Kishi: Right! Let's hop to it!
---
Chapter 6
Battle… on Ice!
---
It was early morning, and the guards standing at the top of the wall stamped their feet to keep circulation. They'd been the pair lucky enough to pull the swing shift, and were now anticipating the arrival of their replacements. Neither really anticipated having to deal with anything particularly major in the next few minutes.
"Well, would ya look that," said one of the guards with a shift of his spear. A column of soldiers was marching toward the gate, all clad in blue parkas – the guards mournfully noted the lack of supplies – and all wearing masks.
"Who goes there?"
"We are warriors of the Ainu tribe, of the east," called out the leader. His mask was like some sort of demon, blue and white and wicked.
"Ainu tribe?" asked the guard. He turned to his cohort with an asking look.
"I've never heard of an Ainu tribe," said the other guard. They turned to look at the group speculatively as he muttered, "then again… there are hundreds of tribes… I mean, there's gotta be a couple we don't know, right?"
"Fair enough," said the first guard. And they did need more warriors. With things getting as desperate as they were, who cared where reinforcements came from?
"Give us a few moments!" the guard called down before rushing off to find a Water Bender. When found, the Bender said he'd be glad to open the gate – but not before ascertaining the identity of their friends. They ran back to the wall and the Bender made a gentle pushing motion, allowing a small tunnel to melt out of the ice.
They walked out to meet the warriors, all of whom were standing still and silent behind their masks. "Who did you say you were again?" asked the guard.
"As we said, we hail from the Ainu tribe," said the leader. "My name is Mami."
"The Ainu tribe?" asked the Bender. "That would explain the masks."
"How?" asked the guard, suddenly feeling a bit out of league.
"The Ainu believe that a warrior who dies fighting against them is too weak to know the identity of their killer," said the Bender. Mami remained silent.
"Well, if you say they're legit, I guess they're legit then," said the guard. He knew he should have pressed the point a bit more, but he was just so damn tired…
The wall cracked open, and the warriors walked in.
---
Aside from the new arrival, the day wanted to pass pretty slowly. Yuki met with the new leader upon hearing of their arrival and had seen to it that they settled in, getting to know their posts and quarters. She tried to flirt with them, but with the masks on it was hard to tell the effect. She would have to guess on any amount of silence she could elicit.
But they were all quiet. She'd shrugged about it and simply decided, I'm just that good.
Since then, the sun had risen and was near its zenith in the sky. She'd finished her morning drills, and the men had all received their orders and assignments for the day, so there really wasn't much to do except to wait for evening drills. It was a refreshing change. Options flooded her mind – sleep, sleep, sleep, or teasing Sokka. She grinned to herself, lying back on her sleeping bag.
There was a light tapping on the snow outside, and Yuki bit back a groan. "Come in," she called out, sitting up and running a hand through her hair.
A younger warrior popped his head in through the tent flap. "Yuki! Come quick! The Fire Nation's at the wall!"
She was on her feet in an instant. "Is it an attack?" she asked, grabbing a spear.
"No, it's something else… I don't know what! Please hurry!" Together they ran through the city, clambering up the steps to the top of the wall. Yuki peered down to the icescape below, and the sight made her pause. There were two Fire Nation soldiers standing there – a soldier bearing a white flag and an officer of some sort if the crest on his helmet was to be believed.
"What is it?" she called down to them.
"My name is Lieutenant Jie, of the Fire Nation fleet under Admiral Zhao! I've come to parlay with the leader of the city's defenses!"
He paused, giving her a meaningful look. She shrugged. "Well, I'm here, aren't I? I don't have all day!"
Jie's face was startled, but he slid smoothly from it. "Very well!" He cleared his throat. "The admiral wishes to extend his respect and admiration to a worthy adversary!" he began. "He is impressed by the valor and pride of the Tribes and furth-"
"You're putting me to sleep, Lieutenant!" The officer blinked at Yuki's rebuttal. "Hurry up! Why are you out here? I bet it's not the cold weather, and you obviously aren't here to fight, so…" She paused. She could hear the murmuring of the crowd below her on the ground behind the wall, and an idea struck her.
"You're here because of me, aren't you?" she asked. She hopped up on the rampart and struck a pose, bringing the back of her hand to her forehead and leaning back dramatically. "The young ice princess, and the soldier of flame, locked in combat and separated by an icy wall – a wall that melts with the heat of their passions!"
Behind her the crowd was laughing uproariously. "But sadly, my dear man," she said, sighing and clasping her hands to her chest, "my heart belongs to another… this man right here!" She pointed to the young messenger, who immediately turned a delightful shade of pink and began to mutter. The crowd was loving it.
The Lieutenant had continued to look as if a rod had been strapped to his back. At Yuki's confession, he sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I've come to tell you all that if you surrender now, all of you will be spared further hostilities."
Oh, this was going to be good. "Well, let's let 'all of them' decide!" Yuki shouted down. She turned back to the crowd below. "The Fire Nation says they want to stop fighting! Can you believe it? All we have to do is open the gates and let them have their way with us!"
The roar of the crowd was answer enough.
She turned to the ambassador below and gave a sad shrug. "So sorry. Couldn't convince them!"
"So be it!" called Jie and made an abrupt about face, marching back toward the coast.
