Chapter 5: Separation and Conflict!
Legend
Italics shows character thoughts
Word shows Date, time, and location
-Word- Shows Noises, or actions such as sighing
Enjoy, and Please Review!
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Location: Earth Kingdom - Day 7
Zuko awoke early, just as the sun was rising. His eyes fluttered open to take in his surroundings while the rest of his body remained completely still except for the movement that signaled he was breathing. He listened for any sound that Sheng had awoken…nothing.
Sometime during the night Zuko had turned his back on Sheng which meant he had to gamble on his escape at this point. To have him awake would seem traitorous to the Fire Nation and he didn't want that, but to stay in the ever watchful gaze of a man in the employ of his sister was almost as bad, almost.
He brought himself to his feet slowly, so slowly that it was almost painful. He looked and saw that Sheng had his back to him and appeared to be asleep, but nothing could be certain yet. He grabbed his bag and began to sneak away, slowly, ever so slowly.
His feet stepped on the ground silently, silently. CRACK! Zuko froze, he had stepped on a twig and it sounded like he broke an iron bar or shattered a boulder, or both. He turned his head over his shoulder to turn and looked at Sheng.
He was gone.
Zuko turned to his front, dropping his bag, and instantly knew his opponent had come at him low. He felt a powerful sweeping foot make contact with his right ankle and sweep him off his feet and teetering towards the ground.
Zuko's right hand planted on the ground and he used his momentum to force himself into a sideways summersault. The Fire Nation prince righted himself on his feet and took a forwards stance towards Sheng who took a similar, but less refined stance towards him.
"So you were watching me, must have been up all night." Zuko muttered irritably.
"Heh, I've got a voice in my head that told me something fishy was going on." Sheng replied.
Zuko didn't understand the comment but he did note that Sheng had slept, for he looked sleepy but not tired. A kind of wariness that came when one first awoke, but different from the sluggishness when one lacked sleep. If Sheng hadn't been asleep Zuko knew he wouldn't have been able to deliver such a blow.
"So, how is this going to be?" Sheng asked, taking a step forward.
"The Avatar is mine, and I won't have a pair of Azula's eyes watching my every move!" Zuko barked back.
Not missing a beat Sheng replied, "Not my problem, I'm just following orders."
Zuko decided that talking was a waste of time and shot his fists forward, fire jutting from his fists in controlled bursts. Sheng in response began his own spray of fire and the two were quickly caught up in a fire dual consisting of dodging the others attack while continuing their own assault.
After a brief stalemate Zuko began to push Sheng back who was not as well trained as Zuko was, Zuko having special training from Iroh while Sheng was instructed in basic academy styles. The two flipped, rolled, and maneuvered out of the way while continuing their barrage of fireballs, neither seemed willing to move forward until an opening appeared.
Sheng stop holding back, use your hatred and anger, fuel the fires! Azula, the warden, both of them have been using you. Stand up and show this prince you are a chosen child of fire!
It's not that easy! I have as body to protect!
Tsk, risk is part of fire bending. You play with fire, Sheng! Take up the risk and strike.
Sheng growled as he dropped to the floor in a crouch, his right leg extended out to his side while his left was planted on the ground bent. He planted both hands on the ground and pushed his body up and around so he outstretched leg was spinning towards Zuko. Sheng released a large arc of flame was his striking feet, an arc that would cause Zuko to jump or avoid it in some way.
Zuko flipped over the flaming arc and came down in the same stance as Sheng did when he bent down to the ground, only his leg was stretched out in the front, but it ended in another flaming arc flying over the ten foot gap between the two.
Sheng rolled over, unto his back, to avoid the flaming wave and pushed himself up unto his feet, charging at Zuko with a yell. Zuko took a defensive stance as Sheng threw a right hook at Zuko. The Fire Prince blocked and pushed it aside while launching a kick with his right foot towards Sheng's side. The striking foot was caught between Sheng's side and his left arm.
Zuko then used Sheng's grip on him and shot a straight punch at Sheng, which was caught in Sheng's free hand. With both of his opponents hands tied up Zuko lifted his left foot and sent a flaming kick into Sheng's gut, propelling the soldier to the ground on his back while Zuko was able to twist himself and land on his feet, crouched.
Sheng scrambled away, his stomach burning and the basic impact of the kick being far more powerful then any blow he thought Zuko could give. He rushed to his feet, left hand over his stomach, and took a slightly different variant of a front stance, in that his front foot was planted side-ways instead of forward.
