Phew! Finally it's done. That took a while. Between my job and my masters I've had little to no time to spare. Not that you care, you'd just like to read the story.
Well, here's the next chapter and I hope you'll enjoy it and find there's a little bit of everything. Drama, action, suspense and comedy.
I enjoyed writing it, starting to change a little bit more, but what impact this will have on the overall story, I'm not sure of yet.
Okay, enough of me rattling on SO!
Let's get down to business
I don't got no time to play around, what is this?
Chapter 7
"It's late morning somewhere in the Earth Kingdom. The sun is high in the azure blue sky. The birds are singing in the trees while the babbling brook runs with crystal clear water through the emerald green grass swaying in the wind."
"That was really nice Sokka." Katara said as she looked over at her brother, "Someone is in a good mood?"
"Well a full belly makes a happy camper." Sokka said with a lazy smile.
We find our four friends relaxing in a small glade surrounded. They spend the morning sleeping in, all except for Hari who's still an early riser.
He had been up and about foraging in the forest, finding edible leaves, roots and other stuff he could use. He had been lucky finding some stuff he already knew, while also recognising some of the things he saw at the stalls in Omashu. When he returned he started the fire that had gone out during the night, made a paste with the things he found that together with a few spices and the fresh water from the brook simmered into a nice-smelling and, if he should say so himself, nice tasting soup, which woke up Sokka, who was looking and acting more like an inferi, groaning and sluggish towards the food-filled pot.
The noise woke up the others and here we are.
"I don't know how you do it, but I don't think I've ever not eaten meat this long, but this is great! Still miss meat though, but not complaining." Sokka said as he was lying lazily in the grass.
"I'm happy!" Aang said, now having his own hunger sated and his energy reserves filled. "I don't eat meat anyway! But Sokka's right, you could give the old monks a run for their money when it comes to cooking." He was now wearing a bandana, a leftover from the bandages he wore back in Omashu to protect his head against the sun, Haris orders for his health. Hard to argue pride over health.
Katara was humming agreeably along with the sentiment. She really enjoyed Hari's cooking, especially because she didn't have to! There was a joy in eating something someone else had cooked and she actually didn't miss it. It had been something that was expected of, so she did, but now she didn't need to and to borrow Sokka's words, not complaining. She closed her eyes as she ate another spoonful.
"Truly I thank you all." Hari said in a posh voice completed with an over exaggerated bow, that made the others laugh.
Sokka then got up from the ground and started to do some standing stretches.
"I guess we better start packing and get going." He said.
"No problem, I just need to pack the rest of the food into bags for later. Sokka, give me a hand?" Hari said, looking over at him.
As Aang and Katara started to pack their gear into Appas saddle Sokka came over to help Hari with the pot. After they had poured the food into containers they took hold, rinsed it in the river but when they put it on the ground, everything shook.
"What was that?" Katara asked.
"I don't think the pot is that heavy?" Sokka asked, looking at Hari.
Hari shrugged his shoulders as they lifted it off the ground, but when they put it down next to Appa everything shook again.
"It's coming from over there!" Aang shouted as he and Katara sprinted in the direction.
Hari and Sokka looked at each other before running after them while Sokka said "Shouldn't we run away from huge booms? Not toward them?"
"You got a point. Curiosity blew up the kneazle, you know:" Hari said back.
That made Sokka stop up and stare at Hari, who kept running, "Wait, what?" Before shaking his head and continuing after them.
He finds the three others, and Momo hiding behind a fallen log, looking at a young man practicing earthbending, raising up boulders and moving them around before crashing them into the ground.
"An earthbender!" Katara said excitedly.
"Really? Are you sure? I think he might be a fishbender, looking for worms." Sokka said back, making Katara roll her eyes.
"Let's go meet him!" Aang said starting to move over the log, but before he could go far his shoulder was grabbed by Hari who said "Maybe we should wait, we might disturb him, also we don't know if he's frien-"
"Hello there! I'm Katara! What's your name?"
"-dly… forget it. Go on Aang."
But as Aang jumped over the log to stand next to Katara, the young man gasped in surprise, dropping the boulder he was bending and then running off down the path. He then jumps up, spreading his arms, waving them once like a bird and as he brings his arms down he blocks the path with his bending, but not before making Hari snort.
The other three looked at Hari questioningly.
"Oh it's nothing," Hari said, "It's just how he flew the coup." He finished as he poked Sokka in the side, making Sokka snort as well.
"True," Sokka said, trying not to laugh, "I hope he didn't take an eel swan drive down the hill."
Hari was now openly laughing, making Aang and Katara look at the two, still not getting it.
Calming himself down Hari looked Sokka straight in the eye, who was trying his hardest still, not to laugh.
"I think we should stop," Hari said, "Because if we meet him it might be… hawkard."
