It began like a rush. The Fire Nation soldiers were stunned, and only took defensive positions to protect the warden, as most Earth Benders pushed back, trying to hide in the shadows, to not draw attention to themselves. Then the warden issued the command of attack, his anger and rage building up to protect his injured ego. The guards rushed forward, flames shotting from their fists as the few Earth Benders and Katara and her friends retreated a few steps.
"For the Earth Kingdom," Haru's father howled. His bravado returning, more and more of the prisoners rose up in defense of their beliefs. Stone, flame, water, and air, shot everywhere. Bodies dropped, people retreated, soldiers surged forward, and rebels pushed them back down to their original positions. Sokka joined in the fray as he swung his boomerang right and left, as if it were a sword, the tops of the Fire Guards' spears shot off as coal decapitated their weapons. Aang's flying lemuer dodged the missles, and clutched the spear tops in his paws, flying them off to where they could not do any damage.
A soldier darted toward Katara, his blade shining in the new morning's bright sunlight, and she dodged, ducked and sent him on his butt with a gust of water. It wasn't going to stop his determination, he rose to his feet, his eyes shining with darkness, and surged forward, but Haru had managed to force his way to the girl, slinging his coal stones like a modern day David versus Goliath. The soldier was tough, and unlike most of his comrades he didn't scare easily. With the skill of a person well trained in his line of work, he dodged their attacks, and brought his blade between them, to separate them, sending Haru to his back and Katara to her knees.
He had the eyes of a killer in his eyes, and had probably murdered more than he could remember, or wanted to. With each death he caused, a little bit of humanity erased from him, until he was nothing more that a killing machine. His lips pulled up into a grizzly grin of skeletal death, and he brought the blade down on her head, stopping as both Haru and Aang pulled him away with the power of their combined wills.
"Thanks," the girl said, pulling herself to her feet.
"I had some help," Haru said. He blinked and blushed as they stared at each other, amist the chaos of the fighting. "I wanted to apologize for my words last night."
"Now? Can't it wait?" she shrieked, sending another soldier off the platform, into the water.
"I was really worried that you might have been taken away when they heard you knew the Avatar," he said, sending two soldiers, knocking one into the side of the building, another one into the water down below.
The battle was intensifying, bodies were flying everywhere, mainly Fire Nation soldiers, but there were a few Earth Benders now, and as more guards raced to the fray, there were more and more bodies in the Earth Kingdom rebels falling.
Katara wanted to talk more, but the action was picking up, the sky was being bloated out by the coal, the flames and smoke, the cries of the men and women. She was beginning to break into a sweat, weaving and batting about, stopping this soldier or that, her muscles ached, and her head was pounding, but she was determined to help these people find their freedom now, just as she had managed to help them find their fighting spirit.
A female guard jutted forward out of the smoke, her red gloved fingers reaching out for her face. Katara edged backward, and clenched her fists, punching the woman, who seemed only slightly older than she was herself. The two flung backwards into ash brown shadows, and the young Water Bender could feel the guard slip her slender fingers over her neck, squeezing as she peered down to look into her face.
Her skin was lighter than Katara's, and her eyes were brown, instead of blue, and her hair was jet black, but other than that, she could have been the girl's mirror image. Her eyes were shaking, and her fingers unsure of what they needed to do, only the brainwashed lessons of her past forced the Fire Solider to continued pressing her digits into Katara's neck, and only Katara's necklace was protecting her from being completely strangled, as it interfered with the other girl's grip.
The other girl seemed to realize this, and tore her wrist free from Katara's hand, to pull out a blade, no doubt to make her job easier. Her face was blank, no twisted monstrosity of hate, no cruel smile, of what was about to happen. If there was any emotion, it was confusion, and perhaps a little bit of dread. She no doubt thought that if she didn't finish this fight now, the pseudo Earth Bender would use her "skills" to kill her.
Katara could hear Aang, Sokka, and Haru all call out to her, and realized in the dim of battle, the haze of horror that they couldn't have seen her even if she was just a few inches away. This is it? She had grasped the other girl's wrist again, and held it just over her own chest as the Fire Soldier tried her best to thrust the blade into her heart. She was sitting on top of Katara's waist, pinning her down with her own powerful legs. Her eyes were twitching, as if the battle of humanity and a murdereress was being wagged in her soul.
