A/N: Aaand we're back! Enjoy!
CONTENT WARNING: This chapter again is rated T, as it contains implied indecent actions against an unwilling recipient. NO DETAILS.
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.
The ground around Zuko's prostrate form began to slowly turn into a thick, gripping, mud as the water pooled around him and then ran off to flow away from him. The earth somehow seemed intent on having him, as, ever so slowly, he sank into its dense embrace.
Above him, clouds began gathering rapidly, far faster than would ever be natural, and a massive thunderhead was born. Rain began to pour from above as the storm grew, but, despite the angry clouds overhead, the raindrops were gentle on the on those who lay beneath, yet hard on the ground itself.
The gentle rain smoothly slid down his skin, causing the earth turned mud to become far too wet to hold its form and it was forced to release him, the mud washing away with the harder force of the rain outside his body, leaving him once again safe from harm cradled in the waters' embrace.
As she traveled, Umi noticed a storm brewing approximately East of the location of the camp she had left early that morning. For the first time in her long life, she felt a sense of foreboding as she gazed at the cumulonimbus clouds. They had formed too quickly, it wasn't normal.
Something wasn't right. Then she saw the lighting. It did not strike the ground, as it would normally do on most occasions. This lightning was speaking to her, calling her, beckoning her to come.
Umi obeyed without a second thought. Instantly she sped off in the direction of the clouds, because, after all, there were some limitations to her water spirit abilities, and she was too far away from them to converse through the moisture in the air alone.
The very moment she reached the angry clouds she temporarily lost the ability to move and simply floated with the rest of the moisture particles in the air.
ZUKO! Her consciousness screamed; the horror of what the clouds were conveying causing her to cease all functions but thought. No…not Zuko…not Iroh..NO! She screamed silently once again.
She reeled as the sky, the land, their spirits, howled and roared in agony and sorrow. Blood, precious, life-giving blood had been spilled there, blood that should never have been spilt onto earth that should never have tasted death.
It was so difficult to separate herself from the pain of the elements to concentrate on …Zuko. She forced herself to focus on him and nothing else. She flowed down with the torrent of water the sky was weeping until she came to him. She shuddered inside herself with a horror born of the pain of one who loves another at the sight of him. The moment she reached the ground she was instantly in her humanoid water form and reached out, allowing particles to sink into his burned and charred flesh, and felt his heart beat. It was faint, to be sure, but it was there. Somehow, he was still alive.
She pulled back, shaking, thankful he was alive, but knowing he had little time to live. Her heart was breaking. She knew she could not save him. All her power as a water spirit, even her healing power, they weren't enough to heal such terrible injuries as he had inside his body. She might help his heart to continue to beat, coax some organs to begin their function once again, but it would never be enough. She would only delay the inevitable. She lent some healing power to his heart and hers broke a little. She released the contact and stood quickly to her feet, suddenly wanting distance and stumbling back a couple steps.
For the first time in her very long existence, Umi knew true heartbreak and despair. At one time she would have said she'd known it once before, but that was nothing, nothing compared to what she was feeling that that very moment.
It was almost more than she could bear. She formed her human body once again and allowed the rain to pelt her skin, tilting her face towards the heavens and allowing her tears to join them. Minutes later she finally collapsed to her knees; she could bear the sorrow in silence no longer. She fell forward onto her hands and dug her slim fingers into the mud beneath her and screamed. Her lungs emptied, she filled them, and continued to scream until her throat was raw, her mind was fuzzy and her lungs begged for rest.
This was not the way it was supposed to be, her heart cried out. Why was she so helpless?! "Help me!" she cried aloud, to anyone or anything listening "oh please, please help me!" she gasped again, "I will do ANYTHING, anything at all!" she yelled to the heavens "…anything…" the last little more than a whisper.
"Anything…?"
Umi started, and jumped to her feet, searching for the owner of the voice that had whispered in her ears. Her eyes grew wide as she watched the mud that continued to form and be washed away by the rain slide away from Zuko's barely breathing body to coalesce into a more or less solid form. It had a somewhat 'humanoid' shaped appearance that was little more than a blob dripping with endless mud that slid from it with every drop of rain that fell.
"Daichi?!" She gasped in dismay. "What are you doing here?! Why are you…" her voice trailed off.
