A/N: Hello again ladies and gentlemen! I want to thank all those of you who reviewed and/or added this story to your Alerts/Favorites list, there really is no greater compliment! I want to go ahead and apologize for the long wait for this chapter: so many things just started happening in life (mainly school related) and time never seemed to be my friend when it came to this story. But, you're not here for my excuses-read on!
Disclaimer: Avatar is in now way, shape or form mine!
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Ch. 15- Jailbreak
Things were an absolute mess when Sokka and Azzan—dragging an unconscious Zuko between them—made it to the courtyard.
Fights had broken out on all sides between the guards and the prisoners. Flames lanced to and fro in front of them, the guards trying in vain to quell the revolt that had caught them completely unprepared. Ton and Suki had done their job and exceeded all of their expectations; it seemed every single inmate was a part of the chaos.
"This is completely ridiculous!" Sokka shouted over the blaring sirens as he helped Azzan lift Zuko up the steps leading to the guard tower, "I. Love. Chaos!"
Azzan raised a brow at him, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips "Indeed. The way I've heard it, you're the walking definition of the word; you can't have anything predictable or simple or else you go crazy."
"I'm going to assume that comment came from the 'dead' weight in our arms." Sokka grumbled.
The firebender faltered, falling out of step with Sokka and nearly dropping Zuko in the process. The water warrior shot an annoyed look at the older man stopped himself from snapping when he saw the haunted look on his face.
"Azzan?" he asked carefully, "What's wrong?"
"Y-you saw what happened in the interrogation room, correct? You saw what happened to Lady Ty Lee?" His voice wavered slightly and Sokka felt himself swallow thickly.
The sounds of battle pervaded the air all around them but failed to register as an overwhelming feeling of dread suddenly settled in Sokka's stomach.
"I didn't...I-no…Azula wouldn't—I thought it was a graze! J-just enough to knock her out…right?" When he didn't get an answer he turned desperate eyes onto the bender, "Azzan?"
The former captain adjusted his share of Zuko's weight over his shoulder again and continued moving, not meeting Sokka's eyes, "She tried to warn me…tried to give me a chance to get out of the way but I wasn't fast enough. She took the bolt straight in the chest. I-I saw as the light left her eyes, as the life fled her body. I saw her die! How could you not have seen it?"
Sokka was blinking rapidly and shaking his head in disbelief, "We had to move—I didn't want Azula to turn on us while we still had a chance to get out of there! Ty Lee's…she's really…gone?"
"Yes," Azzan confirmed with a solemn nod and a blank expression, "she sacrificed herself so that we could get prince Zuko out of there and get you all out of here so I suggest we not waste it."
Their conversation over now, Sokka was brought back to their present situation.
Screams were now abundant in the air as the guards pressed their bending advantage to the fullest. The smell of burnt flesh was beginning to pollute the air and it was only a concentrated swallow that kept the bile from escaping Sokka's throat.
"Have you seen Suki or Ton since we've been out here?" he asked desperately, his head looking like it was on a swivel as he looked frantically around for the aforementioned pair.
"No," Azzan responded, his eyes narrowing as he took in the sight of the nearing guard tower that housed the controls for the gondola, "but they should have been here by now."
As if on cue Suki's voice broke through the tumultuous havoc and, if Sokka had anything to say about it, sounded like the most glorious thing in the world.
"You guys looking for us?" she called as she ran up the steps just ahead of Ton who was wearing a very self-satisfied look on his face. "We were just getting our kicks—so to speak—down below before coming up to meet you." Glancing at the unconscious teen being supported between them she grimaced, "I guess Azula did a number on him, huh? He looks like death warmed over. Did you have any trouble getting him out?"
Sokka and Azzan looked at each other uneasily, not sure how the news of Ty Lee's death would be received.
"What happened?"
Taking in a deep breath Sokka looked straight into his girlfriend's eyes, "When we got in there things kind of…went to shit. Azzan had to keep Azula busy so I could get to Zuko and we were nearly out of there when she took a shot at us with her lighting."
