Of all the opponents he had faced since Katara freed him from his frozen prison, Aang had to admit that the one who frightened him the most was the girl who now stood in front of him.
Not because of her bending prowess, which easily outclassed Zhao's and Zuko's fire bending by a noticeably wide margin, but because unlike her predecessors, who only wanted to capture or impression him, this cruel looking girl appeared to want only one thing from the last remaining air bender.
His death.
It wasnt that he was afraid of dying, for his teachings at the Air Temples had taught him that death was a natural part of life that even the mightiest of kings must experience one day. Rather it was the fact that he knew that his death would not come swiftly, or painlessly, and judging from their brief encounter in Omashu, their was no reason to believe the Sokka and Katara would be spared from meeting the same fate he had suffered.
And while he would accept his own demise without regret, though he would understandably prefer to remain amongst the living, he would not allow his friends to suffer when he could something to prevent it.
That was why he had decided to create a false trail with his bison's fur. For he knew that in their current exhausted state, they stood no real chance in beating all three of their new pursuers. But if he could get the fire bender to concentrate on hum, then Katara and Sokka stood a chance of beating the knife thrower and her acrobatic comrade.
And fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how one looked at it, Aang was proven to be right. For entering the deserted village was the deadly fire bender herself.
Keeping his attention focused on his dismounting pursuer, Aang allowed none of his exhaustion to be heard as he spoke to the smirking fire bender.
"All right, you've caught up with me. Now, who are you and what do you want"?
Cooling analyzing her quarry, Azula nevertheless answered the air bender's question. Albeit with her usual mocking tone.
"You mean you haven't guessed? You don't see the family resemblance? Here's a hint".
Covering her eye, and deepening her voice to give the impression that is was a man speaking, Azula gave what she felt was a very good impression of her banished sibling.
"I must find the Avatar to restore my honor".
Seeing that she failed to elicit a response out of her quarry, she changed her voice back to normal.
"It's okay, you can laugh. It's funny".
Keeping his gaze firmly focused on the dangerous girl, and tightening his grip on his staff, Aang kept his voice calm as he asked the obvious question.
"So what now"?
Frowning a little at having her fun cut short, Azula nevertheless replied to the Avatar's question.
"Now? It's over. Your tired, and you have no place to go. You can run, but I'll catch you".
Having come to the same conclusion himself, and seeing no other option to keep his friends safe, Aang rose from his sitting stance and lightly glared at his deadly opponent.
"I'm not running".
Allowing a cruel smile to spread across her features as she heard the defiant words of the clearly exhausted Avatar, the molten eyed princess couldn't resist one final bit of mockery before she moved to do what her elder brother never had the guts to.
"Do you really want to fight me"?
Before Aang could offer a response to this jeering question, the universe decided to once again express its twisted sense of humor. Leaping off of his ostrich horse, and throwing away his conical hat, the banished prince of the Fire Nation glared at his more lethal sibling.
"Yes I really do".
Staring in shock at the sudden appearance of his most persistent foe, Aang only had one thing to say.
"Zuko".
Though she too was surprised by her brother's arrival, Azula was rather pleased with this turn of events.
"I was wondering when you'd show up Zuzu".
Despite the seriousness of his predicament, Aang couldn't help but release a snort as he heard the rather childish nickname.
"Zuzu"?
Having been reminded by their last family get together that it was always best to be on his guard whenever his sister was involved, Zuko ignored the Avatar's amusement as he focuses on who he knew to be the larger threat.
"Back off Azula. He's mine".
Scoffing at her brother's attempt at dominance, for they both knew full well that she was the more powerful firebender, the favored child of Fire Lord Ozai was about to inform her sibling that she wasn't going anywhere when she noticed something at the corner of her vision.
It had only been for a brief moment, but that was all it took to convince Azula that someone else had decided to join her little reunion. The only question was whether they were here to simply observe the inevitable duel between her and her outmatched opponents, or if they were here to ally themselves with the greatest threat to the Fire Nation.
Luckily for her, she was soon proven wrong in her assumption.
...
Well this was an interesting turn of events.