Inside the city walls, the crowd cheered their approval. The poor messenger couldn't even bring himself to look at her as Yuki jumped down from the rampart. She gave him a smile and a brief peck on the cheek. The poor boy squeaked – and fell over.
Still got it, she thought gleefully as she descended the stairs.
---
The scouts crept forward, inching step by step along the icy dunes. Their orders were simple: get to the coast, get a bead on enemy movements, get back home.
After all, Yuki was no fool. The war chief had known perfectly well that the Fire Nation might have a trump up its sleeve – some hidden reinforcements perhaps, or some hidden maneuver they were unaware of. Hence, the scouting mission.
The scout in the lead peeked over the top of the dune, and his hands gestured for the rest of the party to get down. His two companions – both dressed in white parkas as he was – crawled up and joined him in staring.
They had reached the site of the first landings by Fire Nation ships – the graveyard full of gutted, wrecked hulls sitting askew, frozen in their final moments. Only they seemed to have picked up some more moments. Many, if one believed the frenzy of activity. Soldiers were racing all over the wreckage. Pulleys, cranes, and scaffolding had been erected all over the place, and further observation revealed the intent – catapults were being raised out of the ships and turned manually to find a firing solution.
The three scouts looked at each other, and shared the consensus that this was an altogether negative development. They began to slide down the dune, then spun to make the getaway – and nearly ran headlong into Fire Nation spears.
-
"I still don't understand why we offered them the chance to surrender," grumbled the private. Although his commanding officer had borne the tongue-lashing with proper decorum, he himself had been hard pressed to do the same.
"It's very simple," said Jie. "Zhao's approaching this battle on both fronts – physical and emotional. He wants the Tribes to believe they have us on the run, because they cannot imagine that we are preparing such a blow as to render them utterly helpless."
"But what if they had surrendered?"
Jie shrugged. "Then it saves us a lot of work and them a lot of lives. But they didn't, so we work."
A tapping sounded on the metal door. "Come!" said Jie, and a soldier with the two gold dots of the sentry crest on his helmet stepped inside.
"My men have reported the capture of some intruders, presumably from the city. How shall we deal with them?"
"Send them to Zhao," Jie said distractedly, looking at several pages of specification on the makeshift desk. "He may have a use for them."
The sentry nodded and stepped outside. After all, the officers were busy with the plan. They were busy with their business, and their business was death – and business, it seemed, was about to pick up.
---
"So you say that Zhao is rebuilding those ships?"
"Something to that extent, yes. We weren't able to discern for sure what exactly he plans to do, but it seems clear enough."
Airoh nodded thoughtfully. "Would you care for some more tea?"
"Oh, yes," said the sentry. "It gets damnable cold sometimes… ah, if you'll permit my saying so."
Airoh grinned and waved his hand. They were sitting at the table in Airoh's room, he and the sentries. He'd noticed last night that boats from the fleet had begun to arrive on the icy coastline and that soldiers were working on the ships. And surely, he thought, they wouldn't mind a little extra help, would they?
Looking to the other sentry, Airoh asked, "Have you been able to discern any details?"
"Well, sir, it looks like Zhao's got too many soldiers out there just to fire catapults," said the sentry. "More are being shipped in by the hour. He seems to be preparing an assault on the city proper."
"I see," said Airoh thoughtfully. Which means, he thought, that Zuko's probably in more danger than he bargained for.
"Sir?" the sentry asked. Airoh looked at him. "Our Prince is in danger. We can't just leave him there."
It did the old man's heart some good to hear the loyalty of Zuko's men. "We won't," he said. "But we can't break through the walls, and we certainly can't march now, not with the eyes of the entire fleet looking our way." He scratched his chin, contemplating. "Do not fear. I will not abandon my nephew so easily. Go grab some more tea and then return to your posts, before Zhao gets suspicious." The sentries bowed and left.
Airoh leaned back and began to formulate.
---
The daylight died quickly, as it always did at this time of the year. Aside from the debacle between Yuki and the Fire Nation lieutenant, the day had passed quietly for the warriors behind the wall.
Mami and his tribesmen were clustered together, shivering in the cold night air when food was brought to them. "Sorry we can't bring more!" said the plump girl who came to deliver their dinners. "Belts are getting pretty tight with the war and all. Please forgive us!"
But the Ainu were strangely silent, staring at their meal – fish and rice. Both cold.
The whole lot of them continued to stare before the warrior next to Mami nudged him in the ribs. "Sir," he muttered in a low voice, "I think they made a mistake. Fish is supposed to be cooked, right?"
"It's no big deal," Mami retorted. "Just go to somebody's fire and-"
"Ooh! Sashimi!" called out a passing warrior. "Man, you Ainu have all the luck! Fish never tastes better than when it's raw and fresh!"
The Ainu collectively stared after him before turning back to their meals. "They eat their fish raw?" sputtered the warrior next to Mami.
"Apparently."
"How? That's unnatural!"
Mami said nothing before quickly shifting aside his mask and bolting his entire portion. He couldn't see his fellow's face behind his mask, but the scandalized voice explained enough. "Sir!" squeaked the warrior.
"You must be young," Mami said in a low voice, "so I'll let your lack of discipline slide this once. Now shut up and eat it." Besides, he thought, it wasn't that bad. Standing up, he said, "I'm going after our objective now. You know what to do."