Zuko was moving in on Sheng to put an end to this fight and move on afterwards. He was in front of Sheng, low and rising for a flaming uppercut. Sheng staggered back out of the way and avoided the impact of the blow but the flames burned. Zuko went for another blow but his uppercut left him open and Sheng used it to jump into the air and kick out at him with both feet.
Zuko put his hands out in front of him to block and felt the flames and the contact of Sheng's feet meeting his arms. Zuko stumbled back before he lost his balance and was sprawled over the ground. But the blow wasn't as definite since he blocked it and he was able to right himself about the same time.
Both took their stances and watched the other, both wary of the other. Zuko appeared to be less tired, more calm, and in the better position to win this fight. Sheng must have noticed it when he started conversation.
"Why are you running anyway?"
"To find the avatar and restore my honor."
Sheng grunted, "You're going to cause Azula to distrust you."
"She'll always distrust me." Zuko replied.
"How about we make a deal then, I've got people I need to protect…people your sister are using against me." Sheng admitted warily.
Zuko looked around him, "How can I trust you?"
"I could ask the same of you, prince Zuko. You're tied to the royal family…I'm just a soldier. You could turn me in at anytime, but I would need evidence to get at you."
"Why should I help you? You can't even control your fire bending, look at yourself." Zuko gestured towards Sheng.
Sheng looked at himself, he was in his civilian clothes consisting of a long white t-shirt underneath a sleeveless vest and buttoned up at his neck with a collar that popped up around his neck, his pants were a plain coarse material meant to be more functional then fashionable. The noticeable thing were that his long sleeve shirt was burned at the wrists and his pants at the ankles. He must have burned them while fighting Zuko and the only time he had been hit was in the stomach which meant that Sheng had almost inflicted harm on himself.
"Tsk, and you're too emotional! All of your attacks are filled with emotion and lack any of the calm needed to fight!" Sheng barked.
Zuko didn't respond. That was exactly what his uncle had said to him when he was trying to learn to bend lightning…and it was probably still true. Even so, he couldn't let Sheng get the upper hand and so he issued a challenge, "If you're so in control of your emotions then why don't you bend lightning!"
A bold challenge, Sheng knew, lightning was the elite of the fire bending principle and he had only seen the warden and the top fire benders at the academy even attempt it, most times they failed. But his pride wouldn't allow him to back down.
"Fine." Sheng took the stance he had seen and squashed all of his emotions, killed them with a burst of fire. Like his father had told him when he went to the academy 'No emotion, no weakness, you must be a cold wall of stone to survive.'. It was a hard thing to accomplish for Sheng was full of hate and despair, his family struggled while he was forced to try and fight to fill his oath to Fire. He hated his position and despaired that he would never see his family again. But he killed those emotions for now and began to move his hands.
I shall try and guide your hand. Listen to the energy in you…and you may come out unharmed.
At Sheng's finger tips sparks began to generate and Zuko stood in shock, there was no way he could pull it off, a lowly soldier like Sheng? It didn't make sense. The sparks grew in visibility and then Sheng thrust his fingers forward and then nothing happened. No lightning, no explosion, nothing.
Darn it!
You couldn't control it, but since your emotions were calm no explosion occurred…an interesting development.
"No explosion…" Zuko muttered, that had been all he could create when making lightning.
Sheng nodded, "Not enough control I guess…but my emotions were in check so I didn't get the backlash."
The two looked at the other for a moment and both said together, " A deal." Sheng walked towards Zuko and nodded, which Zuko returned.
"I'll help you capture the Avatar if you teach me control."
"And you'll teach me to calm my emotions if you keep quiet to Azula about whatever goes on. " Zuko agreed.
It was a good plan, to both parties. Zuko would get his crack at the avatar and Sheng had gained some loyalty with Azula for watching Zuko and perhaps he would earn Zuko's trust as well. And both of them would learn an aspect of fire bending that neither could get earlier. There was, obviously, a few holes in their agreement, since Sheng was obviously getting more then Zuko was, and Zuko was not going to get at the Avatar by himself anymore but even Zuko as willing to allow it if he could learn to rein in his emotions.
The extras would have to sort themselves out later.
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Location: Earth Kingdom - Eastern Air Temple- Day 7
They were up a few hours after sun rise and the packing commenced immediently. As Aang and Katara was getting their things ready Hye was practicing her air bending, a spurt of wind here, a spin there, a few movements that Aang had showed her. Just a little to help her further her feel for bending. It was odd when you had gone for thirteen years without any powers and then suddenly, one day, you have all these abilities and no idea what to do with them. She assumed that Aang knew that feeling every time he learned a new bending style.