Total silence…
"Pfff!" Sokka couldn't hold it in anymore and started laughing, holding his stomach, tears forming in his eyes.
"Can you two please stop!" Katara said.
"Yeah, come on guys, that guy's gotta be running somewhere. Maybe we're near a village?"
"Okay, okay, let's get going." Hari said while wiping his own eyes and started to walk in the direction that the young earthbender left.
It didn't take long to find the village. It was small but they had the necessities to survive.
Katara notices the young boy from before walking into a store and follows him.
Just before she entered she heard a woman say "Where have you been, Haru? You're late! Get started on your chores."
Inside was the young boy and a woman who must have been his mother.
"Hey. You're that kid. Why did you run away before?" Katara asked.
"Uh, you must have confused me with some other kid." The now named Haru said.
"No, she doesn't. We saw you earthbending." Aang said, just entering the store followed by Sokka and Hari.
Haru and his mother gasp and Harus mother rushes to close the door and then the windows to the small shop, slamming them shut.
Haru's mother slowly turns around to look at Haru, "They saw you doing what?!" she said, her voice hard but with an underlying quiver.
"They're crazy, Mom! I mean, look at how they're dressed." Haru said pointing at the quartet, plus Momo.
Aang adjusts his bandana as Katara smoothes out her dress. Sokka looks at his arm wraps while Hari quirks an eyebrow at Haru.
"You know how dangerous that is! You know what would happen if they caught you earthbending!" Haru's mother says as she walks towards Haru.
Just then someone knocks on the door "Open up!"
Sokka peeks through the window's blinds, his eyes widening. "Fire Nation! Act natural!" He whispers as loud as he dares.
In walks a Fire Nation soldier eying everyone in the store.
"What do you want? I've already paid you this week!" Haru's mothers say to him.
"The tax just doubled," The soldier says, "And we wouldn't want an accident, would we?" He then creates a ball of fire between his hands, manipulating it bigger so everyone can feel the heat making everyone back away. "Fire is sometimes so hard to control."
Haru's mother gives the soldier a small chest. He opens with and scoops up the contents, throwing a few coins on the ground. "You can keep the copper ones." He says as he leaves.
As the door closes Sokka says "Nice guy. How long has the Fire Nation been here?"
Haru's mother looks to the ground. Hari feels her pain. Her need, telling her she needs to pick them up, while her pride tells her not to. The internal conflict is stopped when Hari picks up the coins, taking her hand, placing the coins in it and closing it.
She looks up at him, tears in the corner of her eyes as she nods a nearly imperceivable 'thank you'. "Five years," she says, "Fire Lord Ozai uses our town's coal mines to fuel his ships."
"They're thugs. They steal from us. And everyone here's too much of a coward to do anything about it." Haru says, contempt filling his voice.
Haru's mother opens her mouth but is beaten to it by Hari saying "Shut it kid." Surprising everyone.
"But, Hari, Haru's an earthbender, he can help! Haru can help them fight back!" Katara looked over at Haru's mother. "What can the Fire Nation do to you that they haven't d-?"
"Katara!" Hari cuts her off, giving her a hard look.
Hari turns to Haru's mother. "I'm sorry but what's your name?"
"Kaya." She said.
"Kaya, I didn't see many men in the village and there were too many mining tools for this to be an earthbender village. What happens to the earthbenders here?"
Haru's mothers shoulders start to shake as she looks down on the ground. "They're taken away. I don't know where but they're taking away. Just like they took Haru's father." She looks up and around at everyone. "That's why earthbending is forbidden. It's caused nothing but misery for this village! If it wasn't for earthbending I would still have my husband and I wouldn't fear everyday for losing my son! He must never use his abilities." She ends lookin at her son who looks away in frustration.
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"My mom said you can sleep here tonight. But you should leave in the morning."
Haru had taken them to their barn not far from their house outside the village itself. Appa had just walked in as the rest followed him.
"Please give our thanks to Kaya from us." Hari said before going inside himself.
"Yeah and I'll make sure Appa doesn't eat all your hay." Aang said with a smile following him.
Appa, who already started to scarf down a bale of hay, looked over at them, but before he could continue he locked eyes with Hari, making him chew a bit slower.
Hari walks over and pats Appa on the side. "Easy there Appa. They have it hard enough already." Appa turns his big head leaning into Hari who reaches over and scratches him, making him rumble.
Outside Katara walks with Haru on his way back to the village.
"I'm sorry about Hari. He means well but I'm sure he wouldn't have been that harsh if he'd known about your father." Katara said.
"That's okay. It's funny, the way you were talking back in the store? It reminded me of him." Haru said, "My father was very courageous. When the Fire Nation invaded, he and the other earthbenders were outnumbered ten to one. But they fought back anyway."
"He sounds like a great man." Katara said, looking at Haru.
Haru stops at the top of a cliff looking over the horisont out to the setting sun.
