Disclaimer: I do not nor will I ever own Avatar: The Last Airbender. I am making no money off of this.
Summary: Koh the Face Stealer threatens to return and finish what he started centuries ago. New alliances will be formed, friendships will be tested, and characters will be challenged like never before.
Providence
Chapter Eleven: Battles
- - - - -
It was so silly, really. Katara didn't know why the fable had come to mind, but then again the circumstances seemed to call for the bizarre. She remembered a tale her mother had told her once as a child, a magical tale about the sun and the moon and their forbidden love. The waterbender always thought it was odd that two deities of such opposite nature had gone to extraordinary lengths to be with one another. The moon goddess created a celestial ladder and would climb it every night to be with her lover. She was attracted by his warmth and power, he by her beauty and subtle strength. The girls of her village swooned over this part of the romantic tale, declaring that love was blind and knew no barriers. They swooned because they were idiots.
After a disastrous dinner in which the sun god had served fish from the ocean (a horrible choice in Katara's opinion, didn't he know about the moon and ocean were close friends, practically inseparable?) the moon moved to a different part of the sky saying she would never look at the sun again. This is why night and day are never together.
Katara could sympathize.
Zuko was following her and Momo, although his constant grunts, huffs, and inaudible mutterings under his breath told her that he did so only because he had no more desirable options. Katara knew the lemur had been awake during their previous journey to the temple, but that alone might not guarantee that he would lead them there now. She pushed the negative thought aside; she couldn't afford to think that way. She had to stay positive, despite the negative influence walking just behind her.
His hand took firm grasp of her arm, stopping Katara, "What the…"
Zuko shushed her. He stood motionless and listening for something. His amber eyes eventually fixed to their right as he heard it again. Voices. Two of them.
He dragged the unwilling Katara closer to the sound; his grip was firm, but not painful. They stood behind the thick trunk of a tree and Zuko peered around. Katara opened her mouth to protest, but a hard glare silenced her. That's when she heard it too. Someone…no, two people were close by. She tensed. The sound was gone now. Had they heard them?
For a moment fire and water stood together in uncomfortable silence. Friend or foe was nearby and neither Katara nor Zuko was keen to make the first move, but they didn't have to wait long. The ground trembled beneath them. Shing. Their question was answered.
"You shouldn't sneak around like that. It's rude." Shing relaxed his fighting stance as Yori stood rigid beside him. She armed herself with her kunai, three in each hand, and prepared herself for the inevitable battle.
Katara placed her hands on her hips and gave them the best I'm-pissed-and-I'm-not-afraid-of-you look she could muster, "Bold words from a traitor."
"My dearest Katara," the prince flashed her a seductive look, like a heavenly angel with an earthly promise. "I assure you my motives are completely noble. Surely you wish for an end to this war as much as I do? Victory is near…"
"Shut up!" Zuko could take no more of Shing's tireless talking. "Hand over the Houshu and I might leave some teeth in your mouth."
"I was talking to the lady," he shot back. "Have some patience. I'll kick your ass soon enough."
"Anyone can talk," Zuko challenged. "Not everyone can back it up."
The exiled prince released two successive bursts of hot flames. The first attack barely dented the shield Shing created, but the second crumbled his defense, leaving him open.
Zuko charged forward and quickly unleashed another attack. Fire consumed the area around his opponent. He waited for the flames to clear and claim his victory, but to his surprise and disappointment Shing had disappeared. He cursed under his breath. Where the hell did he go?
Shing emerged from his refuge underground directly behind Zuko. The fire prince twisted around to face his opponent only to have Shing's fist connect with his face, causing Zuko to stumble back. He quickly regained his balance and resumed his fighting stance. He shot the earth prince a look of hatred as he allowed his anger to grow.
"That was a pretty good try," said Shing. "You were able to predict my shield and figured out how to defeat it after only seeing it once before." He moved into a low stance, his right knee bent forward with his left leg stretched behind him; his arms were raised to chest height. "I'll let go of my pride and acknowledge your skill. No more holding back."
In a flash six kunai made a deadly path towards the waterbender. Katara quickly called some water from her canteen and knocked them from the air. She raised the stream over her head and brought it down like a whip. Yori quickly jumped out of the way and charged her opponent. Katara tried again, but her water whip was not able to connect with the agile young woman. She soared through the air, twisted, and a flying kick landed in Katara's side.
