Life of Air

Chapter 11

Looking for More

The following morning was faced with more confrontation than I'm used to. While I had given into Zuko's idea, and apparently Katara had too as it was rather early when Zuko was telling me they were getting ready to go, the others weren't so keen on it. Aang and Sokka did their best to try to convince Katara from going after this man on a mission of revenge, telling her it wouldn't solve anything. She wasn't willing to listen, however. I stood back mostly listening and waiting, wondering if this trip was going to happen at all with the way Aang and Sokka were against it.

"And you, Iyashi, you're a part of this?" Aang ask me, obviously hurt that the other airbender in the group was willing to go on a mission of obvious cruel intent.

I sighed and looked to Aang, hoping to calm his frustration. "I'm not going to help her kill him, I'm going to help Katara deal with all these feelings. Zuko is right on one thing I know, Katara needs to face this man. I mean she obviously holds so much anger that she's even directing it at you two." I pointed to the two trying to stop this mission, referring to the harsh words Katara used against the two as their tried to convince her to stay.

"But she's not-" Aang started but was cut off when Sokka placed his hand on his shoulder. The water tribe warrior was obviously conflicted and hurting as his gaze moved from the ground to his little sister.

"Is this what you need, Katara?"

She stared at him hard. "Yes, it is."

"Then go, just come back safe." Sokka said with his eyes off to the side, not being able to look at his sister as he sent her off on a mission of revenge he obviously didn't agree with.

Aang looked between the two siblings and sighed. "You need to face this man. But please, when you do, don't choose revenge. Let your anger out... and then let it go."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Right, thanks guru goody-goody."

We all climbed on top of Appa and Katara took the reigns into her hands, looking down to those she was most likely closest too. "Thank you for understanding, Aang. I'll be back." She then looked forward. "Yip yip." And off we went.

Our first task on this journey was getting information on the whereabouts of the man Katara needed to face, the leader of the Southern Raiders. Katara and Zuko took the lead for this because I had little experience with the enemy. While they snuck around on some communication tower I stayed with Appa on a small piece of land where they left us. For a time I was slightly concerned they may have left us for good, but they did finally return with the information needed.

While we flew in the direction of our next target I thought about what this was really about. Katara and I hadn't grown close or even friendly during our time knowing one another, but I could tell her heart was kind. The fact that she was planning on killing a man when she found him continued to amaze and concern me. Was that what it was like to feel the pain of losing someone to war? Would I feel that way if the Fire Nation killed my mother or father or one of my brothers? It was hard to imagine wanting to hurt someone so much. Never before had I felt that type of pain and I truly hoped I never would.

Zuko had been handling this entire situation like a champ, though that wasn't too surprising considering the entire thing was his idea. He wasn't overly emotional, more focused and determined in regards to the mission. Of course he wasn't one to show too much emotion any way, but this was different. He barely looked at me and he almost never spoke unless relaying information in regards to the mission. Katara hadn't been much different, and thus I followed suit. This wasn't anything I imagined I would be doing.

We flew through the night and I woke at the rising sun, finding Katara was still wide awake while Zuko was passed out across the saddle from me. He was sitting up with his arms crossed over his chest, his head hanging down. With a gust of air I lifted my body away from the saddle and landed right behind Katara on Appa's head, giving her enough space so as not to invade the walls she's put up against me. I bit my lip and watched the wind ruffle the long wavy hair of the waterbender in front of me, wondering how to start this out.

"What, Iyashi?" Katara asked, surprising me slightly.

"I just wanted to know... how you're holding up?" I spoke softly so as not to wake Zuko or push Katara too far.

She scoffed and never turned to look at me as she spoke. "What do you think? I'm going to just break down right before getting there and give up? You really don't know me."

"No, I don't know you." I said. "But I want to."

Katara's hand raised to her neck and I wondered if she was touching that necklace she always wore, knowing it had something to do with her mother. "Then know this, I'm not the scared little girl I was when they came and killed my mother. I've changed."

Waiting a moment in case she had more to say, I then moved closer to her and reached out to touch her shoulder. I half expected her to pull away or flinch but she made no movements. "I know you're not scared... I know you're not a little girl... but how much of you has changed? How much of you... would your mother recognize?"

She whipped around to look me in the eye then, glaring with a hot intensity that almost frightened me, but I maintained my gaze as she spoke. "How would you know? You said it yourself, you don't know me. My mother would want this, she'd want me to avenge her."

"Would she though? Would she... want that for you?" I said softly, almost a whisper, and finally moved my hand from her shoulder. I watched as the tension slowly released from it.

Katara looked forward then and never turned to look back at me again. I never saw her move her hand from her neck though, knowing she was still clinging to that lovely necklace she had some kind of emotional connection to. In a little over an hour Zuko started to rise, checking with Katara to see if we were getting close. With time we were in range of where Zuko said we would find the Southern Raiders and their leader, the man Katara planned to rid the world of. We all kept look out until finally Zuko got our attention, pointing towards a ship in the distance.

"See those sea raven flags? It's the Southern Raiders."