Suki's eyes widened, "Spirits, are you both alright? You weren't hit were you? Or Zuko?" She rushed over to Sokka and began to examine every part of him that wasn't covered by the uniform.
"Suki we're fine she…she didn't hit us."
His statement hung in the air, more potent than the stench of smoke and burning armaments wafting up from the battlefield below.
"Then," Suki asked tentatively, unsure whether she wanted to continue or not, "…who?"
"YOU!"
All of their heads spun around to locate the source of the voice and each of them felt the blood drain from their faces.
Azula, the princess of the Fire Nation, stood at the bottom of the stair case with an absolutely livid expression on her face and steam billowing out of her ears and nose, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"You killed Ty Lee! You killed Ty Lee! I'm going to fucking kill you!"
She launched herself at Azzan, propelled forward by blue flames coming out of the souls of her feet, and was on him before he could even blink her anger sending her bending through the roof.
"By the time I've finished with you traitor," she snarled at Azzan, "you'll wish you had burned to death with your pathetic excuse of a wife!"
The first punch she threw was laced with blue flame and landed with a sickening crunch on Azzan's cheek knocking the bender completely off his feet. She followed with a devastating kick to his stomach enhanced by a hellish azure flash that had the soldier doubled over and coughing up blood.
"Why were you even there? Why were you trying to save my useless brother from a fate he rightly deserves?" With a ferocious roar she let loose a deadly series of punches and kicks, each coupled with flames, "Why did you move? Why couldn't you have stayed there?"
How he had managed to dodge and redirect the enraged princess's barrage was a mystery to all but Azzan who, though caught off guard, was quick to notice that the prodigy's assault wasn't coordinated at all; it was crazed and distraught, the tears cascading down her face evidence of her turmoil.
"I am not the one who shot the lightning Princess," Azzan ground out through a sharp stab of pain, "nor did I ask her to take the attack for me. She did it of her own accord, no one else's."
A guttural cry tore from Azula's mouth in tandem with an enormous pillar of azure death, "I hate you! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!"
Moving quickly despite his wounds, the older bender was able to deflect the wall of fire away taking care to keep it from the rest of the group who stood staring in awe at the erratic display of raw power coming from the Fire Nation princess.
"The only one you should hate," Azzan reasoned, his hands coming alight with his own tongues of fire, "is yourself. You were foolish enough to think that that sweet girl was as cold hearted as you. That she would simply stand by while you tried to attack an opponent whose back was turned! There was no honor in what you did, nor is there any for you now with this unjustified attack!"
Crossing both arms in front of himself he tensed, taking in an enormous breath, before unleashing it all in a white-hot burst of hellish flame. As if spurred on by his abrupt release of air, the ball of fire shot forth at blinding speed and caught the princess in the shoulder where it quickly ate through her armor.
With a shriek Azula ripped off the melting metal before the scalding heat could mar her skin, "Traitors deserve to die a traitor's death like the honor less pigs they are, not have innocent people take their punishment for them! Show me the justice in that murderer! She's gone because you were there and you were there because you betrayed your country by affiliating yourself with filthy peasants!"
Her fists were clenched so tightly that her knuckles had gone deathly white and blood slithered its way down her palms from where her nails had dug into the flesh of her hands. Her eyes were shut tight in concentration, as if she were trying to block out the reality she now found herself in. When she finally opened them again, it was plain to see that she was torn.
Her once confident amber gaze was shaken and unsure of how to proceed, the fire that had been present for so long was now all but extinguished. All that remained was a faint spark of pain—something born of great tragedy and loss that would not be easily remedied.
"Ty Lee's…gone," she gasped breathlessly, the fight leaving her in an instant, as she fell to her hands and knees, "she's gone…g-gone." The tears came back in full force, though now they were brought about by guilt and dawning comprehension as opposed to the righteous anger of minutes before, "Ty Lee…"
No one moved or spoke for several seconds, spellbound by the events playing out before them and what they had just heard.
