I hope you enjoy! Let me know by reviewing!
I Do Not Own the image~ Bea-Gonzalez from DeviantArt owns this beautiful image!
(Revised 4.6.20)
For a couple of minutes, Aang pushed through the earth, forming a new tunnel.
At this point, the coup is happening probably... Wonder if Sokka and Toph have been captured yet... I should have warned them!
Clara was brought out of her thoughts when they broke through another wall and she saw Katara and Zuko.
"Aang! Clara!" Katara rushed towards them, hugging Aang. Clara smiled but it quickly faded when she realized Azula would be on her way there right now. Katara pulled away from Aang only to hug him tightly again, "Aang, I knew you would come."
"Uncle, I don't understand. What are you doing with the Avatar?"
"Saving you that's what," Aang said back which caused Zuko to growl and lunge for him. Iroh caught him and looked at his nephew sternly.
"Zuko! It's time we talk," Iroh turned and smiled to them, "Go help your other friends. We'll catch up with you." Clara practically tugged Aang and Katara to the exit. She was glad that neither of the two resisted until they were out of sight of the firebenders.
"What's wrong Clara?" Katara asked as she pulled her hand free.
"We need to get out of here! Now!" Her voice was low but urgent as she spoke through clenched teeth.
"What's wrong?" Aang asked as he airbended to be in front of her, looking up with concern in his eyes. Clara felt her own eyes tear up which only made her feel desperate to get him out of there.
"I have this feeling that something terrible is going to happen if we don't get out!" She started running and they thankfully followed. They all heard a powerful rumbling and cracking of rock, which only made Clara panic even more.
"We're running out of time!" she said urgently. The three began to sprint down the tunnel.
They came to the main area of the catacombs where Clara, Iroh, and Aang had been when they arrived not minutes ago.
"We've gotta find Sokka and Toph!" Katara said.
A second later Clara heard a whooshing kind of noise before Aang wrenched her behind him. A moment after, he pulled the earth up in an effort to block the attack. The fire pierced through the rock and drove the three back a few feet. Dread coursed through Clara as she laid eyes on the young girl whom she instantly recognized as Azula. She was striking and her face was composed as she studied their little group. Immediately, Katara sprang into motion, waterbending from the nearby pool to attack the Fire Nation princess. It was like looking at a floating river as it clashed against the fire attacks. Azula's bright blue fire turned the water into steam. A small part of Clara marveled at seeing actual waterbending while the rest of her scrambled to think of how she could assist them.
"Stay hidden," Aang said as he earthbended a wall of rock that forced Clara towards the nearest wall. It was so she was out of sight and Clara wanted to object when she realized she was a sitting duck! She had never had to fight in her life, not counting the sibling fights she and Malcolm had gotten into but this was entirely different! Clara cringed, closing her eyes, feeling incredibly useless! She could hear the fire blasts and water crashing into each other as the three young teens fought.
Soon Zuko will show up... I can't just hide here!
Inhaling deeply, Clara got out of the rock wall shelter right when she saw Zuko's fire hit in the middle of where the other three were standing. She took this moment to run over to Katara who was closest to her. She gave a nod to the waterbender as Zuko glared at his sister before he began sending fire strikes at Aang. Azula resumed her fire attacks at Katara.
Clara watched in horror and amazement as the four benders fought, making sure she was out of the way but never leaving Katara's side. For a few minutes, it seemed like Katara would beat Azula and she glanced to see Zuko being thrown back by Aang's assault. He would next be coming to his sister's aid. Because Clara knew what was going to happen she tried to think of how she could help.
Firebending is out... I don't know how... But I do have something else!
Thinking of her own special ability and how whatever she thought about when using it seemed to happen...
Taking another calming breath, Clara stepped out of Katara's shadow preparing to block Zuko's attack. Trembling in fear because she realized this may not work, she watched him dash towards them. Lifting her arms out in front of herself, she concentrated on the energy around her. Envisioning it form a wall that curved up then down, like a half-circle arch around herself and Katara. Zuko let the fire stream fly out and when the stream encountered her 'shield' it seemed to evaporate.
Surprise covered Zuko's face before his gaze landed on her. He shot a blast her way but it didn't reach her. Clara could vaguely feel the fire against her shield but it didn't hurt, it was like a blast of heat that promptly cooled.
Seeing confusion and frustration rising in Zuko's eyes, Clara's own eyes widened as he charged at her. Fright shot over her right before a gust of air blew Zuko back and Aang, looking ready to drop from exhaustion, landed a couple of feet in front of her. Clara abruptly remembered with alarm that Aang was now going twenty-four hours without sleep at this point! He looked back over his shoulder to her, a smile on his face before it quickly morphed to surprise. Blue fire came at them but didn't hit with Clara's shield still up. She didn't even realize she was moving it to block them. The instant she had seen Aang's face she had just reacted. Azula had managed to get out of Katara's grip before setting her sights on Aang.
"Stay by Katara," Aang whispered to her before engaging Azula. Clara watched worriedly before mentally bringing back her invisible protection.
Clara did what Aang asked, staying close to Katara as she tried to hold back Zuko's attacks.
"I thought you had changed!" Katara shouted at the fire Prince. Their water and fire thrashing at each other.
"I have changed," he answered back resolutely and Clara surprised herself by snapping at him, "You're betraying Iroh! That's not-" she was cut off when she and Katara dived to avoid his fire.