"After the attack, they rounded up my father and every other earthbender, and took them away. We haven't seen them since." Haru said as he sat down, his legs hanging over the cliff.
"So that's why you hide your earthbending?" Katara says.
"Yeah. The only problem is that the only way I can feel close to my father now is when I practice my bending. He taught me everything I know." Haru earthbends a few stones into the air as the talks, finishing it by turning the stones into sand.
"See this necklace?" Katara says as she sits down next to him, "My mother gave it to me before I lost my mother in a Fire Nation raid. This necklace is all I have left of her."
Haru looks from the necklace up at her. "It's not enough, is it?"
They stand up and walk down a trail through the forest. Suddenly they hear a loud boom and someone shouting for help. They rush towards the sound.
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Later, back at the barn, Katara is sitting up in her bedroll with a lamp in her lap. Sokka is lying on a square bale of hay with his blanket over him, trying to be comfy, which is a bit hard since the hay is more pokey than soft. Aang is sprawled out on Appa's head with Momo lying on his back. Hari has taken a spot on Appas tail, hoping that Appa doesn't turn in the night or having a bad dream sending him flying through the roof.
"It was so brave of Haru to use his earthbending to help that old man." Katara said with a smile on her face.
"You must have really inspired him." Aang tells her from his high spot looking down at them all.
"I guess so." Katara said.
"Let's just hope nothing bad comes from it." Hari said from his chosen spot.
"Why? Should he have done nothing?" Katara said, a hint of anger in her voice.
"I'm not saying that he should've done nothing, I'm just saying that fear is a powerful thing. It makes people fiercely protective of what they have, and if they have nothing but their own life to protect, then there's a big chance they'll do what's needed to do so." Hari's thought wandered back to Peter Pettigrew.
"Why are you so negative? Why can't you trust in the good in people? Wait, are you jealous of Haru?" Katara said.
"What?" Hari said, looking over at her, confused.
"I think you might be. He wants to fight for what's right, stand up for injustice and is not afraid to use his bending."
"Careful Katara." Hari said, his voice low.
"Yeah, he doesn't hide it, is honest about what he feels, not like someone who fools his friends and makes them worried without a cause." Her voice is getting a bit louder.
"Uhm, Katara?" Sokka looks worried back and forth between Hari and Katara, knowing his sister's temper. It's been a while since it has shown itself like this.
"Not like you who shushes people when they're feeling loss, trying their best and fighting for what's right, no, you just make fun of someone who practices their bending to feel close to someone they lost, not knowing what happened to them or if they're still alive, but how would you know about that, you don't have anyone!"
Total… Silence…
Aang and Sokka are looking wide-eyed at Katara who's now standing upright, breathing heavily, staring at Hari whose face is covered in shadow.
"I guess you're right Katara. I have no-one." He says in a monotone voice, floating up from Appas tail, out through one of the big windows in the barn and into the night.
Katara sits down with a huff.
"I can't believe you said that:" Aang said in a small voice.
"That was too much, Katara, way too much, and here I thought you cared about Hari." Sokka said lying on his back, looking up at the ceiling.
"He deserved it," Katara said firmly, "The way he makes fun of Haru after all the things he's been through and how he told me to be quiet. He doesn't understand what it feels like, how Haru feels, how I feel." He clutches her necklace in her hand.
"I think he understands better than most. He understands sacrifice. Did you forget how he got here? I know he didn't tell the whole story and who knows if he'll ever tell it, but he never mentioned his parents. What do you think happened since he hadn't talked about them? All the people he had, all the people he's lost. He came from one war where he was the center of it and was thrown into another. You, me and Aang, we've been on the sidelines, only now being drawn in, and still we're not in the middle of it. How do you think he feels about the people he left behind? I only worry about Gran Gran and our village, but I know they'll be okay, they're far away from everything, but Hari's friends? Who knows? they still might be fighting."
Sokka isn't talking to Katara directly now but into the space in general, his voice steady as he speaks aloud his thoughts.
"But then he should understand Haru better! How he feels! He fought, so why was he hard on Haru?" Katara says back, frustration still tainting her voice.
"Well," Aang says, Katara's eyes narrowing in on him, making him gulp and look down, playing with Momo's ears, "I think he thought more about Haru's mother's situation, I guess? If you look at it that way it seems like Haru doesn't care about his mothers feelings… you know? She feels just as much, if not more of a loss than Haru since they took her husband and on top of that, afraid that they'll take her son next. My guess is that she's trying to protect him, I think."
"Katara," Sokka says, still looking at the ceiling, chewing on a straw sticking out of his mouth, "Should Aang go out and use his airbending freely here?"
"No, of course not!" Katara looks at her brother like he's stupid.
"Oh, how come?" Sokka says back.
"Everyone will know who he is and where he is, word will get to Zuko and Aang might get…"
"Yep!" Sokka says, popping the 'P' stretching his back, his arms stretched over his head.