The waterbender flew to the left, her journey quickly ending as her back hit the trunk of tree. She looked up just in time to see Yori's fist. Katara swiftly moved out of the way and the bodyguard's punch hit the tree instead, sending wood chips flying. The Water Tribe girl couldn't help notice the large chunk of bark that was now missing. That was close.
She got back to her feet, but before Katara could so much as blink Yori was again upon her. A barrage of punches and kicks kept her on her toes. She wasn't able to waterbend since the purpose of her opponents attack was to keep her from being able to counter. But Katara wasn't to be underestimated.
She surprised Yori by grabbing hold of her arm just as it had passed her head in a failed attempt to punch the waterbender. Katara used the momentum from her opponent against her and turned it into a throw, flipping the gray-eyed woman over. However, Yori's agility seemed to know no bounds. With an almost unnatural twist the bodyguard landed on her feet and took hold of Katara, using her own tactic against her. She went flying helplessly through the air, slid across the wet grass, and straight into a puddle that had formed during the brief rainstorm. Yori charged again, but as soon as her foot stepped into the water it instantly froze and trapped her. Katara took her time getting back to her feet, letting a smile grace her lips.
"This fight is over," she summoned more water from her arsenal, intending to imprison the young woman in ice once more. The earth trembled for the second time. The ice cracked, leaving Yori just enough room to free herself. Katara launched the water at her opponent, but with her newfound mobility Yori easily, almost casually, evaded it.
With the ground constantly moving beneath him it was almost impossible for Zuko to aim properly. His fire attacks soared over Shing's head, wildly to the side, and embarrassingly short. It took a great deal of effort just to keep his balance, much less put up an offensive. Zuko jumped and grabbed hold of a low lying branch with one hand and shot a jet of flames at the earth prince with the other. But just as he had finally found a way to aim, a stream of water doused the fire and soaked him head to toe.
"You idiot!" He growled at Katara as he landed back on the ground. "Watch what you're doing!"
"If you had done your job and defeated Shing it wouldn't have happened!"
"What did you just say, you little…"
Their fight stole Katara's attention and she barely had time to raise her arms in defense as Yori delivered another punch. The first attack with her right fist knocked Katara's arms out of the way and the second with her left fist connected with the girl's jaw. The waterbender dropped to her knees, a trickle of blood escaping from her mouth.
With one enemy down, Yori pulled out more throwing knives and used the fire prince as her new target. Zuko avoided the kunai, but he wasn't so lucky with the boulder offered by Shing. It took him by surprise and knocked him backwards.
Katara stood back up, wiped the blood away, and joined Zuko. Yori and Shing stood side by side, their stances mirror images of each other.
"Yojimbo," the fire prince muttered.
Katara raised a graceful brow in question.
"That girl isn't just some hired hand. She is his yojimbo."
"Are you going to explain what that is or am I supposed to guess?"
He was getting very good at giving her exasperated looks, "Don't be stupid. Open your eyes."
Katara looked at their opponents. It was strange; Shing and Yori had the same stance, but why would that be? Yori couldn't bend. Was this supposed to be some sort of trick?
"A yojimbo is more than just a bodyguard, they are chosen at birth to serve alongside a member of the Earth Kingdom's royal family. They are trained with their masters in combat and tactics. They are supposed to be in complete sync with one another, but it's strange…a yojimbo is usually an earthbender."
Shing smiled, "It seems General Iroh's well of intelligence is very deep indeed. You've done well to listen to him."
"What's the matter Shing?" Zuko ignored that comment in favor of irritating the earth prince. "Are you so weak that your family gave you a retainer whose only talent is tossing around little knives?"
"Better a non-bending yojimbo than a scar on my face."
Zuko's fists were clinched so tight his nails were digging into his flesh and drawing blood. Katara looked at him in confusion. What exactly had Shing meant by that?
The exiled prince charged the earthbender with a roar and burst of flames. The Earth Kingdom duo dodged to either side and attempted to attack the prince together. Yori armed herself with more kunai, but was quickly knocked back by a torrent of water.
"I am your opponent," Katara said. She wasn't about to lose. They had to get the Houshu back, everything depended on it. Shing and Yori had already proven themselves a powerful team and, as much as she hated to admit it, she was going to have to work with Zuko if they were ever going to defeat their opponents.
If only she knew how.
- - - - -
"What do we have here?" Chen's arrogant voice made Sokka's blood boil, "How fortunate for me. I was just wondering how I was going to find the temple and the answer actually came right to me. Why don't you be a good boy and show me the way?"