They knew very well what to do – sit there and pretend to be occupied.
Mami walked down several paths between rows of tents and domes of ice. His path didn't appear to be anything other than random – a left here, a right there, a stop to admire some of the paintwork done on the side of a tent – but a canny observer would have noticed that his track was leading him to the Temple.
The guards at the gates of the Temple greeted him with stiff decorum. They knew who he was. "I understand that the Avatar stays here," said Mami.
"Yes sir," intoned the guard on the left. "He does us great honor by staying here."
"I would like to speak with him," said Mami. "To pay him my respects. The Elders of my Tribe have a message for him."
"Pass, then," said the guard. Mami stepped inside and walked through the entrance hall as the doors shut behind him. It took a couple of inquiries to figure out where exactly the Avatar was staying but eventually he managed to figure it out, walking up the first stairwell on the left and passing through the constant cold of the stone hallway. How many doors down was it? 1… 2… 3…
He stopped at the ninth door and knocked. "Come in!" rang out a youthful voice, and Mami knew this was the right place. He stepped in to find the Avatar sitting on a mat. His legs were crossed and his palms flat on his knees, and he was blinking as though just waking up.
"What's up?" he asked as he stood.
"I have come to deliver a message to you," said Mami.
"Okay… what is it?"
Mami suddenly ripped off his mask as the air about him burst into flames. As the burnt remnants of the parka fell at his feet, the Avatar's eyes widened. "You," snarled Prince Zuko, "are mine!"
---
"Of course I would get the night shift, wouldn't I?" Sokka groused. Never mind that the Spirit Flames were out again, or that the stars were shining brightly tonight, or that the moon was of a particularly beautiful luminescence. He would have traded all of it just to be asleep in his bag rather than out here during the coldest, most solitary shift.
And he was hungry again too. He swore.
"Complaining already? After only one month on the job?" a low voice chuckled. "Maybe you're not cut out for this warrior business." He stiffened. He knew who that voice was. "Then again," the voice continued, "maybe I could think of other uses for you…"
"Do you have to do that?" Sokka groaned irately.
"What can I say?" asked Yuki as she stood next to him. "The look on your face is priceless whenever I do that."
"So why are you out here, anyway?"
"The warriors usually don't see me doing much of anything," she said with a shrug. "So I usually take some time to check with the warriors on night duty. Tonight happens to be your night."
"Why night?"
"Because everybody else is asleep and it's easy for guards to forget that anybody cares about what they do," she said, leaning against the neighboring tower.
"I see…"
"So what's it like down in the south?"
"It's… well, it's nowhere near as nice as this," said Sokka. "All the men back home are gone to fight against the Fire Nation. Nothing but old men and women and children."
"Must be awfully lonely down there without anybody your age," Yuki sympathized.
"Well, I did have my sister," he said thoughtfully. "She made things a lot easier… but don't tell her I said that!"
"No problem," said Yuki with a grin. "Still, though, it doesn't sound like you had a lot of friends… you probably haven't even kissed a girl yet, have you?"
"Wha-? I mean, why does everybody say that?"
"Oh, it's nothing to be ashamed of. You didn't have anybody there but your sister, and that would just be wrong…"
"But I have kissed a girl before!" he sputtered.
"Now, now. Your mother doesn't count," said Yuki with that same playful grin. But Sokka's face hardened as he looked out over the ice.
"Awww… did Sokka's widdle feewings get hut?"
"That's not funny. My mother… she died a long time ago."
That brought about an awkward pause. "I'm sorry," she said.
"You didn't know. It's all right."
"Was it the Fire Nation?"
"Yeah. They came for us pretty early in the war. They're the reason that my father had to leave to fight."
"So you blame them for everything?"
"Why shouldn't I?" Sokka sighed, running a hand through his hair. "If they hadn't came, mom would still be alive and dad would still be there and we'd all still be at home and the war would be someone else's problem. They've taken everything from me."
"A lot of us here in the North can understand that," said Yuki. "There isn't a warrior around here who hasn't lost someone important to them."
"What about you?"
Yuki stared out over the ice for a time. "My entire family."
Sokka looked at her with wide eyes. "That's the reason that my brother was the greatest War Chief in the north," she said, her voice becoming somewhat bitter. "It used to be my father, Hyou, before he died in battle. Mother wasted away pretty soon after that. Kousetsu took over the leadership and took us down to fight with the Earth Kingdom… he died at Be Cing Xe. I'm all that's left."
Another pause. "I'm sorry," said Sokka.
"Don't be," said Yuki. "They wouldn't have wanted it that way. But I love to make it up to them by making the Fire Nation miserable when I can."
"Well, I'm glad we can agree on something," said Sokka with a grin. Yuki smiled back and both were silent for a time.
A fiery glow caught their eye from the south. "A shooting star?" Yuki wondered. "Awfully bright, too…"
"Maybe you should make a wish," said Sokka, watching as the object made a graceful arc toward the city.
"I think I will," she said. But as she opened her mouth to speak, the object reached its peak – and promptly exploded. Hundreds of red objects shot out of the explosion, raining down upon the city –
That was when people started screaming. The objects slammed into walls, ripped through tents, shattered the domes. People proved to be as fragile as ever.
"Lookout!" shouted Yuki, shoving Sokka out of the way as an object slammed into where they'd been standing. They turned to look at it and the horror became clear – the object was a piece of metal. A big piece of metal, sharp, and superheated.