Katara sits down in thought, her anger slowly abating. After a while she looks up. "I'm an idiot, aren't I…"
"Yep."
"I'm going to find him and apologize!"
"Nope."
"What?"
"Katara, give him a bit time. And who knows if you'll even be able to find him right now. In case you forgot, or didn't realize it, he flew out. Didn't walk, didn't run, but flew. He might still be flying for all you know." Sokka looks over at her.
"Then what do I do?" She asks in a quiet voice, wringing her hands.
"Well, apologize when you see him, I guess, but right now everyone should get some sleep, we're leaving at dawn."
"Dawn?!" Aang explaims unhappily, "Can't we sleep in for once?"
"Absolutely not! This village is crawling with Fire Nation troops. If they discover you're here, Aang, we'll be eating fireballs for breakfast. Goodnight."
It doesn't take long before the night is filled with the snores that only a skybison and an airbender can make. Luckily they have gotten used to it by now and one might laugh a bit if they knew some of the jokes that existed a 100 years ago, such as 'Why do airbenders stay up late? To give the world a chance to fall asleep', or 'How do you find the Air Temples in the dark? Just follow the sound' or my favorite one! 'There's only two sounds in the world worse than a sleeping skybison, and that is two sleeping skybison!'
Luckily our friends have gotten used to the sound, but this was not the reason why Katara had a hard time falling asleep. She was an honest person keeping her emotions close to the surface, but she felt ashamed. It's true what they said, what about Haru's mother? Why didn't she think about how she felt? She just thought about doing good, fighting for what's right, fighting for what she believed in just like… She was frustrated and angry because she saw herself in Haru. The reason she was angry with Hari was because she felt what he did was done against her. That's why she lashed out. But that just doesn't excuse her for what she said. She felt bad about it. She understood why she did it, but Hari was a good guy. Friendly, kind, funny, strong, handso-helpful, he was helpful! Katara blushed a bit, but she still felt bad. She would apologize to him and explain it when she saw him again.
It took a while but she finally fell into an uneasy sleep.
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Harry was flying high above the clouds, enjoying the fresh cold crisp night air and the beautiful starry night sky, the halfmoon bright making him cast a shadow on the clouds beneath him.
Flying always had a way to calm him down. He wondered if he ever had become an animagus if he had become a bird. There was just something about being high in the air. He guessed it started the time when he was running away from Dudley and his gang and ended up on the roof. It was so free up there and the view over the city was something he'd never forget. Since then he liked to be high up. Then he learned to fly on a broom and now, now he could fly. Unassisted, unburdened, ungrounded, un, un, un… UNLIMITED POW-okay that's enough. He snickered at his own joke.
He grounded himself and dropped towards the ground. It was exhilarating, the speed, the wind, the forest coming closer until he straightened up, zigzagging between the treetops, slowing down until he was over the farm house, lowering himself ever so silently until he laid on the top of the straw roof.
As he lay he thought about what had happened.
Katara had been out of line, but that wasn't why he had left. He had left because she reminded him too much of Hermione. Strong, bullheaded and thinking that she knows everything. A memory flashed by of Hermione at Malfoy Manor. He thought he had come to terms with everything but it seemed that sometimes some things popped up once in a while. He wasn't angry with Katara, he understood where she was coming from, but he felt a bit disappointed in her.
Again, she was young, it was quickly forgiven. It hurted though… But that kid… He didn't understand the pressure his mom was under, and it didn't seem like he tried. If he was captured he'd probably be more happy going in his fathers footsteps than thinking about how his mom was feeling. Seems the type to be like 'my father this, my father that, my father is a great man' yadida… If his father had told him to not bend he probably wouldn't… Smells like Malfoy. At least the pride and selfishness part… That's what hit him… He'd seen it many times before. The fear and worry for their child. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Lovegood, Mrs. Malfoy, hell even Petunia the time with the Dementors had that look.
War was hard, choosing to do nothing can be a noble choice. In a way choosing to do nothing was how Mrs. Malfoy saved his life. She chose not to tell that he was alive. She chose not to fight either him or Voldemort. He could respect that.
He stretched his back, yawning.
Katara had reasons to feel like she did, he got that, but it hurt. In such a short time they had all become close, so her taking some random person's side, well, hurt. But he understood.
He had already forgiven her. He lived through too much to bear a grudge… But he wasn't ready to go back in yet. Even after all these years he missed them all. He hoped they all were doing well, that things were fine. Hell, knowing them, they would be fine, and so would he. He took a deep breath and let it go together with his doubts and frustration, feeling lighter immediately. Sky-Minnie would be proud of him. He missed her too. He always would miss everyone that wasn't with him anymore, but it was okay. That meant they still had a place in his heart. Missing hurts sometimes, like today, but not most of the time.