"Who even are you!?" He yelled as he shot more fire at her that she narrowly managed to dodge.
He continued to shoot fire blasts at her, this time, she realized she couldn't dodge it in time!
Gotta try and extinguish it!
Seconds before it hit Clara felt the heat within her reach out to the fire. With her hands up, she moved them in a circular formation like she'd seen firebenders do on the show, and the fire dissipated!
I guess I'm learning under pressure...
Clenching her fists she dashed towards Katara as she mentally tried to focus on her invisible energy. It was easier for her to try and use that then firebending. She grinned a little as she mentally reached out to Zuko and with little effort had him pushed a couple of feet back from where he had stood, nearly knocking him to the ground. Katara's wide eyes looked to her and Clara tried to smile before from the corner of her eye she saw Azula's fire shoot down at them before Katara blocked it.
The royal siblings attacked at the same time, causing Katara and Clara to be thrown back into the crystal rocks.
"Ugh!" Clara could feel herself try and push her shield out around them again but the pain from her back was distracting, making it difficult for her to concentrate. There was a deep rumbling before Aang shot out from the ground before creating a rock boulder that began traveling towards them. He was almost to the pools of water before a Dai Li agent came down and effectively stopped Aang. Flying from the rock Aang landed on the ground hard.
The Dai Li were coming down from every corner of the catacomb.
Fighting to get to Aang, Clara ignored her sore back and managed to get up before running towards him only to be knocked to the floor. She immediately found that she couldn't move! Something was binding her wrists and ankles together. Craning her neck she saw rock restraints, rock "handcuffs" keeping her down. Clara looked all around for Aang and saw as he covered himself in crystals. She tugged at her rock restraints and then realized something.
Fire melts rock!
She felt like slapping her stupid self before focusing on pushing the fire from her center to her hands and feet. The rock around Aang began to glow and Clara saw Azula making her way up the side ledge where she planned to strike him down. Aang shot up out of the rock, his tattoos glowing.
Moving fast, she decided she didn't care if these people saw her fly. Mud now covered her hands and ankles before she bolted into the air towards Azula. She could hear the gasps from several Dai Li agents as she flew across. Azula was beginning to form her lightning.
Almost there! Please! Let me get there!
The world seemed to slow down as she watched Azula take aim. She didn't even recognize her own scream of horror as the lightning left Azula's fingers. Her shock and devastation however transformed into a violent rage she had only felt once in her life before this moment. Clara slammed into Azula, sending the girl flying off the ledge into the ground below. Breathing heavily, her vision blurred and she felt tears begin to fall down her cheeks as she collapsed to her hands and knees where Azula had been standing.
Whizzing sounds Clara remembered from the show as the Dai Li's rock bullets began flying in her direction but she didn't move from her spot on the ground, feeling her rage leave her just as quickly as it had come. The rocks never hit her though. She heard them hit... something, but it wasn't her. Looking up, blinking to see through the tears Clara saw Iroh in front of her.
"Get him out of here! I'll hold them off as long as I can!" Her body felt numb but she tried to do what Iroh said. Getting to her feet, Clara searched for Katara and saw her with an unconscious Aang by the waterfall. Leaping off the ledge, she flew towards the two.
I failed... How? Why!? I knew-
Clara heard a deafening bang from behind before she felt something knock her to her core. Her vision went black and ears started ringing. A sharp zinging pain, like nothing she had ever felt before reverberated throughout her body before she heard a loud thud. It took Clara a moment to realize what had happened. She was on the ground... She... had been knocked down...?
Stunned and unable to move, her breathing felt wrong, tight and uneven. Her eyesight was still mostly black but fuzzy images around the edges of the blackness came to her gradually. She recognized the floor of the catacombs and shoes of people coming closer to her. The zinging pain was dimming slowly and Clara heard herself cough and groan out in pain. The ringing was gone and she could hear people speaking around her.
Suddenly, Clara found her body enclosed in rock, forcing her to stand up straight as well as restrain her of all movements. Not that she wanted to move at all. Eyes finally adjusting, allowing her to take in her surroundings. The Dai Li was everywhere but what caught her attention was Zuko and Azula standing directly in front of her.
"Very interesting," the Princess said right as she took a step back and began moving her body. She was going to generate lightning Clara realized!
"What are you doing?!" Zuko asked, his voice shocked as he watched his sister.
"Testing this girl's power," Azula aimed and shot Clara with her lightning. The same agonizing pain from before surged through Clara. She could feel herself screaming but couldn't hear it. Her body felt like it was burning her from the inside out! The intensity of it mercifully didn't last long. Clara's head hung down in front of her as she breathed through her teeth as it felt like every cell in her body was being roasted alive before slowly she couldn't feel anything below her chest. The sting behind her eyes hurt the most now as she hazily heard Azula start generating lightning again.
"Please! No more Azula! Let the girl be!" Clara swallowed dryly as she somehow found the willpower to lift her head. Iroh, who was restrained by crystals had been the one to halt Azula's cruelty.
"Are you some kind of spirit?" Azula questioned, walking from one side to Clara's other, examining her. Clara's eyes followed her, she desperately wanted to get out of there but couldn't find the energy to escape.
"My lightning should have killed you, yet here you are, alive after two direct hits." Azula's eyes examined her, a twisted kind of interest forming in her expression.
Clara couldn't keep her head up any longer. Her eyes felt like glue and the ringing in her ears was back before finally, she blacked out.