Suki recovered herself first, "I think we should move it you guys; the guards are starting to get the upper hand against the prisoners! If we keep standing around we're going to miss our shot!"
"But," Sokka protested, his eyes still on the weeping form of the fire princess, "what about Azula? Do we just…leave her here? Or do we, you know, take her out?"
A new voice spoke up from the guard tower behind them startling them all, "Please…please don't hurt her! Just leave her here, I'll take care of her."
It was the dark haired, emotionless knife thrower, Mai only, for once, her impassive mask was broken. She was coming down the stairs with her hands raised in a placating manner, her eyes red and puffy from crying, "I'm unarmed. I don't even care if you guys go just please…I can't stand to lose anyone else I care about today, please."
Nodding his head with eyes fully of sympathy Azzan spoke, "Of course Lady Mai, of course. And…my prayers and deepest sympathies are with you both."
"Thank you," she whispered as she passed through the group and knelt down next to Azula, "I think you all should go—the warden, my uncle, he won't let this riot run much longer." Looking at her broken friend Mai let out a shaky sigh, "Oh Azula…come on time to get up."
"She's right of course," Ton piped up as he glanced around at the chaos below them, flames becoming more abundant as the guards began to put down the prisoners, "we may have had surprise but they still have more benders. Let's move!"
Azzan ran back to Sokka's side and hefted Zuko's arm around his shoulders, "Come on Sokka, I've got him!"
They started to move again, Suki taking the lead and Ton bringing up the rear, all of them hoping to get to their destination unhindered after the unexpected attack from Azula.
Finally they reached the watchtower, which had thankfully been left unguarded due to the riot below.
Sokka let out a low whistle as he eyed the setup, "I've said it before and I'll say it again; the Fire Nation have some incredibly technology! I mean, just look at this stuff!"
Suki rolled her eyes at her excitable boyfriend before taking a firm hold of his ear, "Sokka, sweetie, now is really not the time! We need to hijack the gondola now!"
Wincing and trying to bat away the Kyoshi warrior's hand, Sokka conceded, "Ow! Owowow okay okay Suki I get it! Gondola, gondola, gondola! OW!"
Ton snorted, "Well somebody's whipped."
Sokka scowled, "Shut up! She had my ear! My precious, delicate, attractive ear! Besides," he continued, "if you think I'm whipped, you should see Zuko when he's around my sister. He's practically bound and tied!"
"As fascinating as it is to imagine the future Fire Lord being shackled to his significant other so pathetically," Azzan smirked, "I believe we have company!"
Just as the firebender finished his statement, the tower was flooded with dozens of guards, each of whom wielded a tongue of flames. Through the solid wall of benders emerged the Warden, a cruel smile on his face and his eyes alight with glee.
"Well, well, well Captain," he mocked as he took in the ragged group before him, "it seems your foolish little escape attempt has failed. You have nowhere to go but back to your cells, though I think a trip to the Cooler is in order for both you and prince Zuko."
Azzan eased Zuko's arm down from around his shoulders, passing the weight off to Ton, "If you think I'm just going to hang my head and surrender then I'm afraid you're terribly mistaken warden."
"We'll see about that captain. Guards," barked the warden coolly, "subdue the prisoners and then throw them all into their own separate coolers!"
As the soldiers moved to follow their orders Sokka gulped nervously, "So I guess saying we were just trying to make sure no one used the gondola to escape in all the ruckus isn't gonna work, huh?"
The sound of several palms meeting their owner's faces filled the room.
"Sokka," Suki muttered hopelessly as she massaged the bridge of her nose, "sometimes I wonder…I really really wonder why I love you."
Azzan snorted, "I think we're all still trying to figure that one out Suki. Out of all the fish in the sea you pick the one that's got the gimpy fin!"