Katara eyed the ship. "Let's do this."

With a deep breath I tightened the sash around my shoulder and waist, preparing for the battle we would soon be facing. After checking that everyone was ready, Katara took Appa under water and formed a bubble of air for us all with her bending. The plan was to sneak up on the soldiers on the ship and use the surprise to find a way to the leader. Katara used her bending to cause a disturbance on one side of the ship while Appa swam to the other. Once we rose out of the water I was amazed to see Katara's bending abilities as she made a huge wave to shove those on the deck of the ship into the water where they would be helpless. Even when we boarded the ship Katara showed no mercy to a soldier who survived her wave, tossing him out into the water with the rest of the crew.

We ran into the ship quickly, knowing that there would be other soldiers alerted by the attack who would be determined to stop us. Katara lead us, water covering both of her arms. Zuko followed her while I took the rear. Someone burst into the corridor we had entered and I sent a blast of air at them, shoving them back into the room they came from. For a moment I saw shock on the soldiers face, most likely from being attacked by an airbender, until Zuko shut the door to the room and used his long blade to lock the door from the outside.

In what seemed like no time at all, we reached what Zuko said would be the control room and where the leader would be. "This is it. Are you ready, Katara?"

The waterbender removed the mask from her face and sent a blast of water at the door which knocked it down completely. Zuko rushed into the room first, blocked a firebending attack and releasing his own at the enemy.

The man was dressed in red and black armor. Most of his face was covered, but I could see deep brown eyes and black facial hair. "Who are you?" he said, looking between the three of us.

"You'll recognize her soon." Zuko said, letting Katara take the lead in front of him.

Then something I never expected happened, the man stopped his attack so suddenly and awkwardly that I couldn't believe it was by his own choice. My gaze moved between the man and Katara and I watched as he moved with her direction, bending down to the ground as she moved her hands. This wasn't what I knew waterbending to be, it had to be something specific to Katara herself.

"Look her in the eye and remember what you did!" Zuko yelled at the man.

Katara moved again as though she was bending and the man's body moved up so he could face her. They stared each other down, but the confusion on the man's face never left. Finally Katara let go, her form releasing along with whatever hold she had on that man's body.

"It's not him. That's not the man." Katara said, slowly turning away, obviously disappointed.

"What? He's the leader of the Southern Raiders!" Zuko said. "He has to be the guy!"

Katara ignored Zuko and walked past me out of the opening where the door once stood. Zuko grabbed the man of the floor and threw him against the wall, holding his arm behind his back.

"If you're not the man we're looking for, who is?" Zuko said.

The man groaned but answered. "You must be looking for Yon Rha! He retired 4 years ago."

Zuko shoved the man to the ground and put his foot on his back, threatening him over and over again about following us. For some reason Zuko's words seemed to fade to the back of my mind and I was caught in the gaze of the other firebender in the room. The leader of the Southern Raiders stared me down as he took the abuse Zuko inflicted on him so as to scare him into keeping silent about our time here.

Then there was nothing but darkness.

Zuko's POV

"What are you looking at?" I yelled to the man under my foot then followed his gaze. Iyashi had started walking towards us, her eyes were glazed over and very focused at the same time. "Iyashi, what's wrong?"

The airbender never looked at me, only kept her gaze to the leader of the Southern Raiders. Slowly she lowered to one knee and placed a hand on the man's forehead. Wind began to form around her hand and then around the man's forehead, and he finally closed his eyes. I felt his body go limp under me and lifted my foot from his back. Iyashi rose and finally looked in my direction. When she spoke her voice was different, it was as though several people spoke at the same time using her mouth to create the sound.

"That was hypnosis. This man will remember nothing of these events. Iyashi does not yet know of us nor of her abilities. She must learn in her own time. Now, take us to the one who witnessed her bending, young prince."

Though the voice frightened me to some degree I felt as though I could trust it. I lead them through the corridors until we reached the door I blocked off with one of my twin blades. I removed the blade and Iyashi moved forward, opening the door and bending larger gust of wind to push back whomever was behind that door. I watched as again Iyashi put her hand to the person's head and wind surrounded it. The person fought for only a second before their body went limp as the leader's had. Iyashi then turned towards me, the glaze over her eyes ever present.

"You too must forget, for now." Said the voices, and she moved towards me with wind surrounding her hand. I moved back and intended to fight whatever power this had over Iyashi and other people, but my body then felt weak at her gaze and before I knew it her hand was on my forehead. Without a fight, I drifted into darkness.

Iyashi's POV

I smiled, watching as the Fire Nation prince slowly awoke from his deep slumber. "Zuko, are you alright?" I asked once his eyes opened.

He looked around, confused, then met my gaze again. "Yeah. How did we get back on Appa?"

"Iyashi found you passed out and carried you to Appa and I." Katara said, never looking back at us. "Should we be worried about your strength?"

Zuko shook his head and his gaze suddenly became more determined than ever before. "Of course not, it was probably just a sleeping poison or something."

"Yeah, something." Katara said.