"By the Spirits!" Sokka swore. Yuki's face, however, was snarling into a rictus of rage.
"Damn them…" she whispered, then "DAMN THEM!" She leapt from the wall, rolling through the snow and taking off at a run. Sokka ran down the stairs after her. Around him, tents were starting to blaze, and the screams were louder, oh so loud…. He felt bile trying to rise in his throat at the bodies, mutilated, missing limbs or heads.
The ones that were still moving were the most terrible.
Still, there were Water Benders moving about, putting out fires, cooling down objects, telling people to get to shelter, get to the Temple, everything would be just-
Sokka heard another explosion, and as more metal rained down he ran all the harder.
-
Inside the barracks, warriors were up and in arms.
"EVERYBODY LISTEN!" Yuki roared, and the crowd quickly silenced. "The Fire Nation has launched a sneak attack! The walls are no longer safe! We have to take the fight to them! You 10!" she said to the ten closest, "get to the other tribesmen and tell them to meet at the entrance in the next minute! We're taking the fight to them!"
But before they could move, the doors to the barracks burst open. The warriors watched, stunned as people dragged themselves in, looking for some kind, any kind of shelter. A few were physically fine, but others were wounded terribly, bearing burns and long deep cuts. And they were the lucky ones.
"YOU!" roared a young man. He was carrying a girl on his arm; she hung limply, her feet dragging along behind. "This is all your fault! If you'd just surrendered like they'd have asked, this wouldn't have happened! My wife would be all right! And the baby… the baby…" his words choked off, and he shook his head furiously.
Another explosion in the air, and raindrops on the roof. But this one wasn't isolated, for soon the ground began to shake with impacts.
A warrior came running in, his clothes burned in some places. "Chief! Almost all our reinforcements are gone! Most of them were killed in the attack!"
On the very heels of that statement, another came running in. "Chief!" he almost screamed. "The Fire Army's approaching! They're breaking down the walls!"
Sokka turned to look at her, to hear the order, to hear anything, but Yuki's face had a frightening calm. But he could see her fists trembling and he was able to intuit her feeling – pure, unbridled hate. She wasn't in any position to give orders. But they couldn't just run out there on pure emotion – it'd be a slaughter.
"Everybody!" he called out, but his voice was far less authoritative. But warriors turned to look at him anyway. "We can't just sit here and do nothing! We can't abandon our homes, or our families to the Fire Nation bastards! We have to fight!"
Some of the spirit began to rekindle in the men's eyes, but the question rang out: "But how?"
Then Muku stepped forward. "Hear me!" he shouted. "We know this city better than they ever will! Let us wait in hiding, and ambush them as they arrive! Any ruins you can hide in will do!"
The men didn't shout or whoop in triumph, but they nodded as one, grim purpose shining in their eyes.
"Let's go!" Yuki suddenly shouted, dashing out into the night.
---
A burst of flame shot down the hallway. Aang was able to neatly dodge it. Zuko came soon afterward with a flying kick, and once again Aang had to retreat. Then came an assault of punches: left and right and left, left, left, coming from below!
Aang sidestepped the upper cut. Hecountered with a palm into Zuko's chest that pushed the prince back a couple steps. The prince immediately returned with a step-in side kick. The young Air Bender was sent flying down the hall.
Standing back up, Aang almost didn't catch the hand that was coming at him. But his hand reached out and caught with the crook of the wrist. Aang's fist made a solid connection with Zuko's jaw. Stepping in even closer, Aang conjured a sphere of air and pushed it into Zuko's chest, sending him flying back down the hall.
With an angry shout, Zuko came running back, fists on fire. With a leap, he landed firmly on the ground, punching both forward. A bar of fire erupted outward, filling the hall with intense heat. Aang ducked into a side hall, running, trying to find a room, anywhere that had some access to water. He flew down the stairs and made a right, and suddenly there he was in the dining hall. Water spigots lined the walls.
Yes. That would do most nicely.
---
Fiery stones continued to pound into the ground, smashing the walls and leaving gaping holes rent in them. Unfortunately, there just weren't enough Water Benders left to rebuild them.
The Fire Army came running in through the walls not as some horde bent on rape and pillage, but as a disciplined, professional force. Their run slowed to a measured, cautious pace, their eyes constantly roving.
Sokka watched from inside the ruins of one of the more cavernous tents, which was barely standing and shredded to bits. Count them out at a measured pace… in your case, count to 12, Yuki had told him. So he watched them pass. One… two… three…
As the twelfth soldier passed, he paused under a sudden attack of nerves. It simply caught up to him that he was rushing out, alone, into a group of Fire Nation soldiers, which would probably have Benders in there as well. It was crazy at best – suicide at worst! He could feel the grip on his spear tightening – then suddenly, he heard yells and shouts all over the city. Without another thought he rushed out there, deflecting a darting point and thwacking the head of the soldier soundly with the head of his spear.
Moving quickly, he ducked a swing from the left. He swung the butt of his spear into the soldier's middle. As the soldier leaned over, wheezing, Sokka brought his knee up to the man's face. As that one dropped, he parried a spear point to the side and stabbed the soldier who had done it to him. The spear caught the soldier in the side, and Sokka hurried to kick the man off of it before sidestepping another.