He could hear the snoring below him. It was comforting. He was thinking that the reason why airbenders and skybison snore so much was they unconsciously used airbending while they slept, but also that like a cat, the air vibrations from the loud snores felt comforting but also drowned out all other sounds.
As he drifted off to sleep he dreamt of magical castles, wizards and witches. Then there was a dragon trying to eat him but he kicked its butt.
Years later people would still be talking about a sinister cackling that happened one night coming from the edge of the forest.
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As the sun rises in the sky Katara carries a jar towards the water pump outside. She sets it down beside a water pump and waterbends, slowly drawing water out of the pump and into the waiting pot. As she picks it up she notices Haru's mother standing with her back to her, gazing toward the distant ocean. As Haru's mother turns around, Katara notices that she's crying.
Inside the barn Sokka and Aang are packing up their things when Katara comes rushing in.
"They took him! They took Haru away!" She cried.
"What?" Aang asked, surprised.
"Morning everyone!"
They turn towards the door where Hari just entered. He stops as he sees the expression on everyone's faces. "Uhm, did someone get splinched?"
He then proceeds to get hit by a brunette missile making him nearly topple over.
"They took Haru! The old man turned him in to the Fire Nation! It's all my fault! I forced him into earthbending!" Katara is holding on to Hari's shirt, looking slightly up into his eyes.
"Slow down, Katara. When did this happen?" He asked her.
"Haru's mother said they came for him at midnight."
Then it's too late to track him, he's long gone." Sokka said.
Katara turns and walks towards the door with a determined look on her face. "We don't need to track him. The Fire Nation is going to take me right to Haru."
The five others look at her confused.
"And... Why would they do that?" Aang asks her, worry seeping into his voice.
"Because they're going to arrest me for earthbending!" She states with determination.
"Hell no!"
Katara nearly falls over, making Sokka snicker even in the seriousness of the moment earning a mean eye from her.
"What do you mean no?!" She says, looking shocked at Hari but before she can say anything else he walks over and pokes her in the chest, telling her "I'll be the one who gets arrested. I will not let you get taken away. Who knows what happens or what the fire nation soldiers do to their captives. I will NOT let you get arrested when there's so many unknowns!" She stares at him defiantly. He didn't care, not after the memories last night.
"It's not that I don't think you would be able to take care of yourself. It's just I cannot allow you to put yourself in danger, when there's a better option. If anything happens I can fly away, even if they shackle my arms and legs together. I'm the better choice."
"He's right," Sokka said, "He's the best bet of both finding Haru and escaping if he needs to."
"But it's my fault that he got captured!" She tries to retort.
"Don't care." Hari told her dismissively as he turned around, "but let's get going, I'm gonna win the second Oscar of my life." He grumbled as he went out the door.
Aang looked over at Sokka and Katara. "Who's Oscar?"
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Hari was still grumbling. Not out loud, but grumbling nonetheless. He hated being right about stuff like this. Well this and his bloody saving people thing. Stupid kid. He shook his head. He decided to humor Katara by listening to her plan, but he threw that out the proverbial window. Faking a fight in front of Fire Nation soldiers? Who would believe that? If the old guy just got the guards and they arrested him with no evidence, why couldn't they just do the same? So the plan was very simple: go make Sokka say he was an earthbender and boom, arrested. But just in case here he was, meditating, trying to keep some rocks in the air with the least amount of airbending. For anyone else it would look like he was levitating rocks with earthbending. So yeah… sitting here, not far from the mine, waiting to be arrested. Guess no oscar this time around.
"Hey, it was true, look what we have here! An earthbender. Hey kid, don't do anything stupid and follow us."
Hair turned around and saw a couple of Fire Nation soldiers looking at him. They didn't look like the brightest bunch. Maybe they would have believed a fake fight? Hell, maybe they would have believed Momo to be an earthbender if they told them.
One of the soldiers sneezed. "You okay?" One of the other soldiers asked him, "You've been sneezing quite a bit today, you sure you're not sick?".
"I'm fine!" He said, wiping his nose, "Get the kid so we can get back to the tavern."
They looked at Hari who raised his hands in the universal sign of surrendering.
They tied his hands to his back and led him away.
Katara is looking nervously at Hari being led away.
Sokka puts a hand on her shoulder. "He'll be fine, Katara. Hari knows what he's doing."
Katara nods, but that's not what's worrying her. She still hasn't had the chance to apologize and she feels guilty. She said a lot of things and looking back at it, it's obvious she was in the wrong. She didn't listen, she just reacted and she hurt him, she's sure about it. But what if something happens? What if she doesn't get to apologize? What if Hari doesn't get to know that she's sorry and she wants to take it back?
She promised herself to be a better listener and apologize when she gets the chance.