The Avatar, the greatest threat to the Fire Nation, involved in a 3 way stand off with perhaps the most dysfunctional pair of siblings I had ever met. On one hand, you have the hot tempered older brother whose lack of common sense is only matched by his unwillingness to ever give up. While on the other hand, you have the composed, calculating younger sister who will resort to any means necessary to accomplish her goals. Both admirable traits to be sure, but ones that don't really make for a happy family dynamic. Though considering Ozai's method of child rearing, not to mention the fact that he was perfectly willing to let his own wife kill his father so he could become Firelord, shouldn't be too surprised if his children are a little on the crazy side.
But back to the matter at hand.
Despite being outnumbered, I would say that the chances of the princess losing this fight are very slim. While her brother was by no means an incompetent firebender from the reports I've read, it was clear that weeks of living as a fugitive had taken their toll, and since it looked like he had every intention of fighting both his sister AND the Avatar, I wouldn't be surprised if he was the first one to be taken out of the game.
As for the Avatar, even if he had mastered all 4 of the elements, in his exhausted state, their was no way he could defeat a bender of Sozin's line, let alone 2 of them.
Almost makes me want to simply sit back and enjoy the inevitable display of fireworks instead of getting my hands dirty. Such a pity that mother drilled in me the importance of business before pleasure, but I suppose she had a point. Some things require a personal touch after all.
Calling upon the same power that had once terrified even the proudest of kings into submission, and deciding that the current situation called for a more flashy version of my abilities rather than subtle approach that I usually preferred, I found myself secretly hoping that the air bender would somehow dodge my attack. For while mother was usually right about getting one's priorities straight, their was nothing wrong with mixing business with pleasure.
...
Although his exhausted state prevented him from being his usual alert self, Aang was awake enough to notice that something unexpect behind had captured the sudden attention of the blue flamed firebender. And judging by the brief look of apprehension that passed her face, the last airbender guessed that whatever it was, it wasn't a trap layed by the cruel firebender.
Despite knowing how dangerous it was to do so in the face of his most determined and frightening opponents, Aang risked a quick look behind him, and it was thanks to the reflexes that he had honed during his travels that he was able to dodge the sickly green sphere of energy that would have struck him in the back.
Doing his best not to let fear overtake him as he was presented with yet another opponent, and seeing no reason to interfer in the rather one sided battle that was developing between the two firebenders, Aang used his bending to propel himself up into the air in an attempt to get back to his friends.
...
Hmmm. How typical of an Airbender. Always running away from danger instead of facing it like a man.
What a shame that I have no intention of letting him get away.
Allowing my power to once again flow into my hand, though this time I chose to use it in a manner that was far more worthy of my talents, I watched in amusement as the Avatar came to the horrifying realization that he wasn't going anywhere.
...
Something was wrong.
Despite his most frantic efforts, the wind wasn't propelling him to safety. It wasn't propelling him anywhere.
Suspended in mid air, an easy target for anyone who could launch a descent sized fireball, Aang was spared that horrific fate by something even more terrifying, falling to the ground like a rock.
It was only thanks to a well timed air blast that he was able to cushion his descent to a noticeably slower degree, but even that brought no comfort to him as his new opponent decided to reveal himself.
Watching him jump off of one of the more dilapidated buildings with a finesse that terrifyingly reminded him of that girl who had temporarily robbed Katara of her ability to bend her element, Aang took a moment to take in the appearance of his new adversary.
While the hood of his black silk woven cloak kept the top half of his face hidden in shadow, not to mention the fact that it was baggy enough to prevent even the keenest observer from predicting what type of body lay underneath it, it was clear to the newest opponent was older than the former prince by around a year or two. But unlike Zuko, who merely wanted to capture him for some misguided purpose involving honor and loyalty, or even Zhao who boasted about keeping him barely alive so the Fire Nation didn't have to worry about hunting down the next Avatar, Aang got the distinct impression that was this boy wanted him dead. And the more painful it was the better.
And judging from the frightening way in which this new enemy prevented him from escaping, Aang knew that it was highly unlikely that he would be able to talk himself out of this current predicament.
Though that didn't mean he couldn't try. So doing his best to summon the same sort of confidence he had shown during his initial meeting with Toph, Aang leveled his staff at his unmoving opponent and spoke in a clear, if somewhat tired voice.
"Who are you? And what do you want with me"?
...
Seriously?
I've read from the reports that the Avatar was still a naive child, but this is ridiculous.
If someone tries to strike at you from behind, or prevents you from escaping a deadly situation, then their intent is as clear as daylight. You would think months of being hunted down by the Fire Nation he would have learned this valuable lesson, but apparently not.