Around him was the purest chaos – the melee, the rush of men back and forth, the clash of weapons, angry shouts and the gurgles of the dying. Sokka could see that many of his fellow warriors were almost as outnumbered as he was.
He broke away and took off running, managing to attract the attention of 4 soldiers. He zigzagged between ruined tents and fractured domes, trying to get them isolated and away from his fellow warriors. It seemed to be working just fine, until he tripped and ended up sprawled out on the ground. He pushed up immediately, only to find spear points awaiting him.
Damn it, he thought to himself, considering his options. He knew there was no way he'd ever manage to deflect all of them, but he also knew there was no way he'd surrender either.
This particular problem, however, was suddenly solved when a mysterious benefactor literally jumped into the fray. Sokka heard a spear snap, followed by the solid whomp of an impact. The spear points disappeared from his field of vision as he heard the clack of wood meeting wood, the crack of wood meeting face, and felt bodies hitting the ground nearby.
The fight was over in seconds. Sokka turned around to see- "Shin?"
The young man was standing there, hardly winded, apparently almost totally at ease. Two halves of a spear haft were in his hands, and the bodies of the soldiers lay scattered about. "Yes, Sokka."
"I don't get it," he said, standing back up. "You've never been good at what Muku was teaching us."
"I know."
"So how, then?" Sokka sputtered, gesturing at the fallen men. "How the hell did you learn to fight like that?"
There was the sound of an explosion, and they both took off running. "Let's just say," said Shin, "that I kept things hidden from you."
"Things? What things?"
"An awful lot, actually. I promise, I'll explain everything once this is over."
"Yeah, you will," growled Sokka as they rounded the final bend. Another fire had broken out amongst what was left of the tents, and Yuki was standing, surrounded by four Fire Benders. But something was different – she wasn't moving at all. In fact, she seemed to be frozen to the spot. Her eyes were wide and her mouth moving, but no sound came out.
The Bender immediately in front of her punched a gout of flame at her. At last, some movement – but nothing smooth or fluid, more like a terrified hop that ended with her tripping and falling backwards.
The Benders closed in around her – until a boomerang sliced through the air and slammed into the lead Bender's head. As he dropped, Sokka and Shin raced forward, Sokka stabbing into a Bender's chest plate and Shin striking another on the head and leg. As both went down, the last Bender shot flames at them. Sokka's spear shot through and caught the Bender in the leg, and while he was distracted Shin raced in and gave him a solid shot to the head. The man dropped in a heap.
"Yuki! Are you okay?" asked Sokka.
"I… I'm fine…" she said, breathless. She started to stand up, and Sokka noticed her legs were trembling. He rushed over and propped her up on his shoulder.
The tramp of feet was heard, and the group turned to see a mass of soldiers charging at them.
"Isn't this a grim predicament?" Shin said.
"Can you fight?" Sokka asked Yuki.
"Yeah," she said, pulling out a pair of knives. They were strange, almost shaped like a boomerang, only there was a blade on the inner curve.
"Can you throw those things?" asked Sokka.
"Kukri?" she snorted, almost sounding normal. "Not really. But let me show you what I can do!" They ran forward.
---
The long wooden table was picked up and tossed toward Zuko like a child's toy. He rolled aside and sprang up running, only to nearly lose his footing on a slick patch of ice. He cursed as he stumbled.
On the other side of the dining hall, Aang panted. Man! This guy just won't quit! It seemed that no matter what he threw at Zuko, no matter how many times, the guy would just stand back up and charge forward again.
Like now. As Zuko rushed forward again, Aang fanned his hands inward, drawing water from the spigots, then stepped forward. The water rushed forward in a jet, but Zuko sidestepped and punched at Aang, cutting off the flow with his blow.
Aang stumbled, then caught himself and formed a water whip, snapping it forward. Zuko blocked one stroke, then the next, then the next, until the whip suddenly wrapped around his arm and yanked him into the opposite wall – except that he flipped and sprang off the wall and landed without injury. He spun, flinging his foot out and letting a burst of flame toward Aang.
A jet of water doused it, steam rising up into the air – and suddenly, there was Zuko leaping down through the mist. Aang narrowly sidestepped, then retreated under the onslaught of flaming fists and feet. Left, right, left, right, left, right, foot! Slide! Sweep! Roundhouse! Backhand!
Fortunately, Aang had the sense of mind to not retreat in a straight line but rather to curve and absorb the blows as they came. Finally, he sidestepped, whirled his arms, and shot a ball of air into Zuko. The Prince slid for 5 feet before stopping and turning around to face him again.
They both stood opposite to each other for a moment before the wall to Aang's left exploded inwards. As the dust cleared, Aang could see clumps of burning stone, suggesting a catapult round as the culprit. But as the dust cleared even further, all thoughts of Zuko emptied from his mind.
The city was in ruins. Tents were shredded, smoking wrecks. The domes, which had once held an abundance of plant life, were shattered, plants rapidly freezing in the cold. Bodies lay everywhere.
No, he thought. No, no, no, no, no, no…
Zuko rushed forward, taking no care in the fact that Aang's eyes had started to glow.
"NOOOO!" Aang roared, and suddenly he was floating, the wind whipping about his body. He saw Fire Nation soldiers and swept his hands up, then wide. Water gathered, lengthened and froze. He clenched his fists and the ice shattered, forming several long, pointed icicles. The missiles fired out, spearing any soldier foolish enough to be in the way.