"Your greed has blinded you to reality," Sokka retorted. "There is no way you can win now. It's over for you; all your friends are gone." The warrior tried not to let his eyes wander over to the dead body of the waterbender…executed by the pirate himself.
Chen's ominous eyes narrowed. "Don't play games with me you little brat! Take me to the temple!"
"No," His response was solid and immovable, not a trace of fear or second thoughts.
"That was a mistake." Chen reached for his sword and slowly pulled it out. He didn't bother changing his stance to a fighting position. Sokka didn't fail to notice the insult. "And your last."
Being a man is knowing where you're needed the most…
This is where he was needed. Sokka took his boomerang from its sheath and gripped it tightly.
It gave me life. Maybe I can give it back.
No! You don't have to do that!
It's my duty, Sokka.
I won't let you! Your father told me to protect you!
I have to do this.
Ever since the death of Yue, Sokka felt as though he had lost control, and all the guilt and anger was eating away inside him. All those times he had called himself a warrior and yet he couldn't even protect the people he loved. He felt so lost, like everything he believed in had meant nothing. Nothing made sense.
He stared the answer to his question face to face. This was it. He was going to test himself and find out what he was lacking, what he had lost. This was his best and probably only chance.
His eyes rested again on the body of Chen's former comrade. Sokka couldn't afford to hold back, not with an opponent who wouldn't hesitate to kill him.
He was going to kill or be killed.
- - - - -
The sun was setting and the full moon could already be seen in the sky. A crash of thunder followed a flash of lightning. And yet even with all these sources of light Katara still couldn't see Yori. The yojimbo had retreated into the treetops, drawing her farther and farther away from the boys.
The waiting was starting to get to the waterbender. It was one thing to avoid kunai when she could see them coming, that was simple. But without knowing where her opponent was, the knives could come from anywhere. One wrong move on Katara's part and she was dead.
So here they were, playing a game of cat and mouse. Katara didn't find it the least bit fun and the dense fog that was settling in for the night did nothing to help her anxiety. "Come down and fight, coward!"
A kunai flew from above and cut the waterbender shallowly in the arm before embedding in the trunk of a tree. There! Katara focused her attention on the tree the knife had come from. The leaves of the tree were still wet from the rain and one carefully planned exhale turned the water into ice. She moved her arms up over her head, then sharply downward and the frozen leaves came crashing down. Katara shielded herself from the icy downpour and was able to see a black figure jump to another tree.
More kunai attacked the waterbender, sending her weaving through the trees. They flew past her with increasing intensity. As she ran through the forest she continued to freeze the leaves of the trees and knock them down with a sweep of her hands. She would find Yori even if she had to do the same to every tree in the forest.
The bodyguard was quickly running out of places to hide. The Water Tribe girl was proving a difficult target. Yori jumped to another tree and prepared to attack Katara once again, but the waterbender was one step ahead of her. The barren tree no longer hid her from Katara's sight.
"Got you!" She sent the last of her water toward the open Yori and knocked her off the limb of the tree. But as her agile body twisted in midair, she launched another kunai, and landed neatly on her feet.
Once again, Katara was taken by surprise by her opponent's acrobatic abilities. The kunai cut into the girl's leg and forced her to the ground.
"You're a clever one, I'll give you that." Yori tore the empty canteen away from Katara and kicked her away. She pulled a grenade from inside her armor. Katara gasped at the sight. It was the same kind of grenade the bodyguard had used against the wolves on the island. "I'll give you a few minutes to pray before you die. I suggest you use the last moments of your life wisely."
Katara was running out of ideas. "Why are you doing this?" She hissed through the pain. "Why do you want the Houshu?"
"Every day the Fire Nation oppresses our people and they won't stop until they win this bloody war. But with a few immortal soldiers we'll be able to drive those barbarians off our land once and for all. You have two minutes."
"Your plan won't work. Koh will kill you first," she panted.
Yori was getting tired of this, she should return to Shing and help him defeat Zuko. "My master is well aware of Koh and his agenda. But the Face Stealer would only be a problem if we didn't know how to defeat him."
"What? You know how?"
She nodded. "It's quite simple actually, but it's nothing you should concern yourself with. You have one minute."
Katara looked desperately around her for salvation.
"Your time is up. May your soul find peace in death." In a flash the grenade was cast and Yori had disappeared. The smoky substance was released and slowly blanketed the area surrounding Katara.
She tried to run, but her injured leg would only crumble beneath her. The smoke entered her lungs and caused her to cough. She was getting dizzy. Her head was spinning.