Katara stopped from her packing and looked about, "Where's Sokka?"
"I think he took Toph to show here how best to head towards Ba Sing Se." Hye answered, breaking from her practice.
"Hah, like Toph needs Sokka's help." Katara smiled. She seemed to have calmed down considerably from when Hye first appeared.
Aang loaded up a few things on Appa and then jumped to the ground, "I still don't see why Toph is going to Ba Sing Se."
"Sokka says Toph's job is to draw attention away from our two groups. I doubt that Azula will just let us go that easily…even if they do think you're dead Aang." Katara reasoned.
"I guess…" Aang replied.
"Hey, are we ready yet?" Sokka's voice rang from a small, and closing, distance away.
"I guess I'll go tell Guru Pathik we're leaving." Aang leapt into the air and bounced into the temple, Momo following.
Guru Pathik had been informed of their plan early that morning and while he seemed skeptical of how the plan to split apart would work he had little idea of how to salvage the wreckage and Sokka's plan was better than nothing. He gave them all his blessing and then returned to his meditations.
"Hey, where's Toph?" Katara asked as she pulled her bag unto her shoulder.
Sokka pointed west, "She said he wanted to get a head start to Ba Sing Se so she left. She told me to tell you guys good luck."
Hye jumped up unto Appa, "I liked Toph, she was cool." It had been discovered that Hye wasn't a shy girl but she didn't speak too much, and would talk only at odd intervals at this point. Aang, having the most interaction with her, was able to talk with her normally, as long as it was about Air Bending.
Sokka pulled his gear unto his back and Aang sprang back into view, "Guru Pathik was meditating and I didn't want to bother him."
"Alright, we should get going then, Aang, Hye, good luck. I hope that Omashu was able to free itself from the Fire Nation." Sokka said as he patted Aang on the back and nodded to Hye.
"Be careful Aang.." Katara hugged Aang tightly before pushing away. The two looked at each other for a moment as if they wanted to say something to each other but both were too embarrassed to say.
"Thanks Katara…" Aang finally said, "I'll be okay. Sokka, you be careful too."
"Got it." Sokka replied.
And so Momo, Appa, Aang, and Hye flew into the air with the aid of said Air Bison. When Katara and Sokka could no longer see their waving companions the two water tribesmen began the long trek towards Ba Sing Se, in the hopes that their father was still nearby somewhere, hiding hopefully and not captured.
Katara turned and looked up at the sky as the sun was really beginning to rise. She had wanted to say something more to Aang but…she didn't know what really. Her feelings were so unclear to her. But she knew that one day she'd see him again and maybe then, just maybe, she'd understand what she had wanted to say.
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Location: Earth Kingdom - Day 7
Toran was up with the sun and preparing to continue on his way towards Ba Sing Se. He had planned on leaving the female warriors behind but they too seemed intent on heading towards the Earth Capital, in hopes that it still stood.
Suki told Toran how they were ambushed by Azula and her allies, and of their defeat and the theft of some of their uniforms. They feared that they might be trying to infiltrate the Earth Kingdom and harm it from the inside.
So when Toran made to leave Suki asked to accompany him, stating that she knew the fastest way to the city and she, if things went well, could get him to see the Earth King. This, of course, all depended on if the Earth King was still in power.
It took a bit of a fight but Toran finally relented. The boy thought that Suki should stay with her fellow warriors and help them heal from their wounds but evidently Suki trusted them enough to leave them be and cared for someone enough to risk reopening her injuries to make sure he, among others, were safe. Toran believed this person to be the Sokka she uttered when he found her.
So they left before noon came and started their trek towards the Earth Capital, the once thought impenetrable city of Ba Sing Se. It was the last strong hold against the Fire Nation and if it fell….who else could stand up to the Fire Nation's power?
Not many Toran guessed.
Still they were moving briskly through the woods and eventually came to a main road that they were going to use to head towards the city. Suki had a pass already and getting Toran in would simply be a matter of persuasion but Toran assured he could gain entrance through a water route. She had little choice but to trust in him, she would need an ally if things were bad in the city like she believed they might be.
Still, for now, everything was calm. Until, of course, the sound of soldiers could be heard. They had come up on a small trading post and it seemed a small group of fire nation soldiers, with a single man that Suki recognized as the Dai Li, were going through the post and evidently running a routine of some kind.
