Chapter 21 A fight against 'Fear'
Shadow nearly fell over when she saw the fire prince standing in front of her. That boy was supposed to be dead. What did she need to do to get rid of him? When she got a hold of her minion she would be so dead.
"Well it looked like you survived." Shadow said calmly. "I'm glad you know better than to let your fears of this stupid girl and your family get the better of you."
Sokka and Aang looked at the two teens with a confused expression on their faces. Katara gave a quick look back at the two of them. She shrugged slightly before turning back towards Zuko. She was going to help with this battle even if it cost her, her life.
Zuko glared at her. "I'm not afraid of you. Or my own fears, there are things much worse than what you put me through." Zuko pulled out a fireball and got ready for an attack.
"What if it was your own sister who insured your death to me? By saying a spell that was only supposed to speed up your death?" Shadow asked causing him to drop the flame. She smiled; she hit a flaw in Zuko's tough exterior. It was the people he cared about the most that made a difference in how he fought and how he acted. Even if him and Nyla weren't speaking to each other and they cared for some way or another. But his sister would never try to kill him.
Shadow smiled at the prince as he ran everything through his mind. Yeah Nyla was working with Shadow to get rid of the prince. That way his sister would have a clear shot of the throne. Zuko sighed and the fireball returned to his hand. He threw it towards the girl who just used the water from the stream running next to the camp to block it.
"Be careful Zuko. You're temper is very deadly. I'd hate to see you get hurt." Shadow said sarcastically. She laughed a bit before finishing up with. "No I'd love to see you get hurt."
Zuko was ready for anything that 'Fear' would pull out. He had heard stories from both his mother and uncle. He wasn't going to let his guard down at all. He took in a deep breath and launched a fireball at her. She stepped to the side to dodge it and pulled out two fire daggers. It seemed that Shadow was ready for any fire attacks that Zuko sent at her. He had to use his head in this match; she wasn't like any other opponent that he had versed before.
Katara backed up slightly at the way Shadow was glancing at the two benders. She had gotten closer to Zuko in the past two days. The prince was one of her close friends now, and the water bender hoped for something even more. Right now she had to focus on what was going on in the present and not on what might happen in the future.
Zuko jumped to the side and slid his foot across the ground. Fire launched from it and missed the girl by a couple inches. He wasn't going to let Shadow get a single attack as long as he stood his ground and kept his root. He launched a few more attacks with his feet before putting his hands near the ground and shooting out a wave of fire from them.
"You're boyfriend is quite impressive Katara." Sokka said folding his arms. He was quite impressed by Zuko's attacks. "Maybe he can be of some use to our team after all."
Katara nodded but her eyes never left Zuko's body. He was faster than she thought he was. He quickly dodged any attempted attacks that Shadow shot out at him. He decided that it was best if he kept Katara and the Avatar and the warrior out of danger. He knew that her safety meant everything to both him and the Avatar, so he ran deeper into the forest in effort that 'Fear' would follow. He was reluctant that she did, hopefully Katara would stay at the campsite instead of following him.
He stopped in a clearing just outside the forest. It was perfect for any type of battle. He looked up and saw both Shadow and Katara running towards him. Damn that girl, He thought, she's going to get herself killed.
Katara really wasn't worried about getting hurt. She was more worried about Zuko's own safety than her own. After that episode with him almost succumbing to his own fears she didn't know whether or not he was going to be able to win this match.
Zuko placed his foot on the ground and spun around using his hands. His feet in the meantime were launching out fire. Shadow blocked the attack with using some of her own flame. This wasn't going to be an easy fight and Zuko knew, plus she still had one advantage over Zuko; his fears.
Zuko wasn't about to give up without a fight but things seemed to be different from the last fight he fought. He took in a deep breath before pulling out a flame whip. He was ready for anything. He shot it at the girl before quickly putting it away. He was ready for anything except for what came next.
He was flung back with a dark attack he didn't know what even happened to him. He hit a tree and broke through it. His head hurt and he his right arm had a scorch mark on it. He shook off the feeling and looked away from Katara. He was not going to let her see him cry over a little burn mark. He looked back at it, Zuko wasn't even sure if it was a burn mark. All he knew was it hurt like hell.
"Zuko!" Katara yelled.
Zuko looked up and rolled over onto his bad arm just in time to avoid an attack that should of killed him. Shadow was now standing in front of him with a black katana in her hand. He grabbed his arm and hissed in pain. He couldn't stand the pain any more. It felt like it was eating him alive.
Katara ran up to Zuko and pulled her water whip out of her canteen. She was ready to protect the prince even if it cost her, her life. She shot it at Shadow and hit the mark dead on. The brunette stumbled backwards a bit before looking at the two teens.
Zuko stood up and looked at Shadow. She seemed to be having trouble against the water bender. He smiled and suddenly hissed in pain. He looked down at his stomach to find it bleeding. There was a somewhat deep cut. He looked back up at Katara and saw the water bender launch another attack.
"Katara," He said walking over to the girl. "I need to get out of here. Leave the blonde and lets go."
Katara raised her eye and turned to Shadow. She shook her head and redirected her gaze to Zuko. It was then when she saw him bleeding.
It was then when Shadow regained her footing and stood up straight. "You two aren't going anywhere." She growled. "You're going to be part of my powers and I'll move onto the fire lord. After that I'll be queen of the world."
Zuko smirked before taking a fighting stance. But he fell to the ground from pain from both his arm and stomach. Shadow took the time to get ready for her final attack. Katara turned around just in time to see blue fire being launched at her. She put up a water barrier to try to block the attack. The fire went through the barrier and Katara freaked.
Zuko knew that she wasn't ready for this kind of fighting yet. He stood up quickly and threw fire at the blue flames. His effort was futile while the blue flames ate the fire bender's flame.
Katara closed her eyes for the impact. It came but the feeling was different from what she thought it was. It was more of a calm feeling than a burning feeling. She looked at Zuko who was just as confused as she was.
"This isn't the same flame as fire benders use." Zuko said as the scenery around them began change.
Katara stood up and saw that they weren't in the forest any more. They were in a city, but not just any city the Fire Nation's capital.
K15: I'm so close to reaching 200 reviews! This would be the bestest way to end summer for me guys. And all I need is like 12 more reviews. (If I've done my math right.) Anyway. Here's chapter 21. I have two more chapters planned out for the fic. That actually deal with 'Fear'. And I have a few ideas after words. But you have to help me. Tell me if you would like to see anything, (Zuko: Translation- she would like to hear ideas) And if you really want the next couple of chapters. The chapters I have after that deal with mainly Zuko and Katara. But yeah. Your choice. If you don't wanna see it that's fine. I'll just start writing the sequel after that. (Even though I have one written but i don't like it.) Oh and I'll end the story with something unexpected. Or and a little spoiler. There is going to be a pairing in there at the end that you'll never expect! And no it has nothing to do with either Katara and/or Zuko. I love those two too much. Anyway so plz review. Later. K15