Katara crawled along the earth, but she wasn't going to get far enough to escape the gas in her condition. Her hand touched something cold. It was a frozen leaf. An idea hit Katara and she silently prayed that she would have the strength pull it off.
- - - - -
Without warning, Sokka thrust the boomerang forward. Chen casually stepped to the right and avoided the weapon's path.
"Is that all you've got? I'm disappointed."
Sokka smirked, "You shouldn't underestimate your opponent."
Chen raised a brow.
On the boomerang's return trip it cut through a tree branch just above the pirate. The limb came crashing down and Chen jumped away to avoid it. In his evasion of the first attack he wasn't prepared for the second. As Sokka caught his boomerang, he charged his distracted opponent, his club above his head and ready to strike. Chen raised his own weapon and brought it down to meet Sokka's charge. The Water Tribe warrior used his boomerang as a shield and metal met metal. The pirate was open now. Sokka swung the club at Chen's head. His opponent moved just enough to avoid the attack, the weapon hitting his shoulder instead. He stumbled back several steps.
Chen chuckled, "To think I assumed you were going to hold back."
"I told you before not to underestimate me and I'm not going to repeat myself. In a fight like this there can be no holding back."
"Now that the rules have been set I guess I can stop playing around. Now you die."
They charged at the same time, but Chen was faster. He unleashed a storm of slashed and stabs. Sokka used his boomerang and club to parry, but the pirate's speed was unreal. How could such a large body move like that?
Chen made a swipe at the warrior's feet and he jumped to avoid it. The pirate continued to spin around, building up momentum, and landed a kick in the stomach of his opponent. Sokka flew backwards, but quickly rolled back to his feet. Chen was already upon him, lifting his sword in a fatal blow. Sokka raised the club again just in time. He kept the sword from cutting into his flesh, but the force of the attack wrenched the weapon from his grasp. It landed several feet away from its owner.
Chen brought the sword back to his side and thrust it towards Sokka, attempting to skewer the young man. With the boomerang as his only defense he managed to deflect the sword just enough to avoid it killing him, but it made a gash on the side of his neck. The side-sweeping attack pushed Sokka back. He almost tripped over his own feet trying to get out of the sword's range.
The warrior threw his boomerang again and again Chen avoided it. The pirate attempted another left-handed stab. The blade passed by Sokka's skull, but he was ready to counter this time. He shifted and latched himself onto Chen's sword arm, intent on keeping him from moving it. The pain was enough to momentary push all coherent thought from Chen's mind. Sokka had agonizingly reminded him of the burn inflicted by Zuko. The boomerang returned and knocked the sword from his hand. Sokka quickly kicked it away and jumped back.
The warrior smirked at his opponent. They stood motionless for a moment waiting for the other to make a move.
"Don't get cocky, boy."
"I think this is the perfect time to be cocky. You're unarmed and…oh look!" He faked surprise at seeing the boomerang in his hand. "I'm not!"
He growled, "That toy won't save you. With my speed and strength you're nothing more than an insignificant obstacle on my path to glory."
"Bold words from a man with no allies and no weapon," Sokka shot back.
"You just don't get it do you?" Chen's voice was full of confidence. "You can't win. I've faced hundreds of opponents who have tried that same tacit, taking the sword away. It doesn't work. It's never worked. You're going to have to be more creative then that." As quick as lightning Chen made a run for his weapon.
Sokka threw is boomerang, but it wasn't as fast as the pirate. He grabbed his sword and knocked the weapon downward so it was implanted in the ground. Now it couldn't make one of its annoying return trips.
"Now I'll show you what the king of the battlefield can do!"
- - - - -
Author's Notes: The vague little tale at the beginning was inspired by Japanese mythology. According to Wikipedia, Tsukuyomi (god of the moon) and Amaterasu (goddess of the sun) used to live in the sky together, all happy like, until one disastrous dinner party where Tsukuyomi was appalled by Uke Mocki, preparing the food in a disgusting manner, and killed her. Well, Amaterasu wasn't too thrilled about this and she refused to look at him ever again and left. Thus, night and day are never together.
Also, I've been preparing Sokka for this fight from the beginning. I needed him to be in a certain state of mind so that he would be willing to kill Chen (not want to kill him, but not want to hold back either). I just hope I didn't manage to turn him OOC in the process.
For some reason I keep wanting to turn the characters into ronin and samurai. Must be all the Rurouni Kenshin fanfiction I read to prepare myself for writing this.
By the way, yojimbo is Japanese for bodyguard. Just as houshu is Japanese for jewel.