Set Trap
Ch23
"What! Took him! Why? How?" panicked Katara, Aang looked at the ground, tears slowly falling from his eye, grasping his ribs and his left arm all throbbed from his fight with Zinan. The scene kept playing in his head over and over never stopping. Kin saving him and dieing in the process, Sokka getting knocked out and taken, and Zinan threat (Listen Avatar I'm taking your friend, if you want him alive again go to the stream north of your village in 7 hours. Come alone or he dies."). He just couldn't believe what was happening to him and everyone around him. "Aang snap out of it! Tell me what happened!" Katara screamed shaking him back and forth trying to get him to speak to her. Once she stopped Aang stood straight up and his head facing straight, but his eyes still were still towards the ground as tears still slowly slid down his cheeks. "I was fighting Zinan and losing (sniff) Kin came to help (sniff, sniff) and Zinan killed him. (Sniff, sniff) Then (sniff) Sokka attacked him and got knocked out." Aang said while trying to hold back his tears. Katara starred at him letting everything seep in trying desperately not to cry her self. "Why did he take him?" she said in a low whisper, "To get to me, he wants to meet me at a stream north of Shichi village. I'm sorry Katara I will get him back I swear." Aang said, only now looking her in the eyes. They were fill with spite, anger, hatred, the kind of look many fire benders had when they were trying to kill them. This shocked Katara a little causing a small shiver down her spine.
Zuko leaned Cho against a tree and stood before Kin while he still daggled from the tree. The ground beneath the body was covered in blood, a puddle surrounded the tree. He starred at Kin slowly remembering how important he was to his crew. Remembering all the training sessions he volunteered to help with, helping him out in battle, even having man to man talks together when his uncle wasn't around. Zuko came to his since and began to pull the body off the branched, as he did blood dripped on his shoulders and face, the body slowly sliding off getting stuck every few seconds causing Zuko to pull harder and causing the branch to crack. Zuko kept his gaze towards the ground or the trees not wanting to see his friends dead expression or watch his body lifelessly daggle. Once the body reached the edge the branch snapped causing the body to fall on Zuko and force him to the ground. Cho and Iroh rushed to him and pulled the body off him leaving a blood soaked Zuko. Kin was laid against a tree and Iroh and Cho helped Zuko up. "Zuko go back to the shop with everyone I'll take care of this." said Iroh, Zuko shook his head and picked up his swords. "No uncle, he died saving me and anyone else doing it wouldn't be honorable." he said, Zuko walked passed them both and stood in front of Kin, slowly raising his sword above his head. His memories kept flooding his mind, causing him to slowly lower his sword. He wished the memories would stop, he wished he wasn't here, he wished he never left home. "I'm sorry." he whispered, then the sword swung cutting through Kin's neck, causing his head to roll to the side. Iroh walked over and picked up the head out of the mud and placed it with the body. He then turned to his nephew and took his hand. "Lets go" Iroh said. Everyone turned to leave the forest, each with thoughts of loss, and death on their minds.
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Else where, north of Shichi village Sokka slowly began to regain consciousness. His body ached, his head felt like the time he fell off Appa and on to a bunch of rocks. His arms burned from the wrists down. Once he opened his eyes he didn't like it, he was hanging from a tree in a small open field. The ground looked like it was dead, dried cracked and rough. The Trees broken and short, each looked like they were hacked up by a bunch of axes. The sound of a stream caught his attention, It flowed smoothly and quietly, it sparkled in the moon light, it looked good. Just then water was thrown in his face, Sokka began to cough and shiver, the water was colder then it looked. Sokka was thinking it was his sister messing with him and turned to yell but stopped when he saw it wasn't Katara it was Zinan. Sokka froze at the sight and began to remember what happened and wished he stayed asleep. "You looked thirsty so I thought I give a drink. Better now?" Zinan chuckled, Sokka shook his head in a attempt to dry off, his skin was crawling with goose bumps now. He glared at the demon trying to figure out what was going on and a good come back that wouldn't get him hurt to badly. "Yeah I feel a lot better but if you could go stand underneath the water that be even better." he said, Zinan stood their dumb folded and his arms crossed staring at him. "That was the best you could come up with? Heh, no wonder your friends didn't put up a fight to save you." Zinan said, "Yeah right, I'm not that dumb, I know Aang tried to save me." answered Sokka, Zinan stepped closer to him smirking as though he knew a great secret that he could wait to share. "Your friend didn't even lift a finger. That there shows the true nature of humanity. You give your own up when they are no longer useful and worse." Zinan preached, Sokka looked clueless to what he was saying, acting like he was talking another language. "What are you talking about? We don't do that. Well ok maybe the bad guy do but not us. Humans are not the evil creature you make us out to be. Alright some of us are evil but the majority are not. People live peaceful lives and take care of each other. Your kind are the evil monsters going around killing for no reason but for power. If you ask me you guys are the hypocrites!" Sokka exploded, he gasped for air making his speech in one breath, not caring who he was yelling at, he just couldn't take being talked down to anymore.