"That's right little water spirit; I heard your pleas for help. Such desperate and enchanting pleas they were too." He added in a sickening tone that implied a smile and a leer, leaving no doubt how he thought of her.
"I…I.." she stuttered, attempting to refuse his offer of 'help' but realizing that she simply couldn't afford to if she wanted to help Zuko. What would he ask for? She shuddered inwardly.
"So articulate today" the blob of mud somehow managed to chuckle. "One wonders how you manage even the smallest of tasks."
Umi blushed furiously in anger but pushed it down, now was not to the time to fight with a despicable spirit like Daichi. Zuko's life was on the line, she would not forget that. She glared at the earth spirit and he laughed and oozed closer to her, extending a dripping appendage.
"I'll make you a deal" he laughed again "you will be mine; forever, to do with as I see fit until the end of time itself. In return, I will employ the power of this hallowed ground to heal the damage that would otherwise prove fatal for this pathetic human."
She gasped in abject horror at the loathsome thought; her mind imploding on itself as memories flooded in. This..this monstrosity which she abhorred with absolute detestation, the bane of her existence for the past two thousand years wanted her to allow him to OWN her? The one who had not hesitated to use the earth that held the roots of the tree that imprisoned her to caress her at his whim? Allow HIM to possess her? For all eternity? It was almost too much to bear!
For Zuko..her heart supplied, and her mind calmed. Her shoulders slumped and her head bowed. Yes..for Zuko, she would, truly, do anything. Her head snapped up and she glared at him fiercely.
"You must promise me that you will not harm him once he is healed. He must be somewhere safe, a town where there are people who can tend to him. Those are my conditions. Zuko must live and be conscious and able to move." Her gazed dared him to deny her.
He laughed again, almost indulgently. "Of course, of course, little one, your precious human will be as you say."
"I have one more condition." Umi's voice was soft. "My last condition is that the vow you make is one you cannot break. Only you will be held to it.
His voice took on a harder tone. "Just what are you planning little nymph? Surely you know that if you attempt to break the covenant we create I will require your precious human's life to be forfeit and you, you will be my slave for eternity all the same."
Her heart sinking within her, Umi nodded. "In return for Zuko's life with the conditions I mentioned previously, I will serve you eternally as your possession. You, alone, are not allowed to break the agreement yourself, in any way, and in turn, if I try to break it myself, Zuko's life is forfeit and I will still be your slave for all time."
Daichi was silent for a few moments as if contemplating the oath he was preparing to make. "Hm…let me think, is this in my favor? Can I get anything else out of it?" He muttered rhetorically, taunting her. "I mean you've pretty much handed me everything but the moon spirit herself."
"Swear it!" She cried before he could somehow change his mind, or she could lose her nerve.
He laughed rather maniacally and complied. "I swear on the hallowed earth below us, the conditions you set in exchange for your eternal servitude will be met completely." A triumphant gloating was in his voice as he spoke the words she needed to hear. He could not break that vow, Zuko would survive.
Umi felt her heart break again, knowing that she was losing him forever, losing herself forever. It was all just too much. Hot tears of anger, revulsion, hatred, and helplessness began to flow down her cheeks as she moved away from Zuko to allow Daichi to work.
As the earth spirit shot forward to touch Zuko's still form, a bubble of air suddenly appeared around his body, completely embracing him inside and causing Daichi's dripping, muddy form to make a rather disgusting sound as it splattered on the surface rather impressively. He growled and twisted, looking for the source of the bubble.
Umi just stood in shock and a bit of amusement if truth be told, even in those dire circumstances, his repelling by the sudden arrival of the bubble was truly amusing.
"Show yourself!" The angry earth spirit yelled "I know you're there!"
The downpour that had been going on for some time finally slowed, then stopped and a surge of wind blew over the land, between the two walls where they stood near Zuko. A small dervish of whipping, whirling wind spun its way out of nothing, on the opposite side of the prone form of the only living human for miles.
The miniature tornado gave way to the petite form of a rather small girl, hardly taller than a toddler. Her midnight blue curly hair that was nearly as long as she was tall waved in the breeze that seemed to persist only around her person. "Shame on you Daichi!" She scolded in an airy, childlike voice. "How could you coerce an innocent girl like Umi into eternal servitude and who knows what else with promises of your dirty earth magic?" She glared at him with sky blue eyes that glittered angrily "you should be ashamed of yourself!"