She swallowed, her mind calm as she knew what she had to do. It would take a few seconds, but she would have to more quick enough to confuse the other girl, to accomplish it. Katara released her grip, and knocked her hands toward her water bag at her hip. If this didn't work, if her fingers or hands didn't hit the lid just right so she could use her real talents, the blade would slip down, and Katara of the Water Tribe would be no more.
Her hand brushed against the lid, slipped it open, and she heard the familiar sound of water trickling out of the bag. Using what strength she had left, she formed the trickle into a small ball, and sent it soaring into her oppenant's eyes. It struck at the last second, as the blade had begun to tore into her dress, and the soldier squeaked, and pulled away, reaching for Katara's neck again for balance. The Water bender pulled away, and pressed the girl towards the shadows. "Stay down," she instructed, using some more water to pour down the other girl's face. "And don't rub, you'll get the ashes that was in the water to damage your eyes."
Katara turned and rushed back into the combat, using her skills to knock down a few more soldiers, and aided two Earth benders in taking down three snipers that had been making sport of their prey from on top of a tower. A large coal shaped like a wrecking ball swung up and knocked the tower down, taking the last advantage place for the guards to conduct the fight away from the enemy.
As soon as she could, she found that her brother, and Aang and Haru were leading a group of prisoners towards a large hole in the wall. Bodies of Fire soldiers littered the ground, their weak moans telling the girl that they were alive, and no longer a danger to anybody. His father issued the call to head for the boats, and many of the rebels were now racing for that hole, and for freedom.
"Haru," she called out. She ran forward, and he smiled at her, before a blast of fire caused him to scream in agony, and he dropped to his butt. She shrieked, and rushed toward him, but a gust of fire stopped her. She turned to see the girl who she had healed look at the two of them with confusion and bitternes.
"You are both under arrest," she said cooly. Her eyes were still shaking and she looked like she was ready to throw up. "Please stand down now, and everything will be easier for you."
"I helped you," Katara said.
"You attacked me," the other girl said, pulling her blade out. "Please, I don't want to kill you, but I will if I must." She looked down and spotted Haru forming a coal spear as slowly as he could. The Fire Soldier leveled the blade at him. "Cease your actions," she said, taking a more commanding tone of voice.
"You tried to attack me," Katara snapped, taking a step between them. "You tried to choke me, and then stab that blade into my chest. I was only defending myself."
"I was simply following orders," she barked, her red irritated eyes growing dark. "You should have never faught back, you should have just left well enough alone!"
"Don't you ever think for yourself?" Katara asked, raising her arms in a position of peace. "How many people could you hurt if you just accept orders without thinking about it?"
"Thinking about things like 'right and wrong' will get you killed in the battlefield," the girl growled, angry but still uncertain. "Obeying orders is the only way to stay alive."
"You didn't have to become a soldier at all," Haru said, his voice as heavy as a bolder. His hands were still forming the spear, despite Katara's obvious intentions of trying to stop him.
"This is not up for discusion," the girl said. "Surrender or I swear I'll kill you."
"I don't think you will," Katara said softly.
"Like you know what I really will do or not," the soldier scoffed. She raised her blade, and dropped to the ground as Sokka brought his boomerang down across the back of her head.
"Like I said," Katara whispered, "I don't think you will." She looked at her brother, her eyes thanking him.
"You're welcome," he answered. "Now, let's get out of here"
By this time the remaining Fire Guards were rounded up along with their warden, and were hovering off the prison floor, right below the sea. The warden begged for mercy, claiming he couldn't swim, but Haru's father just looked at him.
"Don't worry, I hear that cowards float," he sniped, before dropping the warden and the remaining conscious guards into the water. Never intending on killing, he figured that the bully would hold on tight to his own men's shoulders, or the large pieces of coal that they sent him down with. If he was lucky, there would be a rescue sent for them within the hour.
ZETOPA
You never told us about this!
Sokka, you're foaming at the mouth, let Katara finish her story!
You mean finish making it up! That's what happens when you go blonde you know!
Sokka, shut up! You were the one who knocked the girl on her butt.
Er, wel.. That was a guy, not a girl!