I sighed and touched the prince's shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile. "I'm sure it was something like that. What matters is that you're fine."

Zuko nodded and then looked to the waterbender again. "Do you know where we're going?"

"Right now we're just flying away from the ship, we don't need them following us. Do you know where we should be going?" Katara asked.

"Yes," Zuko said, "the one we're looking for retired 4 years ago and but I know where to find him, the current leader knew what town he came from."

"Then that's where we're going."

Watching these two as they spoke scared me in a way. They both were looking for something but I wasn't sure if they really knew that that something wasn't the man they hunted down. Zuko needs trust and forgiveness, while Katara needs closure and peace. This man wasn't going to be able to give these things to them, they have to find it for themselves. I did hope that somehow they'd find their way there without bloodshed.

As I thought about it, I couldn't help but wonder what I was looking for.

It wasn't long before we reached the village where we would find Yon Rha. It was small and had an even smaller population. We found the home of Yon Rha and followed him from his home to the market and then as he traveled back to the home he shared with his mother. Katara watched him closely, listening to his voice, taking note of the way he walked and talked and moved. We had to be sure or else there was no point to be here.

"Hello?" Yon Rah yelled out and looked towards where we were hiding, but he didn't notice us.

Once he was far enough away to not hear us, Katara spoke. "That was him. That was the monster."

The rain started to come down in sheets but the old firebender continued on his way home, we followed just far enough behind so we wouldn't be found out. Considering how many times the man looked in the direction of our hiding spot I was sure he was very intuitive or simply suspicious, either one I knew was from his long years at war. Made me realize that this war wasn't just about firebenders being bad, it was deeper. Obviously the war had taken a toll on even those who were winning.

Yon Rha stopped and firebended at a bush. "No one sneaks up on me without getting burned!"

He seemed satisfied after that and picked up his groceries, continuing on his way, but he tripped on a wire Zuko had set up and fell into the dirt. Zuko jumped out and firebent at him in a sort of warning. Katara and I moved from our hiding space once Zuko signaled it was safe.

"We weren't behind the bush. And don't even think about firebending again."

Yon Rha looked between Zuko and us girls, shaking with fear. "Take my money, take whatever you want, please. I'll cooperate!"

"We don't want your money," I said. "But it would be in your best interest to cooperate."

Katara took the lead in front of us and pulled away her mask. "Do you know who I am?"

"No.. I'm not sure." Yon Rha answered.

"Oh you better remember me like your life depended on it!" Katara yelled, angered by his ignorance.

The old man took a closer look and then realization flashed over his features. "Yes, I remember now. You're the little Water Tribe girl. It was the last raid on the Southern Water Tribe and I was looking for the last waterbender. You came in while I questioned your mother but she made you leave. She told me she was the last waterbender and to take her but I..." He trailed off and looked at Katara, fear and what looked like regret forming in his eyes.

Katara closed her eyes and hung her head, probably focused on the pain of his story. "She lied to you, she was protecting the last waterbender."

"What? Who?"

"Me!" Katara shot her eyes up to pierce him with her gaze then took a bending stance. The rain around us stopped at her command and a shield of water surrounded us in seconds, rain tapping and sliding down the shield on the outside.

As we waited for Katara to make her move I used my bending to softly float to her side, she looked to me for only a moment before she released an attack on Yon Rha. Though it was just a moment it was enough for me to feel relief. I saw the hate and anger in her eyes, but I felt something else. Though shards of ice flew through the air they stopped just before impaling the old man cowering before us. Katara stopped. She spared his life. Slowly she released her stance and the ice turned into water and fell all over her almost victim.

Yon Rha took to his knees and bowed low, only taking small glances up at Katara as he spoke. "I know I did a bad thing and you deserve revenge. Why don't you take my mother? That would be fair."

I reached towards Katara's hand and held it tight once I knew she wouldn't pull away. She gripped my hand so tight it almost hurt but I would never pull away. Silently, I watched her as she stared the man down. I could tell she was thinking about who and what he was.

"I always wondered what kind of person could do such a horrible thing. Now I know. You're empty and sad, you have nothing inside you." She looked away then. "As much as I hate you... I can't do what you did. I can't be the monster you are. I don't know why you are this way... and I don't care. I just know... I won't be you."

Those were the last words Katara spoke to Yon Rha, and when we left she never looked back at him.

We reached Appa and Zuko took to the bison's head while Katara and I sat in the saddle. As we lifted into the air I felt a peace I hadn't felt this entire trip. I took Katara's hand again and she looked at me, her eyes saying much more than her words ever could. Shocking me, Katara threw her arms around my shoulders and hugged me tight. I wrapped my arms around her and held her just as tight, then I noticed she was shaking and I could feel her tears on my shoulder and neck. I held the waterbender as she wept, patting her back and offering her the silent comfort she seemed to need.

"I'm sorry... Iyashi... truly." Katara said softly, her breath shaking.

"No need, Katara, no need." I said.

I was a stranger before, but now... I knew I could be her friend.

A/N - Let me know what you think of this chapter! It means a lot to me.