As Daichi sat in surprise, a little mud still dripping down the blob that was currently his physical form, Umi was just as surprised, if not a little confused. "Um…" she hesitated "I'm sorry, but, who are you?"
"Oh my goodness gracious, I'm so rude!" the little spirit cried in consternation. "I'm Tenkuu!" The words were spoken as if they answered every question.
"I..It's nice to meet you Tenkuu, I'm Umi…" She smiled hesitantly. "Of course you are! Who else would you be?" The spritely spirit bounced up and down as if she simply couldn't stand still. "Oh, oh yes, I'm an air spirit, in case it wasn't obvious!" Her laughter tinkled like wind chimes on a breezy day.
Her expression became serious and she suddenly stopped bouncing. "I heard your cries for help, I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough to beat this 'ole stick in the mud here." She glared over at the lump that was Daichi and, since it was no longer raining, he quickly formed a considerably more humanoid shape, complete with large chest and bulging muscles.
"I'm many things air spirit, but a stick in the mud I am not." The well formed humanoid male figure he'd assumed struck a pose, jutting out his impressive chin and making his muscles bulge. Both girls giggled at the ridiculous display and he glared at them, choosing instead a more normal standing pose.
Tenkuu shook her head. The lecherous earth spirit hadn't changed a bit, not in 10 thousand years. She turned back to Umi. "I cannot, in good conscience, allow the pact the two of you made to be upheld. Eternal servitude is against our code of honor and ethics and you know it, both of you." Umi had the grace to blush.
The diminutive air spirit sighed "I understand why you agreed Umi, love is a powerful force. You are not to be held responsible for being willing to do whatever it takes for such a noble cause." Her gaze shot over to the earth spirit where he stood, attempting to look casual. "You, you have no excuse at all!" she pointed a small finger at the large man-shaped earth "Your actions were cruel and selfish and have no redeeming qualities whatsoever!"
The earth spirit growled and complained, but did not directly refute her statement. Umi looked over at Zuko once again, seeing his chest barely rise and fall as he breathed. He was still alive. Tenkuu followed her gaze and smiled at her warmly. "Never fear Umi, I've placed him in a hyperbaric bubble, he is completely safe and its oxygen will extend his life until things have been settled and issues resolved."
Umi nodded silently, thankful that he was safe. "For the time being.." her mind supplied, but she shook the thought off and looked again to the air spirit.
"Daichi, be a dear and call Hayashi for me please? Don't you scare her now; just tell her Tenkuu would like to speak with her here. That's a good boy!" The earth spirit glared at her but complied willingly enough. Umi smiled inwardly at the way Tenkuu handled the lecherous earth spirit, wishing she had the same confidence.
A scant few minutes later a seedling suddenly sprouted from the ground not far from where they all stood. In moments it was a small pine tree with plump pine cones and sharp, shiny green needles that sparkled in the bits of sunlight that were streaming through the clouds Tenkuu had been gently shooing away.
An ethereal, heavenly voice echoed in their minds, seeming to come from everywhere, yet nowhere. The voice was kind and gentle, and very clearly feminine. "How lovely to see the three of you; I wish it might have been under better circumstances." The last was said pointedly, as if she were looking directly at Zuko as he lay unconscious in the safety of Tenkuu's hyperbaric bubble. "I am sorry his fate has brought him here. When last we met, he was choosing life."
Umi stared at the tree in surprise, "you've met before?" she questioned. The voice seemed sad "yes, at his moment of greatest torment, directly after a terrible occurrence had befallen him, the time of his death had come as he lay in my forest. As this fate was not his, but was forced upon him with no choice of his own, I took pity on him and gave the young man back his choice. To sleep the sleep of death or to live with the terrible wounds he'd incurred." There was pride in her voice as she continued "he chose life."
There was silence for a long moment before she began once again to speak. "Tenkuu, you called me, Hayashi, the forest spirit, the spirit of life, to be a voice of reason and assist you, correct?" The air spirit nodded, for once silent. "Then we must call Hisaki. This is the son of the Fire Lord, the current ruler of the land we inhabit. While I do not agree with his conquering nature, I defer to his current status. Disrupting the lineage would cause more chaos than there already is. A fire spirit should be here."