Zuko was having a hard enough time staying planted on the ground, but not even he could fight it forever, flying and slamming into another wall. It would have been fine if that happened only once, but the whirlwind wasn't finished, smacking him into the floor and wall again before hurtling him into a corner where the blessed darkness awaited him.
When he finally ran out of missiles, the Avatar collapsed, the wind dissipating. As Aang's awareness asserted itself one last time, though, he thought he heard footsteps.
---
Raising her hands and swinging them back down, Katara watched as the wave erupted through the ice. The soldiers were engulfed in it and swept back, slamming into their peers as they flowed backward.
She let her arms hang limp at her sides. She'd been fighting for roughly an hour, and she'd never moved so much water in a single day before. She heard the tramp of feet coming and made a sweeping gesture with her hand. As soldiers rounded the bend in front of her and charged, water seeped out of the cracks in the ice. The soldiers splashed through, and Katara gently blew, the water solidifying instantly.
The sound of the soldiers slipping and joining their fellows on the ground proved most satisfying. She allowed herself a brief smile of satisfaction. Now, if I could just find… More feet coming, and she sighed, preparing herself. Then they appeared – masks and blue parkas.
Finally! "Am I glad to see you guys," she said in a relieved voice.
"We're glad to see you safe," said the lead mask, which looked to be a polar bear by its white color. "Come. The War Chief needs to see you." Katara nodded and followed the masked men, around ruins and corpses. She couldn't help but note that they were following a route to the original gap in the city walls, a route which could have been much quicker had they cut through the center of the city.
But when they got to the gap, Katara gasped. Yuki wasn't there at all – it was Fire Nation soldiers and a familiar looking general…
Immediately, her arms were seized and she was lifted off the ground. "Let me go! Let me go!"
The general looked over to her with a quiet expression. "Ah. Yes. I believe we've met before. Something to do with a scroll, correct?"
"You… you're with Prince Zuko, aren't you?"
"So glad to be remembered!" the man remarked. "My name is Airoh. What's yours?"
"Not for you to know!"
"Very well then, not-for-you-to-know. It seems that we have a problem. Zhao has captured the Avatar and my nephew and has the lot of them rounded up in the center of the city."
"What!"
"It gets even better. Not only is he planning on taking the Avatar back to the Fire Nation, he's probably planning an execution."
"How would you know this?"
"It's the way Zhao works," Airoh said with a shrug. "Rather tasteless, really. I would hope for a bit of variety every now and again…"
Katara stared at the old man. Is this guy for real? "And why should I care if Zuko gets executed or not?"
"I'm not worried about Zuko being executed. Zhao probably intends to capture him and drag him back to Fire Nation waters, violating his exile and earning him imprisonment or death." Airoh sighed. "So predictable. So boring. No, my dear not-for-you-to-know, you should be more concerned for your own leaders. I understand he has the Abbess there, not to mention a couple of War Chiefs."
Katara gasped. The thought of losing Kaede, Muku, or Yuki to the Fire Nation put a hole inside of her that she knew she could never live with. Not when she had a chance to prevent it.
Even if it meant working with the enemy.
"What will you do to Aang?"
"The Avatar?" Airoh scratched his chin. "I have to try to capture him… but if he gets away in the chaos, who could blame me? I'm just a tired old man, after all." He gave her a roguish wink, and she found herself wanting to like this man, odd though it was.
"So what do you say?"
She sighed. "Katara."
The old man blinked. "I'm sorry?"
"My name is Katara," she said, simply. "And I will help you."
"Good!" said Airoh, clapping his hands and rubbing them together. "Now, if you could go find that delightful flying animal you all ride upon, I will explain our plan…"
---
The first thing Zuko noticed as he returned to the waking world was how awfully sore he was. It felt to him as though he were some sort of rag doll that had been badly abused by a negligent child. He tried to stretch, to work out some of the developing cramps, only to find that he couldn't move in quite the way he wanted either. He opened his eyes to find himself lying on the ground, with hands, arms, and feet all bound together.
He looked around. The remnants of the Water Tribe that had lived here were all gathered in groups all over the place. The Fire Nation's army stood guard all around, soldiers and Benders surrounding the Tribe and others scattered hereabouts.
He opened his eyes and struggled to sit up, getting a good look at the devastation around him. Looking at all the ruin, he felt the familiar stir of anger inside – along with a curious other sensation echoing of loss. Pity… do I pity these people?
"These people are truly pitiful," Zhao remarked. "They thought their silly little ice wall could protect them from me. They thought they could outlast me. The fools." He turned around and favored Zuko with a cruel smile. "Do you know what their first mistake was?"
Zuko didn't answer. "Simply," said Zhao, "they should never have left those ships in the ice. They should have melted the ice and let them sink. Of course, we would have sailed in had they done that, so perhaps it was meant to be. But I imagine you're curious as to how I really beat these dogs, eh?"
An icy silence. "Imagine a bomb," said Zhao, leaning forward conspiratorially. "That's not so hard, is it? I'm sure you can do that. And while you're at it, imagine a bag – a bag filled with jagged edges of metal. Soak the bag in lamp oil, light the bomb, light it on fire and send it away. And when it explodes… well." Zhao smirked. "Honestly, these savages should have made ice houses along with their tents."