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Some precautions, Hari was thinking. Metal everywhere! The people who designed this were pretty smart. The handcuffs, the boats and this whole ocean-oil-rig-legion-of-doom-looking-thing, metal!
Standing in line with the other prisoners, some old smug self important guy came out. Must be the boss of the place.
"Earthbenders!" The smug and ugly… smugly? Yeah, that's his new name! Woops,better pay attention, Smugly is talking. "It is my pleasure to welcome you aboard my modest shipyard. I am your warden. I prefer to think of you not as prisoners, but as honored guests. And I hope you come to think of me as your humble and caring host."
Smugly took a breath while walking back and forth, looking more smugly by the minute.
"You will succeed here, if you simply abide-" His speech was interrupted by a cough from one of the other prisoners. He jumps in the air, spins and aims a fire punch at the prisoners feet, but he stumbles at his landing as someone snorts, his fire going off target, nearly hitting one of the soldiers.
"Who was that!" He orders. No one answers. The soldiers stayed quiet, not knowing who it was and the prisoners not answering out of pride.
The cough seemingly forgotten, he straightens his back and continues. "You will notice, earthbenders, that this rig is made entirely of metal. You are miles away from any rock or earth. So, if you have any illusions about employing that brutish savagery that passes for bending among you people," he makes a dramatic pause, "forget them. It is impossible. Good day."
With that they led the prisoners away and down into the prison courtyard. Hari enters last and the metal gates close behind him with a clang.
As he walks among the all earthbender prisoners, someone shouts out "Hey you!".
As Hari turns he sees Haru.
"Hey Haru, funny seeing you here."
Haru looks at him strangely.
Hari looks back, but after a couple of seconds he goes "I'm not an earthbender, but this was the only way to find out what happened to you. It was kinda our fault you got captured, so yeah. The easiest way was to get captured myself, so here I am."
"What?" Haru said. "You let yourself get captured?"
"Yep" Hari said, popping the 'P'.
"Come on, I think my father would like to meet you." Haru said as he turned and walked away.
Hari followed him thinking. He didn't seem sad or frustrated to be here and then straight to his pride and joy, daddy himself. He still hadn't asked for his name or anything. "The Malfoy is strong in this one." Hari grumbled to himself.
Haru stopped by an old, gray-bearded man eating dinner among other prisoners.
"This is my father, Tyro." Haru said, making the old man look up. "Dad, this is one of the people traveling with the girl Katara I told you about.
Tyro looked at the youngster in front of him. Neither said anything. Hari let out a breath and out his hand forward. "Hello, and as good a day as it can be, I'm Hari."
Taking the offered hand Tyro shook it once, letting go and handing him a bowl of food.
"Join us. Have some dinner." Tyro says.
Hari looks around at the prisoners' faces. It reminds him of the faces of the students of Hogwarts when he got back after the whole horriblecrux-hunt.
Unconsciously he took a spoonful and promptly spat it out, accidentally all over the person sitting in front of him on Tyro's right side, who incidentally was Haru.
Tyro cuckles a bit, instantly earning a point in Hari's book.
"It's pretty bad, but it could be worse." Tyro says before another prisoner walks up to him, "Tyro. The prisoners are complaining there aren't enough blankets to go around."
Tyro looks up at him. "I'll talk to the guards. In the meantime, make sure the elderly are taken care of. The rest of us will simply have to hope for warmer weather."
The rest of the dinner was done in silence.
Hari analyzed the situation. The way they talked, the way they looked, even calling themselves prisoners didn't bode well. He walked among them. Their whole demeanor was not one of planning but of waiting, surviving. If he were to rally them he'd need something. He started to formulate a plan, one that wouldn't get him any friends but probably get the job done.
He noticed Haru keeping an eye on him. Guess he didn't trust him completely. Meh, what did he care.
.
.
.
The sun had set and Hari was meeting up with the trio on Appa. He had snuck out and flown low over the water before taking to the sky out of sight from the prison.
"So," said Sokka, "What did you figure out, did you find Haru?"
"Yeah, he's not coming, neither are the other prisoners."
"Why?" Asked Aang.
"Well, they're stubborn like a rock. Or a bunch of rocks, more precisely."
"But we can't abandon them!" Katara said.
Hari gave her a look that made her quiet down. He couldn't see her blush of embarrassment. She had promised herself to be better and not just react and here she went again, she admonished herself.
"I'm not going to abandon them but we need a plan. I got a part of it, but I need something that they can use so they can fight."
"For that they'd need some kind of earth, or some rock. Something they can bend." Sokka said.
Hari gave him a look that said "you think so".
"Yeah, but the whole bloody thing is made of metal." He said.
"No, it's not." Aang said, "Look at the smoke!" He pointed down to the prison, "I bet they're burning coal. In other words, earth."
Hari rubbed Aang's head, "Nicely spotted Aang, now we just need to get it to the earthbender."
Three heads turned to Sokka.