Once they nodded their assent, it fell to both Daichi and Tenkuu to locate him. Grumbling all the way, the earth spirit slammed a palm down into the ground and was still for several moments. At the same time Tenku released her physical form and sent gusts of wind in all directions.
Knowing what was likely to happen Umi released a thin layer of water over her entire body, protecting her from the dry heat. A strange field shimmered around the tree that allowed Hayashi's spirit to be with them, showing she was shielded as well. The other two had no need for it, and watched silently.
It wasn't long before the air shimmered with heat, and once again Umi was glad Zuko was safe because from down below the crust of the earth, below the dry cracked ground, lava bubbled and grew upwards directly to where the air was hottest. The moment the lava and superheated air collided a pillar of flame exploded into being, a whirling inferno announcing the arrival of a very angry fire spirit.
"You'd better have a very good reason for summoning me here you little airhead, and you, hardhead, because if you don't, I swear I'm going to burn the very oxygen out of all the air in the entire world and you'll have to work day and night just to breathe! Then I'll melt the earth beneath your feet until it is all lava!"
Umi took a step back and almost cowered in fear. Even Daichi looked a bit nervous, his entire form, cracked and dry from the intense heat, visibly shrinking in size. Even before an enraged Tenkuu was able to say a word, the calming presence of Hayashi settled over them, and she spoke with a quiet authority that none of them questioned. She represented life itself after all.
"Hisaki, your harsh words are unnecessary and unbecoming." The fire spirit settled the blazing inferno he'd appeared as and chose instead a true human form, as Umi. His fiery red hair that burned atop his head and shimmering skin, as if it were just on the edge of bursting into flames, and most of all, the orange red of his eyes that glowed brightly bespoke of his element more strongly somehow, than all his blazing.
"My apologies, forest spirit." The words seemed to be distasteful to him as he spat them out.
A twinge of annoyance lingered in the air, but Hayashi ignored his churlish impertinence. "We're all gathered here to discuss the fate of Zuko, the son of Fire Lord Ozai, the current human ruler. A pact was created wrongfully between Daichi and Umi, and has been nullified." The earth spirit ground the rocks of his fists together in annoyance and rolled his eyes at Hayashi, but said nothing, knowing there was nothing he could do. Umi breathed a sigh of relief and a small smiled played on her lips.
"In the case of an unknowingly forced or accidental death I have the power to provide life. However, in this instance, his life force is ebbing away because of his own actions." Umi opened her mouth to interrupt but was silenced by a look from Tenkuu. Closing her mouth she narrowed her eyes and resigned herself to waiting quietly.
As if she knew what Umi was going to say, she amended her statement. "You're right Umi, mostly because of his own actions. I know what happens in my forest, and I know that Azula is a cruel and horrible human being bent on total destruction, not unlike her father. It is true that Zuko is not entirely to blame for his current state, however, he is not entirely faultless." Umi reluctantly nodded. Decisions could have been made differently.
"For us to be as impartial as possible, we must watch the entire altercation, everything that happened in this hallowed place. Not only has human blood been spilt, but it has been spilt here, where blood should never touch the earth."
Silently, all four elemental spirits slowly moved over to Hayashi's tree and linked hands. Daichi muscling his way next to Umi and Hisaki creating a white-hot inferno in the hands that Tenkuu and Daichi were forced to hold.
"This is your last warning." Came the stern voice of Hayashi, and the two elements of fire and earth settled down quietly enough. The shimmering aura around the tree they surrounded grew until it engulfed them all, and they were transported into a vision of time, back when Iroh and Zuko had just arrived at the rocky area and were speaking together.
All five watched as the two hugged, the young girl interrupted and the fight commenced. It was clear to all watching that none of those below truly wished to fight besides the angry girl.
When Zuko was being taunted and mocked Umi's eyes filled with tears as her heart hurt for him. When the girl who attacked taunted and then truly began to do him harm, Umi wanted to look away, but was unable to do so. She watched with tears streaming down her face as he was tortured and Iroh brought to his knees.
Umi was the only one not surprised when Zuko used his ultimate attack, the inferno sphere; after all, she'd seen it once before when he'd used it to save her life. Hisaki especially was interested, however, in fact he was clearly amazed, and very intent on watching the young firebender masterfully manipulate his element.