"Hey!" Sokka shouted in protest, "I do not have a gimpy fin! Or fins at all for that matter so—"
"ENOUGH!" Obviously fed up the warden had interjected, his face twisted in annoyance, "Put them in irons and take them to the coolers, now!"
The small group—those that could anyway—fell into their respective fighting stances as the warden's men drew closer.
"I want them alive," reminded the warden as he turned to leave the tower. He paused for a moment and, almost as an afterthought, added, "But I'm not against them being a little…roughed up when they arrive. Just alive."
Before he made it out, a terrible shriek rent the air all around them forcing many of the advancing guards to cover their ears in pain.
Grimacing as he clamped his own hands over his ears, Azzan growled, "What in Agni's name is that?"
From outside terrified screams and shouts crisscrossed and melded together creating a cacophony of horror. Finally one cry broke it's way through the confused clamor.
"TAKE COVER!"
OoOoOoOoOoO
"Toph, I'm worried," Katara confided to the blind girl, who was currently occupied with picking the dirt out from under her toenails, "it's been a week now and Zuko and Sokka still aren't back. What if…what if they got captured? What if they're in trouble and need our help to get out of that horrible prison? What if they—"
"Katara!" Toph bit out sharply, her eyes never leaving her task, "will you please calm down? Geez I didn't think the hormones were supposed to hit before the first trimester! Honestly you go from zero to hysterical in the blink of an eye!"
The waterbender quieted instantly, her cheeks flaring at the other bender's rather blunt observation. "Sorry Toph," she mumbled with downcast eyses, "I'm just—"
"Worried, I know Sweetness," interrupted the small girl once again though her tone was markedly gentler, "I am too. Knowing Sparky and Snoozles they would have already been back if things had gone smoothly. It's just…we don't exactly know where they are, you know? And you're well…pregnant."
Katara scowled, "That's the same thing Zuko told me before he and Sokka left when I offered to go with them. But dammit I'm not going to break! I'm pregnant but I'm not a balloon that's liable to pop at the lightest touch!"
"Sheesh Sugar Queen," Toph laughed as she managed to dislodge a particularly intriguing speck from her nail, "there's no need to get all huffy with me. If you say you're good to go, who am I to argue otherwise? Let's get Appa ready!"
"Alright!" Katara squealed in glee, jumping up from her seat.
There was a pause as the tiny earthbender made no move to prepare or cease her toe excavations.
With a deadpanned expression and emotionless voice, Katara asked, "When you say "let's get Appa ready"…I'm assuming you mean "Katara get Appa ready.""
With a smirk Toph nodded, "Assume away."
-0-
It hadn't taken Katara long to get the sky bison ready for their departure; all they had really needed was a few blankets, water and food.
What had taken up much of their time had been convincing Hakoda to actually let them go. He had been dead set against the idea even before she had finished her first sentence.
"Absolutely not Katara!" the chief had practically shouted, "While I agree that we need to go after them and that Toph's metalbending abilities will be invaluable on a rescue mission, you should not, cannot and will not go! Especially in your condition!"
Okay, so he'd been more against the idea of her going than he had been of the plan in general. He was actually quite supportive of Toph going which irked her to no end.
But the mentioning of her pregnancy once again as the reason for her to not go was the last straw.
"For La's sake my pregnancy is not a handicap! At least it isn't right now!" she glared daggers at her father as she clenched her fists in frustration, "I'm more capable on my own than most of your warriors are together and it's my brother and my baby's father who need my help! I will not be left behind again! Baby or not, I'm going to fight for those that I love!"
Her tirade was capped off by a single tear rolling down her face that barely registered to Hakoda before she fled from his tent and into the fading light, leaving her father speechless.
As soon as the war wear chief had been able to collect his wits following his daughter's passionate words, he went in search of her to apologize but he'd only caught sight of the great white sky bison as it faded away into the night.
Knowing that his daughter's safety was now out of his hands, Hakoda sighed and stared into the sky, "Tui and La please…please bring them back to me."