That's not what you told me after the fight!
That was just to make you feel better. What? What do you want NOW Aang?
Katara has big log and she's going to hit you with it.
WHAT!
Bonk sound effect
OW…………
Okay, getting this story finished …
They stood at the edge of the boat, looking at the prison as it receded over the horizon. People were cheering, crying happily as they watched it vanish, as they saw the shores of their homes come ever so much closer. Haru and Katara stood there hand in hand …
YOU HELD HIS HAANNDDD?
Do you want me to hit you with a bolder this time?
They stood there, hand in hand, and looked at each other's eyes. There was a long moment of silence, before they spoke in unison. Laughing, she urged him to continue.
"I want to say I'm sorry again," Haru said. "I really don't hate you, and …," he began twiddling with his fingers.
"And?" she asked with a smile.
He blushed and looked away for a second. "I really do think of you as a friend, all of you." He looked down at his feet. "You especially."
She blushed and looked down for a moment. "That's sweet," she said in a low tone.
Haru chuckled, and stroked the back of his head. "Th…anks." He swallowed and looked at her, more determined and brave. "Why don't you stay with us? We could use you for the fighting, to give us your strength."
"I didn't give you anything you didn't already have," she said, making him look into her eyes. "You had that strength all along, you just needed someone to reawaken it."
"Which is why we could use somebody like you," Haru said. Katara shook her head.
"You have somebody like that too," she said. She put a finger to his chest, and giggled as he blushed. "You have your path, your mission, but we, my brother Sokka and I, have ours. We have to help Aang get to the North Pole, to find a teacher."
"He really is him, isn't he?" Haru asked, looking at Aang. "The Avatar, I mean?" she nodded, and Haru felt a surge of power and respect for the boy. They had told him this earlier, before the guards came to arrest him at his mother's house, but he was sure that it was just something to impress him with at the time.
"It seems like anything is really possible now," the boy said. Katara nodded yet again.
Haru swallowed and looked at the girl, at her fair brown skin, her bright blue eyes. His heart pounded against his chest as he smelled the mixture of sea salt, the collective sweat of the group, of Katara's hair and skin. His tongue ran across his teeth, and he looked away. "I understand," he said. "I understad what you have to do, and I respect it. Maybe one day you can come back, and we can talk some more."
"I'd like that," she said with a small smile.
His body tightened again and he turned to her, smiling sweetly as he did. "Thank you for every thing you guys did for us," he said in a low voice. Katara giggled and looked at him, blushing a little.
"You already did that, you know?"
"But did I do this?" he asked, hoping he wasn't overstepping his bounderies here. He turned to the girl, took her in his arms, and bent over, placing his lips on hers. She was shocked, but didn't fight it. A few seconds later he was rewarded as she put her hands on his shoulders, and kissed him back. They held each other for a few more minutes, until they heard his father clear his throat, and then pulled away, staring at the old man as he smirked at them.
"Thank you for your help," he chuckled, looking at Katara. "Rest assured, you and your friends are welcome in our village anytime you need or want to visit."
"Thank you," Katara said softly. It was then that she heard her brother's call, and turned toward Appa. She stopped for a second, looked at the boy, and blushed, "It was my first time," she called softly.
"It was mine too," he answered with a larger blush. They waved good bye, and Appa rose in the air, flying away.
ZETOPA
Sokka looked like he was going to puke, his skin green and pasty. "I thought you were red because of the sun, that's what you told us!" His stomach was turning knots at the thought of Haru kissing his sister. It could've been a worse first kiss, but it was obvious to him that Haru had taken advantage of her.
"I wasn't ready to tell you the real story," Katara snapped. "So sue me."
"I got a better idea, I'll sue Haru and his whole village," the boy snapped, rising to his feet in disgust. "The thought of him using you like that just ticks me off."
"Here we go again!" Aang said with a sigh.
Okay, this was shorter than I thought, but I liked the way the battle scene played out. If it had been larger like I wanted it to be, it would have lost some of the drama, I think. I apologize to any of you who wanted a larger story, but this was the best I thought it could go. Anyway, one last chapter, one last argument, and a surprise. Many of you probably see what's coming up next, but if not, kool! A lot of you will like it. Okay on the the tenth and final chapter!