"You bastard." Zhao looked at Zuko. "You don't care at all who you kill, do you? Men, women, children, they're all the same! As long as you get your way, you'd kill anyone!"
"My way is the Fire Nation's way," Zhao smirked. "We're fighting to win. Anyone who gets in the way of that should be eliminated. We're the strongest in the world, and only the strong have the right to say what is right and wrong." Zhao shook his head condescendingly. "Your pathetic morality has cost you dearly, young Prince. As you can see," he said, with a gesture to another body nearby, "it is I who has captured the Avatar. I will bring him back to Lord Ozai as our ticket to victory. And of course, you as well, who was captured in Fire Nation waters attempting to steal him."
Zuko roared in rage, but a kick to his back sent him back to the snow.
"And now, on to other business." Zhao strolled over to three people, dressed in blue – a man, an old lady, and a girl.
"So, you're the Abbess, I presume?"
The old lady lifted her eyes to meet him. "I am."
"I see." Zhao backhanded her, sending her back to the snow. "That," he said, "is my message to you. Thank you so much for being weak." He reached down and yanked the old lady up again by her braid. "And this," he said, forming a sphere of flames in his hand, "is a message from Fire Lord Ozai. I'm sure it speaks for itself."
He raised his hand even higher to prepare for the deathblow. The man and the girl on either side struggled against the guards, but to no avail. It seemed that everyone was going to be witness to a classic Fire Nation execution – until, without warning, the fire just disappeared. Not diminished, not exploded – it just wasn't there anymore.
"I think that's enough," came a young man's voice. The group nearest them was the source, and Zuko watched as one stood up. He was dressed in Earth peasant clothes, and his hair was long, his cheeks bearing stubble. But what really marked the man as odd was that his eyes were a familiar silvery hue.
"You're not in a position to make that statement," said Zhao, turning back to the lady and forming the flame again. But again, it just vanished.
"Perhaps you didn't hear me correctly," the man said, and Zuko heard steel. "I said, that's enough."
"Perhaps you didn't hear me, either," said Zhao. "Guards! Tell him what I said."
One of the soldiers advanced as the man stepped out of the group. He darted his spear forward, but the man neatly sidestepped. A couple more thrusts resulted similarly, until finally after another miss, the man stepped close, slid to the ground and kicked the man's knees out from under him. The spear was dropped to the side as the soldier fell, but the man sprang up quickly, grabbing the spear before it hit the ground.
As the soldier began to crawl away, Zhao snorted contemptuously. "So you can handle a soldier. But what about a Bender?"
One of the masked soldiers stepped forward in the fighting stance, legs wide and hands high, but the man did absolutely nothing. Zhao nodded to the Fire Bender, who shot his fist out. Zuko watched as the fireball raced toward the man – and this time he caught it: a certain… twist in the air, as though the very reality were bending or warping, and the ball disappeared.
The man stepped forward and pushed with his palm, and Zuko was able to track the distortion. The Fire Bender stepped aside at the last instant – it didn't hit his heart, only his arm. Still, Zuko watched in horror as armor, flesh and bone all disappeared, and the arm fell to the ground, useless.
Everyone gasped as the Fire Bender fell to the ground, screaming and clutching his stump of an arm. "What manner of sorcery is this!" shouted Zhao. "Guards! Take him!"
The man raced forward as the soldiers came to him and gave Zhao several thrusts of the spear. Zhao dropped the lady and stepped back, parrying with braced arms. The man turned to the hostages and made a cutting motion with his fore and middle fingers. The captives were suddenly able to move their arms and legs, the man and girl immediately elbowing their captor's groins and racing to get out of the way. As more guards stepped forward, chaos erupted as three things happened at once:
One, the Tribe, no longer under guard, immediately revolted.
Two, more Fire Nation soldiers arrived, and immediately cut his bonds and those of the Avatar. The Avatar finally roused, realized the situation, and swept the snow up into a blizzard with a tremendous wave of his hand.
Three, a huge white beast flew in, and suddenly water began pummel the soldiers everywhere.
Zuko was swept into the chaos almost immediately. Soon his hands and feet were afire, kicking and punching in mass pandemonium. Occasionally he would spot the man, fighting with an odd, fluid, graceful technique – and that bend, and screams of pain or horror as men or their parts disappeared in a bloody haze.
Somehow he was able to find his Uncle in that mess. "Uncle Airoh! Is this your doing?"
"Not entirely!" replied the old man, flinging an arc of flame into the crowd. "That man was an interesting surprise, but we have more pressing concerns! We have to get you out of here!"
"NO! The Avatar's right here! If we hurry-"
"It's too late for that, nephew! Look!" Zuko looked and saw the Avatar was already on the beast along with those two companions of his. It swooped lower, though, and Zuko saw that the man, along with the buxom teenager were now fighting side by side almost in the middle. The beast swept low, and the two of them leapt up, climbing up the fur and settling into the saddle. The Avatar snapped the reins, and soon the beast was climbing into the sky.
---
Kishi: Well. That certainly adds a bit of mystery, doesn't it? Anyway, time for the next omake!
Omake no Toki! Sanban! Aang wa 'Rap' wo dekiruka?
(Time for the third Omake! Aang can rap?)