Still, I suppose I can answer his questions. After all, it would be rude to send him to the Spirit World without informing him of the one responsible for reuniting him with the rest of his people.
"My name is Kuro Ketsueki. As for what I want from you, well, I thought that was pretty obvious. I want you dead Avatar. Preferably at my own hands, but I suppose having you die at the hands of another is equally acceptable given the circumstances"?
Smirking at the horrified expression that came over the Airbender's face as I told him my intentions, and feeling a bit more sadistic than usual, I used the gift of my bloodline to once again place someone I found to be personally distasteful in a choke hold. Only this time, I had no intention of releasing my grip until all that hovered in mid air was the limp body of the Avatar.
It's quite an amusing spectacle to see someone suspended in mid air, desperate trying to pry off invisible fingers so they can once again breathe freely. But since this technique was developed specifically to deal with those who controlled the wind, though I found it to be very effective against members of all races, fire benders in particular, the Airbender's struggles were useless.
On second thought, perhaps I should speed up this long over due execution. For fun though it is to see the life choked out of my people's ancient enemy, the reports I had read on the way to the Earth Kingdom revealed that if backed into a corner my quarry would activate that rather powerful move known as the Avatar State. And while I was confident in my abilities if faced with a living breathing opponent, I was unsure if I could manipulate the chi of a thousand spirits inhabiting one body.
Flexing my left arm to spring my concealed sword into my hand, and loosening my hold on the monk's neck by a fraction so he wouldn't die from asphyxiation before I ran him through, I allowed myself to grin as I controlled my target's body so that it would impale itself on my blade.
Sadly though, my victory was interrupted by a rather forceful fireball to the back. And while my garb absorbed the majority of the scorching heat, the sudden pain was enough to break my concentration, thus removing my chokehold on the now wheezing Avatar, and ensuring that my blade was positioned harmlessly at my side.
And as I watched the Airbender zoom over my head, for even if I was no longer controlling his movements their was enough momentum to propel him forward, I allowed a hint of the rage I felt at being denied my prize slip into my expression as I turned towards the one responsible for this interruption.
...
As usual, the unvisere seemed to take great delight in proving that his father's hurtful remarks were indeed true.
Azula was born lucky. He was lucky to be born.
But it wasn't luck that brought him here today. It was the determination and skill that he had developed while struggling to reach his goal that had granted him the strength to catch up to his prodigal sister and the target he had been hunting for 3 years. Only he hadn't expected to be faced with another opponent. Especially one that he had thought to be merely a rumor, one that only the Fire Lord and the heir to the throne was supposed to no about.
But since he was only 13 years old at the time of his banishment, not to mention the fact that his father hadn't exactly accelerated his education when it came to learning about court secrets, the scarred prince had been denied that piece of knowledge that would have told him all he needed to know about this potential enemy.
But as he desperately dodged his sister's attempts to take him out, Zuko could see that he was up against someone who had no qualms for indulging in a bit of murder.
And though he knew he would come to regret it, and still hopeful of one day fulfilling the task that would earn him his father's respect, Zuko managed to fire off a well time blast of fire at the now armed stranger. And while he was knocked into a building by his sister, the banished prince saw that his timely interference had spared the Avatar from death.
Though this relief proved to be short lived, for not only did Azula focus her attention on the unfortunate Airbender, Zuko now found himself staring into the slightly feral expression of the man who had just proved that he could kill someone just by clenching his fist.
...
AND I think I will leave it there. Everyone Loves cliff hangers afterall :P
Pleased to see that this story has generated a lot of interest. AND I Have every intention of continuing it. But since this is just one of several stories I have going right now..You'll need to be patient for updates, especially since I'm writing combat scenes (never my strong point)
Finally got some physical description of the OC as well as a name. Kuro (means Dark in Japanese)Ketsueki (means Blood). Outfit is like Assassins Creed (thought it would be appropriate).
Also his powers...I confess I had some difficulty as to coming up with a sufficient/unique method that isn't blood blending, or turning this fic into a Star Wars Crossover. Then I realized that essentially, Chi and the Force are more or the less the same thing (both Ambient Energy). So If I have someone who can manipulate Chi, both their own and other peoples, then I can make a character who would be a perfect Sith act as a viable character in the world of the Avatar.
Anyways...Please Review..no flames..and will update as soon as I can.