for years and Dee had been best friends with her since they were little. They both missed her dearly and hoped that they would soon get the chance to return home. For now they were waiting patiently for the ship to dock at the next port so they would be able to explore and hopefully find someone who could point them in the direction of home.
A knock at the door brought the two of them out of their thoughts, "May I come in?" Iroh asked.
"Please," Dee replied while removing herself from Matt's side.
"We will be departing in a few minutes. The Avatar was here and liberated the prisoners here. He and his two friends have picked up a third person," Iroh explained.
Dee looked at him confused, "Thank you for the information but why are you telling us this?"
Iroh sighed, "Because the description you gave me of your friend is eerily similar to that of their new companion. A young woman with pale skin and blonde hair. She fought with the guards and she is now considered an enemy of the Firenation. I'm sorry to do this but until further notice the two of you will be our prisoners."