(SCENE: Karaoke Bar, "The Hammered Dulcimer." The crew's relaxing around a microphone set. KATARA's just sat down after a stirring rendition of Cher's "I Will Love Again." As she sits there, flushed, AANG fidgets awkwardly.)
SOKKA: Go on, dude! Go for it!
AANG: I dunno...
ZUKO: What're you talking about?
SOKKA: Didn't AANG ever tell you? He freestyles!
ZUKO: No way!
AANG: Well... I'm not very good...
KATARA: Come on, AANG! Let's hear it!
(AANG sighs before standing up and grabbing the mike. Everybody cheers as AANG cycles through the collection, before finally stopping on a song. He turns around with a sly grin as everybody sees what he picked.)
SOKKA: Eminem? What the?
KATARA: AANG, are you sure about this? I mean, it's not exactly kid's stuff...
AANG: I know... but ZUKO let me ask you something!
ZUKO: Hm?
AANG: If you had... one shot... one opportunity, to seize everything you ever wanted - one moment: would you capture it? Or would you just let it slip?
(AANG slips a cap on backwards)
Yo!
His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy,
There's vomit on his sweater already: Mom's spaghetti.
He's nervous! But on the surface he looks calm and ready
To drop bombs. But he keeps on forgettin' what he
Wrote down, the whole crowd goes so loud!
He opens his mouth but the words won't come out!
He's chokin! How everybody's jokin' now!
The Clock's run out! Time's up! Over! Blaoh!
(AANG leaps!)
Snap back to reality
Oh, there goes gravity
Oh, there goes Rabbit he
Choked. He's so mad, but he
Won't give up that easy
No!
He won't have it. He knows his whole back's to these ropes;
It don't matter, he's dope.
He knows that, but he's broke.
He's so stagnant, he knows
When he goes back to his mobile home:
That's when it's back to the lab again yo,
This whole rap sh+t, he
Better go capture this moment and hope it don't pass him
(AANG starts head banging to the music as he goes)
You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go!
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime
You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go!
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime!
(AANG makes the universal rapper hand gesture as he continues)
The soul's escaping, through this hole that is gaping:
"This world is mine for the taking! Make me King!"
As we move toward a New World Order, a normal life is borin'
But superstardom's close to post mortem
It only grows harder, only grows hotter
He blows us all over. These hoes is all on him.
Coast to coast shows, he's known as the globetrotter.
But hold your nose cuz here goes the cold water.
His hoes don't want him no mo, he's cold product.
They moved on to the next schmoe who flows - he nose dove and sold nada
So the soap opera is told and unfolds. I suppose it's old partna,
But the beat goes on, da da dum da dum
(Headbangin'! Come on, everybody!)
You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go!
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime
You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go!
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime!
(AANG points out Zuko, and nods at him emphatically)
No more games, I'ma change what you call rage.
Tear this m+th+f+ck+n' roof off, like two dogs caged.
I was playin' in the beginnin', but the mood all changed.
I been chewed up, and spit out, and booed off stage.
But I kept rhymin' and stepwritin' the next cypher.
Best believe somebody's payin' the Pied Piper.
All the pain inside amplified by the fact that I can't get by with my 9-to-5
And I can't provide the right type of life for my family
'cuz man, these G+dd+mn food stamps don't buy diapers
And it's no movie, there's no Mekhi Phifer: this is my life.
And these times are so hard. And it's getting even harder,
Try to feed and water my seed, plus see dishonor
Caught up between being a father and a prima donna
Baby mama drama's screamin on and too much for me to wanna
Stay in one spot. Another day of monotony has gotten me
To the point I'm like a snail. I got to formulate a plot, or end up in jail or shot.
Success is my only m+th+f+ck+n' option, failure's not!
Mom, I love you, but this trailer's got to go!
I cannot grow old, and stay in one spot!
So here we go, it's my shot!
Feet fail me not!
Cuz this may be the only opportunity that I got!
You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go!
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime
You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go!
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime!
(Panting heavily, AANG falls backward, head in KATARA's lap as they all clap)
AANG: You can do anything you set your mind to, man.
(AANG faints).
Kishi: Yargh! Note to self - never, ever, EVER use Eminem lyrics again! EVER! Figuring out the right rhyme scheme is weird!
:massages hands:
Kishi: Anyway, there are a few things I left undefined last time:
Inari: a fox
Nezumi: a mouse
Tora: a tiger
Neko: a cat
Taiko: a type of drum
Shamisen: a traditional Japanese stringed instrument, similar to a guitar.
Mandolin: a traditional Chinese instrument, similar to a cello in some respects.
Yang Qin: the Chinese term for the hammered dulcimer.
Shakuhachi: a Japanese bamboo flute.
Dao: 'Knife;' refers to the swords Zuko used in the 'Blue Spirit' episode.
Kishi: Hmmm. Yeah, I guess that's it. If I missed something, please let me know.
Avatar: The Last Air Bender is copyrighted to people who aren't me. I don't know who they are, otherwise, I'd give 'em credit.
The song 'Lose Yourself' is copyrighted to Eminem. It's his, not mine. I just used it, darn it!
The only things I own in this story are those things I perceive as original, and thusly are mine. If you recognize something that you came up with first, all credit goes to you.
I have no clue where you can contact me. I think the address is in my profile…