Zinan looked at him, no longer grinning but now a scowl formed, eyes narrow never blinking. The demon then brought his fist up and gave the human a light punch across the jaw causing Sokka to spit blood along with a tooth. "You think the majority of you are good. You know nothing of your own race human. Your kind has been fighting a war for over a century for what cause? Nothing but to gain power and superiority. To prove who has a bigger ego and pride. You sacrifice your selves for nothing more than the pride and glory of one person. You are the ones that make nothing of your short lives and butcher each other for no reason. We do not fight for such things. When one is stronger he does not exceed though that are stronger and if so does it alone. You have no morals, you lie to your selves about what is or is not right, always changing the rules never knowing what you want." Zinan said in a low whisper, the two starred at one another for a min. the wind died, the water flowed silently, the forest secede to make sound. Anger could be seen in Sokka's eyes not wanting to hear some demons rants about how his race was better. "Why are you here then? What is it you want? Do you even know, and why did you kidnap me? Sokka asked, Zinan expression never changed, never lost eye contact, only his scowl began to soften. "I'm here to gain power. With my masters help I will gain power over all who dare to look upon me. I will take this world form those who choose to scrounger it like it has nothing and will always be the same. I want to be a god… as for capturing you well that's simple. I'm going to kill you when your Avatar friend gets here." Zinan explained, Sokka's eyes grew wide and his jaw hung open, not liking that idea at all. " But why? That makes no since? If your going to kill me why not back in the forest instead of now?" screamed Sokka, Zinan circled him not saying a word. After a min. of this the demon stopped in front of him grinning as if teasing a small child with the promise of a new toy he simple grabbed his chin so their eyes met and let out a small whisper. "To break him." Zinan answered,
Sokka glared at him but then his anger turned to amusement Zinan looked at him clueless. ( I just told him his friend is going to watch him die what's so amusing?") Zinan thought, he glared at the human waiting to hear what was funny. " So humans are some kind of unfit creatures with no morals and we have no values for anything, right? Well what about you huh? Your torturing Aang by killing me and anyone around him and for what some kind of sick humor? I admit we humans aren't always the best thing to see. We can be evil, sick, hell we can be devils but at least we got ether are insane or fighting for survival for a excuse. But you your not that insane and your not fighting for survival your just a monster the thing you clam humans are. Ha, your what you clam is so unfit to rule this world so you shouldn't be here." Sokka hissed with a sneer, Zinan was shock, his eyes widen and loss eye contacted and turned from him and stared at the stream. After a few min. of silence the demon quickly turned and punched Sokka in the stomach hard. Sokka coughed a few times spitting blood on to the ground then passing out. Zinan stood their starring at his motionless body steaming at what he said. "No human I'm not like you, I'm something greater than you could comp rend, I am power in its prime, I do what is necessary, you just do anything thinking you can justify your selves to make it right. You will see how dirty your race is… when I send you to hell." said Zinan as he walked over to the stream but stopping a good 10 feet from it and starred at it. " What a nice speech… to bad the boy was unconscious for it but hey even if he weren't he still go to sleep." said a familiar voice, Zinan turned slowly to see Kane standing next to Sokka with his arms crossed, his coat waving in the wind and a grin on his face. Zinan glared at him and started to walk over towards him. "What do you want Kane? A rematch?" Zinan said, Kane acted like he didn't hear anything and began to walk toward the stream beginning to chuckle to him self. "No I only came to see how you were fairing and I see you've manage to screw up already. Of all places to fight you chose to fight next to a stream? No wonder Ronin doesn't think of you as anything more than a minion." Kane mocked, Zinan was now truly angry and started to move towards Kane but with each step Kane got closer to the stream, after a few feet Zinan stopped and glared clinching his fists as hard as he could. " Your going to fail and you better hope you die here, Ronin will not be merciful." said Kane, "is that all you wanted to say cause if so then leave I got a job to do. Remember master Ronin gave me this task now not you." Zinan said trying to prove him wrong. Kane merely walk away with a relaxed appearance from the stream and past Zinan never losing his smile. " Go ahead and fight here, I'm only trying to help… my friend …. Good bye Zinan." Kane said, he spoke in a friendly whisper, with his speed he disappeared in the forest.
Zinan stood there starring in the direction Kane left in and glaring his anger had reached it's peek. ( "How dare he talk to me like that! No matter what he says I know I'm no minion and Master Ronin knows that! I'll kill that bastered once I'm done here. But the way he said good by as if he didn't expect me to live through this what a fool. As if a human can kill me.)
Zinan thought, he still starred into the forest now claming down and letting go of his fists taking deep breaths he walked over to a tree and sat down and closed his eyes. "We are not and never were friends." he whispered to himself. The demon looked then towards the moon and smiled. "Two hours left."
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Ok, first Kane's coat is basically a black trench coat but old fashioned, plus Zinan is kind of a hypocrite isn't he ha ha