-0-
"So Sweetness, where exactly is this "Boiling Rock" where Sparky and Snoozles are most likely being held prisoner?"
The trip had been relatively quiet so far with neither girl in the mood for talking. Toph had fallen asleep soon after their departure, intent on keeping up with her sleep, but Katara had found herself unable to even calm her nerves enough for the subtle vestiges of slumber to overtake her.
She was afraid.
Her brother and her boyfriend—who, when they got out of this, would be her husband before he could blink—were no doubt at the mercy of the Fire Nation and once word got out to the capitol, there was no telling how fast the Fire Lord would be upon them.
Or his sister.
She shivered at the thought of the cold-hearted, calculating princess. The memory of the battle in the catacombs rushed over her: how Azula hadn't even hesitated to kill an innocent child, how Aang had fallen and crashed to the ground…how she had just stood there and watched.
"Katara?" Her companion's voice broke out of her reverie, concern evident in the small bender's voice and on her face as well as a small hint of fear. She had always feared that one night she would wake up and be the only one left on the bison, the other's having fallen off because they insisted on sleeping at the edge of the saddle.
Carefully, so as not to startle the girl—she couldn't really see while atop the bison—Katara crawled over to her and gathered Toph into her lap. She gave her a reassuring squeeze, "I'm here Toph. Sorry I didn't answer I just…got lost in thought there for a minute."
"I'm worried too Sweetness," confided the green-eyed bender, her voice soft and lacking any of its normal snark, "I want my brother back…and The Bottomless Pit too."
Katara couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled up and out of her mouth, "Toph! That's not a very nice thing to say," she chided gently, her giggles betraying her humor, "especially when said Bottomless Pit isn't present to justify his eating habits!"
Appa let out a low grumble that seemed to show his agreement and both girls dissolved into giggles, patting the bison affectionately.
"I knew you'd side with me Appa," Toph laughed with a smile, "Snoozles would probably eat a whole Saber-tooth Moose lion if we let him! I just don't understand where he puts it all!"
Chuckling softly Katara spoke, "Ever since he was a kid Sokka's always been the big eater of the family. He could out eat my father at age seven without breaking a sweat and we were all positive that he was going to turn into a blob before his tenth birthday. But somehow...he managed to stay as thin as a twig."
The conversation lulled for a few minutes and the two sat in silence listening to the wind as it rushed passed them, Appa's tail beating a steady rhythm as it flopped up and down keeping them aloft.
In a quiet whisper Toph continued, "Seriously though Katara, I'm…I've never been more bent out of shaped over someone else's well-being as I am with Zuko. Don't get me wrong," she amended quickly seeing the waterbender about to question her, "It's not that I don't care about Snoozles it's just…he doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would lose it if he was locked up, you know?"
Katara shook her head in confusion, "Zuko is just as tough as my brother Toph. In fact, I think he could take anything those guards would throw at him. He and Sokka both."
Toph sighed, "Yeah but…how long would he last if Azula was the one calling the shots?"
Blue eyes widened and fear gripped her body as the earthbender unknowingly repeated her earlier thoughts. If Toph had considered the possibility then that made all her fears all the more real.
"Please don't say that Toph," she whispered weakly, her voice betraying her as it broke, "that's the one thing I've been praying not to happen to either of them. She's…you didn't see her down in Ba Sing Se when she—when Aang died."
The green-eyed bender felt the tremor rush through her friend and instinctively cuddled further into her warmth to try and stave off the fear that must have been coursing through her.
"Sorry I-I didn't…I didn't think—"
"Shh Toph," Katara soothed, running a hand through the blind girl's ebony locks, "it's okay, I know what you meant. All we can do is hope that Azula isn't interested with the goings on at the Boiling Rock. We're going to help them…we'll get them out."
Again the sound of the steady wind rang dominant in their ears before Toph spoke, her voice hardly above a whisper.