"What?"
.
.
.
They had decided to use part of the old "Make Hari look like an earthbender"-plan.
Sokka was sure that there was a huge deposit of coal at the base of the silo at the bottom of the prison with a huge ventilation system. Aang closed off all the vents except one so that when he uses airbending into the coal, it only has one place to go, right where they wanted it. They had agreed on Karata to shout a signal into the vents, when the right time was up. The right time would be when she heard the phrase "What are you going to do". She had no idea why Hari had chosen that, but she decided to trust him, as she should, she reminded herself.
Everything was ready so now it was up to Hari to make them fit for fight.
He was leisurely walking around the prisoners waiting for the right moment. Suddenly he turned around and pointed straight at Haru.
"You've been following me since I got here yesterday! You have a crush on me or what?" He said in a loud voice, using a bit of airbending to make the sound carry.
Everyone, even the guards on the walkway, look at Haru, whose cheeks gained a bit color.
"What? No!" He said angrily, "I'm making sure you're not doing anything. You're suspicious!" Pointing back at Hari.
"Me being suspicious? Why?" Hari said, not lowering his finger.
"You just show up in the village one day, then I get captured and suddenly you're here too!" Haru knew he was grasping at straws, but he didn't like the guy, whatever his name was.
"Well, I might be suspicious, but I'm not the one who endangered my own mother!"
Everyone froze. Well not everyone Hari noticed. The soldiers on the walkway seemed to have called others and moved around to get a better view.
Haru didn't know what to say. That came out of nowhere. Him endangering his mom? No way he would ever do that.
"I'd never do that!" He shouted at Hari. His anger was growing, how dare he.
Hari on the other hand started to smirk.
"Oh, really? You never endangered her? Say, where is your mother now? Who's helping her in the store? Who's there if the fire nation soldiers come by again and she can't pay the taxes?"
"I can't do anything, I'm here!" Haru shouted.
"What's going on?" a calm voice said. Haru looked over his shoulder and saw his father.
"This guy is saying I put mom in danger!" Haru said, pointing at Hari, who was still smirking.
"Well it's not wrong is it? And to make matters worse, here you are, doing absolutely NOTHING about it." Hari said. "No fighting or trying to escape. Well that makes you no better than, how was it you said? Oh yeah, all the people in your village who was 'too much of a coward to do anything about it'." Hari's voice had gotten lower by the end of his spiel, his eyes staring down Haru as he did so.
Tyro stepped in front of his son. "Young man, fighting is not everything. Sometimes you need to survive. Wait out this war. Hope that one day some of us can get back home and forget this ever happened. Please remember, people's lives are at stake here. The warden is a ruthless man, and he won't stand for any rebellion. This whole place is made of iron. We're powerless here."
Hari turned his eyes to Tyro. The little respect he had had for this man was slowly disappearing. "Wait out this war? Hiding behind these walls, being safe from the horrors of the outside world? Hope that one day some of us can get back home and forget?"
Hari was shouting by the end. "How selfish can you be?!"
"Selfish!" Tyro said harshly. "How can this be selfish? We are prisoners, we are powerless! We protect our loved ones by staying here! Suffering! What do you know of selflessness, child!"
The other prisoners had started to get loud too. How dare this kid call them selfish! He started to shout at him but in the cacophony of angry voices Hari's own rang through silencing them.
"SHUT U~P!" He started to take slow deliberate steps in a small circle looking at everyone. "Yes! You're selfish! What do you know of what's happening while you've been here? Some of you come from mining villages! Who do you think is forced to mine now that all the earthbenders are on vacation here! Think of the harassment and harsh labor the people you left behind are forced to do. Your brothers and sisters, not knowing what happened to you, fearing the worst! Children without their parents, left alone in the hands of the Fire Nation!"
He turned to look at Tyro again.
"Your loved ones, crying themselves to sleep in fear of never seeing you again, left to the mercy of Fire Nation soldiers. How do you think Kaya is handling not only losing her husband but her son as well?"
Hari saw Tyro flince at the mention of his wife's name.
"How dare you speak to my father that way!" Haru said, stepping forward.
"Did I say anything false?" Hari said. "You were such a big guy back in the village, talking about fighting back, but here you are, sitting on your ass, just like that coward of a father you have. You know only endangered your mother, you abandoned her too."
It was dead quiet. Hari wondered if he had pushed it too far. He looked around at the faces that surrounded him. Just a while ago, it had been faces filled with determination to wait this out and to survive. Then it had been anger aimed at him but now… now it was worry, frustration, anxiety and a little bit of fear. They had been so caught up in their own little world that they had forgotten the feelings of the people left behind. Not anymore.
There was a slow clap and out of the gate came the warden.
"Marvelous, simply marvelous. I truly didn't think it was possible to break their spirits any more than they already were. Well done. The warden said with a big smile.