The two were about to get off the road and head into the forest when, behind them, they felt the presence of others. Turning around revealed two more Dai Li, obviously they were acting as guides for the Fire Nation. As they began to move towards the two warriors Toran and Suki shared a glance. Go time was the shared message.
Toran drew water out of his dual pouches, freezing the water into sharp icicles and hurling them at his attackers. The earth benders raised a wall of earth and the ice shattered, only to be recalled by Toran. The water bender pulled back the water and formed it into a single orb of water and awaited his adversaries moves.
Suki, in the mean time, was going to draw the attention of the other soldiers, using the small town as cover in which to hide and ambush individual soldiers. The sole Dai Li, knowing that the Kyoshi warriors were enemies instantly called the other fire benders, four of them, to alert. They chased after the female who dove into a building, starting a game of cat and mouse.
The two Dai Li Toran was facing removed their wall of earth and started to attack again but were cut off as a waiting Toran reacted first. The spinning ball of water sprouted a tail that Toran grabbed, he then froze the ball and added spikes to make an effective spiked ball and chain weapon. He flicked the weapon up, with the aid of his bending to move the ice, and then town with tremendous force.
The Dai Li countered with a pillar earth that shot out of the ground at an angle to intercept the ball. The two elements collided and this time Water won over Earth, with Toran applying more energy to harden the ice to a steel like quality. The giant wrecking ball smashed through the pillar and smashed the ground between the two benders who were thrown to their feet by the impact. Toran flicked the ball up again and swung the weapon around in a wide sweeping arc. The Dai Li's faces held a mix of terror as the frozen mass came towards them. At the last second the ice melted and splashed over the two earth benders. Toran stepped forward and froze the water covering the two benders, thus trapping them where they stood.
"Needless violence isn't the answer.." Toran called the excess water to his water skin and raced into the trading town to aid Suki's battle.
Your strength grows, shape manipulation seems to be a strength you possess, and you do well combining water and ice.
A lot of help comes from you. And I don't lack training, I simply lacked the strength, which you have given me.
Only a sample, young Toran, only a sample. But do not become overconfident, others can still defeat you.
Suki, without the power to bend, wasn't fairing quite as well when Toran arrived. But considering she was up against more enemies made up for it. Two fire benders had been dispatched already and the remaining two, along with the Dai Li, were becoming frustrated and were attacking the houses now.
Toran pushed his way through the panicking residents of his small trading town and came up behind two fire benders as they set fire to a house Suki had just taken cover in. Toran pulled water from his waterskin, whipped it forward on the unsuspected fire soldiers and grabbed their ankles. Toran pulled them towards him, dragging them across the ground, and finally smashed the two together. Two more down for Toran without resorting to extreme violence.
"Toran, watch out!"
A shadow began to appear around Toran and when said target looked up he saw a rather large rock plummeting towards him. Diving to the side Toran felt only the impact of the rock and suffered only a minor wound to his elbows where he landed on the ground harder then he had wanted.
The Dai Li came out from behind a house, opposite of the house the two fire benders from before were assaulting. He poised himself to strike when a closed metal fan flashed out of the burning building and struck the Dai Li in the forehead squarely. Toran, as he sat up, assumed that such a blow from any metal object would render any man unconscious.
"I took three of them, how about you?" Suki joked as she came around the burning house and helped Toran to his feet.
"I got four, two Dai Li and two benders." Toran jabbed back, feeling victorious.
The two smiled for a second before a loud crack told them that the town was still in need, houses were burning, some crumbling, and the villagers were still in a basic panic. Toran rubbed the back of his head, "I should go help.."
"Yeah, I'll go see to the people." Suki continued almost instantly. She ran off while Toran turned to regard the flaming buildings in front of him.
"Oh boy…this is going to take a while…"
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A/N: I don't have much to say on this one. It took longer to write, because of the fighting scenes and even then I feel bias, since I know how it looks so I just hope that you guys can understand what is going on. I decided to make Toran's scene a little simpler, since he has some fairly complicated stuff coming up, hint hint, and my original draft turned out pretty sketchy so I did a redo of it.
So, I hope everyone enjoys this fic, and review! This is one of my most looked at fic with almost 1/3 of the hits my Digimon fic, 'Prelude to Destiny' has, and it has almost twenty chapters! So I know you guys can give a little insight to what you like or don't like shrugs
Well anyway, I hope you enjoy! Sorry it took so long and hopefully I got all the bugs out…(Massive headache).
-Arc