"Sweetness? Do you think…would you sing for me again? Just a little bit so I can get all these thoughts out of my head. But I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to 'cause I'll just—"
Katara smiled as she put a finger to the bender's babbling lips, silencing her, "Of course Toph, just close your eyes and relax."
Tucking her head into the crook of Katara's elbow to get more comfortable, the metalbender complied, "Thanks Katara."
-0-
Zuko had told her before he left that the reason they weren't taking Appa was because he was too obvious. A giant white sky bison flying through the Fire Nation was just asking for trouble—which was why the two benders now found themselves in their current predicament.
"Honestly Sweetness why did you decide to keep moving during the day? It seems a little counter-productive if you're asking me."
Katara felt her eye twitch in aggravation at the blind heiress, "Now's really not the time Toph! I'm having a hard enough time with the balls of fire, torrents of flames, and all other manner of pyrotechnics being flung at us and I really don't need to be fending off condescending comment from the peanut gallery! Appa up! AAHH!"
The bison barely managed to dodge an oncoming fireball as Katara tugged on his reigns with all her might. She growled as she righted their mount; they were sitting ducks up here without her bending but Toph couldn't see to guide Appa and she couldn't bend because the closest earth was hundreds of feet below them.
She knew taking off during the day was a bad move but, after the talk she had had with Toph yesterday, Katara had just wanted to get to both her brother and Zuko as soon as possible. How was she supposed to know that the Fire Nation army would respond to sightings so quickly?
They hadn't been flying for more than ten minutes before the first specks of black had been seen on the horizon. Those specks had turned into dozens and soon they sky was littered with airships and zeppelins all of which had brought enough firepower—and benders to power said firepower—to lay siege to an entire nation.
Apparently the price on their heads had not diminished in the slightest with Aang's death.
"This would be so much easier if Zuko were here," she mumbled to herself through gritted teeth.
"I think it would be easier if anyone else with working eyes were here Sugar Queen," Toph corrected as she held on tightly to the grips of Appa's saddle, "this is definitely not how I envisioned our rescue mission going."
"Tell me about it—Toph duck!" Katara screamed dropping her head down as Appa flew dangerously close to one of the airships.
Behind her she heard Toph do the same with a small eep! as she flattened herself against the rough saddle. "You alright up there Sweetness?"
"Yeah Toph," she called back when inspiration struck, "Toph! The airship that's right above us—it's made of metal! Do you think—"
"Way ahead of you Sweetness! Right above me you said? Like how far are we—" she stopped and blinked her sightless eyes in surprise as her hands met the cool exterior of the metal ship, "Holy shit! You weren't exaggerating when you said right above us, huh?"
Katara let out a harsh laugh, a bitter smirk gracing her worried face, "You can't say I didn't warn you."
"Yeah yeah," the girl grumbled nonchalantly, waving off the water tribe girl's sarcasm, "Now I just need a good hold—there!" Her fingers found purchase amongst the otherwise flawless exterior of the ship and she plunged them in as easily as if the metal was water. "One decimated Fire Nation airship coming up!"
Holding fast, the talented bender wrenched the entire bottom out and immediately they heard the telltale wail of screams from within.
"Oh yeah, I rock!" Toph crowed, a satisfied smirk on her face.
Both of the girls stared as the ship plummeted out of the sky—Katara in awe and Toph just following the sounds of her destruction.
A loud roar tore through the air breaking the pair out of their trance. Looking to the front Katara saw, with rising horror, an almost solid wall of flames coming at them. The bison roared again, not sure whether to wait for the girls to guide him or to give in to his instincts and dive.
The decision was made for him as Katara grasped on to Toph's hands and pulled them around her waist, "Whatever you do Toph do not let go!"
"What are you—AHHH! STOP STOP! I WANNA GET OFF, I WANNA GET OFF, I WANNA GET OFFFFFFFFFFF!"
If Toph had been just a little bit taller Katara thought she might have gone deaf. Thankfully she only had to endure the earthbender's death grip around her waist for a few seconds as they followed the airship that they had taken out just moments before.