A small chuckle came from Hari. "Broken? Where have you been? Look around, warden. Do these people look broken to you?" He said while spreading his arms gesturing to the people around him.
The warden looked at the imprisoned earthbenders and involuntarily took a step back. It was anger, pure and unfiltered anger aimed at him. He schooled his face and straightened his back. "It doesn't matter to me what they are. There's nothing to bend for them here!" Having made himself feel better about himself he took a step forward. "All of you are powerless!"
"You heard that?" Hari said "He thinks you're powerless." He turned around to face them all. "So, what are you going to do?"
It didn't take long before someone threw a bowl at the warden, making him duck and hit a soldier in the face.
The warden sends a blast of fire toward them making everyone scatter and attack the firebenders, uncaring about the fire sent at them. Their anger fueling their fighting spirit, and shame lighting it afire, making them uncaring about the danger they faced. They were running on raw emotions.
They use their cloth to ward off and avoid the flames while using the bowls as weapons, some breaking them into sharp pieces. Tyro was trying to calm people down but he could see it was impossible. Hari's speech had been too much, feeding their emotions to the boiling point and then giving them an outlet and common enemy, the warden.
Then there was a rumble, slowly growing and growing in sound. The metal floor started to rattle, making everyone stop and then with a sudden rush of air the ventilation shaft burst off its hinges as an immense blast of coal blasts out, crashing down into a huge pile.
Both prisoners and soldiers alike stand still, too shocked by what just happened. Then Aang leaps out from the ventilation shaft, landing atop the coal pile and coughing, covered in soot and dirt.
No one knew who started to move, but it was total and utter chaos. Fire and coal was flying everywhere. Aang, Katara and Sokka were fighting as well. The soldiers were trying to protect themselves with bending while the earthbenders fought with everything they had, their emotions raw with anger and purpose, the need to get back home.
In the middle of the chaos was Hari. He seemed calm as he slowly walked forward, occasionally sidestepping or turning out of the way of either a fireball or flying piece of coal. Slowly he made his way towards his target. He bent down and picked up a piece of coal, continuing ahead. He stopped, pulled his arm back and took aim. He then used a bit of airbending as he threw the coal, propelling it towards his target.
The projectile flew between people and debris, with a singular goal.
A couple of seconds before, people and soldiers alike found out why the warden had gotten so far. His firebending form was sharp and efficient, throwing fire with precision at his enemies but then he heard a slight whistling just before being hit hard with something that threw him off and nearly knocked him out. He shook his head trying to get his bearings and get up but by then it was too late.
He felt himself being lifted and carried by coal over the side of the walls, only water under him.
"No, please!" He begged, "I can't swim!"
Tyro, who was one of the earthbenders bending the coal, looked at him with cold eyes.
"Don't worry." Tyro said, "I hear cowards float." And then he let his hands fall to his sides, along with the coal and the warden.
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.
They were on their way back now on the boats they took from the prison rig.
There was a feeling of freedom and hope among the people.
Hari was standing at the bow of the boat, looking at the approaching shore. He heard someone walk up behind him and turned around. It was Katara.
"I'm sorry…" She said, looking down at the ground. "I'm so sorry for what I said and how I acted. I don't know how to make it up. I was so angry that I didn't think."
She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up at Hari who smiled at her.
"It's okay Katara, I understand. I really do. If I had been in your shoes I'd probably have done the same." He told her.
"But I was horrible!" She said.
"Yes, you were, but like you said, you were angry and you didn't think. That happens. I was probably a bit out of line too and could have said what I said differently, but what happened happened, and look, now they are free." He swept his arm towards all the people around them. Katara looked around and saw the happy people around them.
"If you hadn't been you, who knows what would have happened to them. Everything worked out in the end." Hari finished.
"Young man," A voice said. They both turned around and saw Tyro walking towards them.
"Typo." Hari said, getting an elbow in the side by Katara who whispered "Tyro!".
Hari cleared his throat to cover the wince and said "What can I do for you?"
"I wanted to thank you. I thought I did what was right, but you opened my, our eyes. We weren't protecting anyone, I see that now. Your words might have been harsh but they were not far from the truth."
"If you want to thank me then apologize to Kaya for what you put her through. Also, I think your son might hate me."
Tyro looked at them and then chuckled. "Yes, I think you might be right about that. It seems he still hasn't forgiven you for the words you spoke. I hope he'll cool down and understand the necessity of what you did."
"He looks up to you to the point of worship, forgetting his mother on the way. He doesn't understand the weight of a mothers sacrifice."
Behind him Katara nodded and reached for her necklace only to find it wasn't there. She gasped, making Hari turn around, "Is everything okay?"
"My mother's necklace! It's gone!" She said as she turned around to look for it on the boat, but what she didn't know was that back on the prison rig, her mothers necklace was picked up by a scarred young man.