When the last flame had been extinguished, the men had left and the land had become eerily silent before the storm, Hayashi brought them once more to the present time. Umi was silent, and had somehow, in the time between watching Zuko's nearly lifeless body slam into the cliff and fall, and the present moment, lost the ability to speak, or even think. She was in shock. If given the choice she would have happily gone back and removed those memories from her mind.
The other spirits looked at her worriedly, and Tenkuu even pulled on her hand a little, speaking to her, but she was unresponsive. Umi's body was slowly losing the look of a human and resembling more a statue carved of ice. "Umi." Hayashi spoke softly "Umi, he's safe right now, the boy, Zuko, he is alive."
"Leave her to me, I bet I can get her to melt!" came the perverted leer of Daichi, while the ever-combative Hisaki whirled into a flaming tornado, sending out tongues of fire that flicked towards Umi's now completely frozen form.
"That's enough!" The spirit of the forest said sharply and the fire spirit's flames died out instantly as he once again assumed his physical form. "We've seen the recent incidents that lead to the bloodshed we are now seeing the aftermath of." Hayashi stated. "It is now time to discuss. I will tolerate no more outbursts."
"Daichi. What is your stand?"
"The human should die" the earth spirit stated briefly. "This is special ground for the earth spirits and it was defiled by these humans."
"Why should only the young man here, hanging between life and death be the only one to die? Why do you not seek to destroy them all In order to satisfy your vengeance?" Hayashi questioned. "Five humans left this place; alive. One of those humans was solely responsible for the deaths of 5 humans; another was responsible for the deaths of two humans but had the intent to kill anyone who stood in her way. So, I ask again, why only this one?"
For a few moments the argumentative earth spirit was silent. "The truth, Daichi."
"Umi is in love with him. I thought if I could destroy him then there would be no competition for her heart." The words were reluctantly spoken, as if dragged from his throat with brute force.
The water spirit in question suddenly thawed and regained her human form in the blink of an eye. "How DARE you Daichi!" She screamed at him, her form shifting and flowing to re-form in front of him "how could you even think such a thing?!"
The slightly rattled spirit of earth shifted backwards a little and turned his head away from her. "You spent the last two thousand years tormenting me, fondling me without my permission! I was trapped inside that tree, I had no choice but to allow you to continue your mistreatment of me." Tears that had dried up when she had turned to ice began to flow once again.
"I begged you, every day, every moment you inappropriately touched the tree that trapped me, every time you spoke dirty things to me, I begged you to leave me be, but you would not." She stumbled back a few steps and wrapped her arms around herself in a defensive gesture.
"Now, because I spurned your advances, you wish to rob me of the person I love most in this whole world? Not to mention your attempt at getting me to become your possession for all eternity!" Umi positively quaked with rage and pain as she stood glaring furiously at Daichi.
There was complete silence that stretched on for nearly a minute before Hayashi finally spoke. "This is an entirely separate issue we WILL revisit at a later time." Hayashi stated with steel in her voice, and Daichi had the feeling she was looking directly at him with a very stern glare despite her not having a physical body.
Tenkuu slipped her small hand into Umi's once again and the shaking water spirit allowed the touch, returning the squeeze she was given and calming somewhat as she looked down to smile ever so slightly at the air spirit beside her.
"Your vote, spirit of earth Daichi" prompted Hayashi. "Let the human die." His answer came. "Your vote has been cast, and noted. Now" she continued "as it was not you who was defiled by the humans, but the sacred ground we stand on, you will be allowed two votes."
"That is entirely unfair!" cried Umi before she could stop herself. "You are being emotional, water spirit, you know as well as I that the earth itself deserves a vote, because of its very nature." Tenkuu squeezed Umi's hand once more and the water spirit attempted to calm herself. Hayashi was correct, of course. Her shoulders sagged.
Daichi was quick to cast his second vote as he gleefully spoke the words "In the place of the sacred earth on which we stand I vote for the humans' death."
Hayashi then addressed Tenkuu. "How do you vote, spirit of the air, Tenkuu?"
"My vote is for life, I vote for the human" the air spirit stated quickly.
"It is now your vote, spirit of fire, Hisaki, how will you cast your ballot?"
A/N: Well, ok, so you expect the cliffhanger now right? No surprises here! ;)
So, what does everyone think about the other elemental spirits?