In their free fall Katara saw an enormous forest stretched out below them. The trees were tall and ancient with leaves and branches so dense that the forest floor was impossible to see. It would provide the perfect cover!
With a mighty tug on the reins she managed to steer Appa out of the nosedive and get him straightened out, "Appa! We need to hide in the forest! Can you get us down there safely?"
Said bison let out a roar of indignation causing the waterbender to blush, "Sorry Appa, I didn't mean to question your abilities I just had to be sure." Turning to the blind hyperventilating bender, Katara ran a calming hand through her ebony locks, "Hang on again Toph."
Blinking her unseeing eyes and fighting off her rising fear she nodded, "Okay Sweetness, you got it. Just…just tell me the next time you're gonna do that, alright?"
"Trust me Toph it's better if you don't know." Katara heard the beginning of a rebuttal but she ignored it and called to the bison, "Ready Appa? Yip yip!"
The rush of air and the intense and unsettling feeling of vertigo crashed over the waterbender and nearly caused her to lose her grip on the reigns. She could feel the contents of her stomach rising up in contrast to the downward plummeting of her entire body and she went a little cross-eyed which she immediately regretted as it only added to her growing nausea.
The roaring wind did nothing to drown out the terrified screams of the Blind Bandit behind her however.
"AHHHHHHHHHH! OH SPIRITS MAKE IT STOP! PLEASE! STOP STOP ST—AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The grip she had on Katara's waist was almost enough to force up and out what the mocha-skinned girl was trying so hard to keep down and in. But she had told Toph to hold on.
After what seemed like hours upon hours of cruel and unusual punishment—but was really only a few seconds—Appa managed to break the tree line without too much trouble and settle into a steady, and thankfully much slower, speed.
Successfully managing to settle her disturbed stomach, Katara finally took in her surroundings.
The forest was immense and lush, easily surpassing her earlier expectations that they would be able to hide from their pursuers; they were flying through the forest for La's sake! The trees were gigantic, seeming to stretch up into the sky for miles on end and the foliage was thick and green and nearly impossible to see through.
"We could hide Ba Sing Se in here," Katara whispered to herself in wonder, her eyes open wide in awe, "this place is incredible!"
A warm, wet sensation made itself known in her upper back along with the feeling of soft tremors and then, finally, crying.
"Oh Toph!" she cooed as she turned herself within the earthbender's vice-like grip, wrapping the sobbing girl in her arms, "Toph I'm so sorry we had to do that, but it was the only way we could've gotten out of there alive! Shh…don't cry Little One, please! Hush now, it's alright I'm here."
Her gentle coaxing only seemed to bring more tears as the small girl's cries turned into gut wrenching sobs, "I-it was s-so scary Katara," Toph croaked out in between great heaves, "I-I thought…I d-didn't know—we just…fell. A-and we kept falling and I-I couldn't…see or feel anything!"
Katara tightened her hold on the young bender's tiny frame as she ran a hand once more through her dark locks, "It's alright now Toph, it's all over. We're safe and right side up again, no more falling okay?"
"O-okay Katara," the girl shuddered, "but no more, right?"
"Right," the brunette assured her, "no more."
-O-
Things quieted down significantly after their escape from the Fire Nation air attack. The forest had done its job and dissuaded their enemies from following after them, in the air at least. Countless run ins with the Fire Nation royal siblings (before Zuko had turned of course) had taught them that. For all they knew, the entire infantry could be marching toward them right then.
But that was something that both Toph and Katara decided to put out of their minds for the time being in favor of making headway through the enormous forest. The trees that had been forgiving initially were now making flight extremely difficult for Appa, slowing down their progress immensely.
"If this keeps up by the time we get to the Boiling Rock I won't even be able to stand much less bend!" Katara growled in frustration as she bent several of the lower hanging limbs out of the bison's way. Sweat covered her brow and her face was screwed up in concentration as she employed Hama's teachings to manipulate the objects.
"I'm honestly surprised you haven't passed out yet myself Sweetness," Toph piped up from where she lay with her hands behind her head in the saddle, "you've been bending for about three hours now and it sure doesn't feel like there's going to be an end to this forest any time soon."
All of a sudden, a long, droning wail sounded off in the distance effectively silencing both girls.
"That's a siren," Toph whispered, pushing herself up and on her feet, "that's a siren!" She ran over to the still frozen waterbender and began tugging on her arm, "Katara that's a siren!"
"Yes Toph, I heard you the first two times!" she replied distractedly as she strained her ears to better pinpoint the source of the sound, "I would appreciate it if you'd stop trying to pull my arm off though!"
Unfazed, the earthbender continued, "That's gotta be the Boiling Rock Sweetness! We found it!"
Relief flooded through Katara like the very element she commanded. They had found it! They had finally found Zuko, Sokka and hopefully Suki and they were on the verge of getting them out of the damned prison!
Appa finally found the end of the forest a few minutes later. As they broke the away from the monotony of green they were met with a massive cliff face that stretched high into the sky. Thankfully their mount was more than capable of tackling this newest obstacle all on his own and, within minutes, they were at the mouth of a cave near the peak of the volcano.
"Thank you Appa," Katara whispered as she scratched the bison in appreciation, "Toph and I will take it from here. You stay safe and wait for us somewhere nearby, okay?"
She got a massive tongue to the face in response before the mammoth animal took flight and disappeared from sight. The two watched him go in silence before turning to look into the dimly lit cave before them.
"Well," Toph said as she dug her toes into the dirt, "this is definitely some kind of feeding point for the prison; there's a barracks here and a bunch of metal crap that completely reeks of Fire Nation technology and—"
Her voice caught and as Katara turned to look at her companion she saw that her eyes were wide and her face had gone pale, "Toph, what's wrong?"
But the small girl didn't answer, instead sprinting toward the far corner of the cave and stopping just short of the wall, her sightless eyes focused on a spot on the floor and her hands trembling in shock.
"Toph?" Katara asked walking over to the earthbender and putting a hand on her shoulder, "What—" But her voice died in her throat as her eyes fell on the object at Toph's feet.
Arctic blue paint decorating a wicked looking curved blade…
"Sokka's boomerang," Katara swallowed feeling the beginning of tears as she knelt to pick up the weapon, "he never goes anywhere without it."
Toph clenched her fists, "They did get captured then."
A long silence followed her statement as the two girls tried to fend off the implications of the fact broken only by the wailing sirens of the nearby prison. Even though they had already guessed at the situation, seeing the evidence in front of them brought reality slamming home.
Clutching her brother's boomerang in both hands Katara stood up, wiping away the lone tear that had escaped from her eyes, and walked deeper into the cave towards the gondola station with Toph close at her heels.
There, looming off in the distance and nestled amidst the scorching hot water after which it was named, stood the Boiling Rock prison.
A smirk crossed her tan face as she cracked her knuckles, "Toph, what do you say we crash whatever party's going on down there? You know…really put their reputation to the test."
The manic grin that lit up the young bender's face would have been enough to send grown men crying for their mothers. "Sweetness, I am totally down! I'll make the transport if you do the driving."
A strange feeling overtook Katara in that moment. It was like some sort of trance; all of the emotions and stress of the last few days were getting ready to explode out of her at any moment. She was finally going to get her brother back from this La forsaken prison. She was finally going to be reunited with her soon-to-be husband and father of her baby.
And all she had to do was take out a few firebenders?
"Bend away Toph," she grinned dangerously as the frenzy of bloodlust overtook her, "bend away."
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A/N: So there you have it folks, chapter fifteen! I apologize for any errors, but I do hope you guys enjoyed it! Please, review and let me know what you think as there is always, always, ALWAYS room for improvement! 'Til next time!
-HakushoRurouni