Disclaimer: No I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender. -_-
A/N: Thank you for all the reviews you guys! Love ya'll! Enjoy :)
Knock You Down
Chapter 2
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Katara held back tears as she was thrown forcefully into the boat's prison cell. It had large steel black metal bars, and was cold, very cold. The guard put two seperate chains around both of her wrists. The chains were hanging on the wall, so when he did so she was forced to stand. Her brother was on the complete opposite side of the boat, and she hated being such a far distance from him. He was always there to protect her, and now, he wasn't.
She had been forced out her regular attire, to wear a prison uniform. It was a black with red stripes uniform. It was very loose fitting and itchy on Katara. She did not like it one bit. But of course, they wouldn't care.
A guard chuckled and smirked evily at her. "Try to escape if you want peasant, you won't have any success."
Katara frowned at the guard. "And what if I have to use the bathroom?"
"At 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. we have a bathroom break for every prisioner. That's it. I wouldn't drink or eat much if I were you, but hey it already looks like your ahead of the game. You won't last long on this boat. Good luck." He laughed menacingly as he left the room.
Katara clenched her teeth, and held back her tears. It was a very dark and small room. There were many empty, small prison cells around her. It was like a long hall of lined with prison cells. Only on one side though. Her prison cell was at the left end. When she looked to the right, all that was there was darkness. Darkeness behind metal bars, that seperated each cell. A little candle flickered in the corner of hers. She looked around and saw many skeleton bones of small animals in her prison cell. She frowned at the sight of them. Those animals weren't the only ones done unfairly here.
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Aang sat silently at the oval table with Zuko and Azula. There was huge map in front of them, with all the nations that had fallen under their control. The only nation that still stood strong was the Earth nation. But little by little, it was falling too. They were more after islands, right now. Islands that had little population. Aang frowned deeply at the sight. He couldn't believe he was a part of such a terrible thing. "I'm sorry Monk Gyatso..." he thought to himself. Monk Gyatso was a man that Aang looked up to when he was younger, before the fire nation kidnapped him of course. Monk Gyatso was pratically his father. He knew he would've been ashamed of him, and everything he was doing...
"Aang!" He quickly changed his focus to Zuko, the one who had just called his name.
"Yes Zuko?"
"Are you listening?"
Aang stared at the map ahead of them. It was neatly laying in the center of the table. "I'm sorry guys...I just have alot on my mind..."
Azula raised an eyebrow, and sipped some of the steaming hot tea in front of her. "Like what?"
Aang ran a hand through his short black hair, trying to make up something. Aang had learned over the years how to make up excuses. He always had to in the fire nation. "Like...what are we going to do with these rebels once we get back to the fire nation?"
Azula settled down the hot tea, on a small plate, and a evil smirk appeared across her face. "Father says we can do whatever we want with them. As long as it's something bad," she tapped her fingers against the wooden table, and the evil smirk grew. "Something very bad. We have to teach them a lesson after all."
"Oh." Aang stared at Azula's tapping fingers and frowned. Whenever Azula was tapping her fingers, something bad was erupting in her head. He couldn't help but wonder about her evil plans. He knew she wouldn't mind killing a person...
Zuko patted him on the back snapping him back into reality. "They deserve it Aang. You know that, right buddy?"
Aang's frown deepened. Did they really deserve this? The answer was quite obvious to him. It couldn't get any clearer than this. They did not deserve it. Not one bit. Neither did the rest of the world either. He still kept his stupidity though. Not wanting Zuko or Azula to know what he was really thinking. "What did they do that was so wrong?" Aang nonchalantly picked up his steaming tea, sipping from it like nothing mattered.
Azula frowned and shook her head. "They disobeyed the fire nation. They insulted our father by doing so. They refuse to follow our rules so they must pay. Just like their mother and father."
Aang settled the tea back down slowly, confusion written all over his face. "You know their parents?"
Azula laughed. "Of course I do. Well at least their dad. He was a very bad rebel. He wanted everything to be equal. But it can't. It's impossible Aang. The fire nation is supposed to be in 's just how things are ment to be. But don't worry father put him in his place."
Aang's eyes widened and he gasped when she said this. He tried his best to keep his composure, but knew deep down inside, whatever Ozai did it was not good. "What did he do?"
Azula mindlessly looked her hands over. "Nothing bad. It's not like he killed him or anything. Let's just say their father, Hakoda, is working very hard to regain his honor. Manual labor is not an easy task. I have a feeling his children are going to be assisting him though, so that's good news for him. They will all be a family again. At least for a little while, until we throw them somewhere else." Azula picked up her tea again and slowly sipped from it, eyeing the Avatar carefully. "You know for the Avatar your kind of stupid. You should know this already. I mean you've mastered all four elements, certain things are just common sense."
Aang stood up from his seat and left the room, unable to stand being in the same room as Azula anymore.
XXX
Katara sat on the cold floor, trying to think up a plan on how to get them out of here. Her mind kept hitting a brick wall though. A few tears slid down her face as she thought back to her mother's necklace, that was not around her neck as it was supposed to be. "I'm sorry mom..." She whispered more to herself, because no one else was around.
Suddenly she heard the door creak, and it slowly opened and closed. She saw somebody wearing a hood over their head as they came up to the bars she was behind. They sat down crossed legged and pulled down the hood. She recognized this person as the Avatar.
"What are you doing here?" She said through clenched teeth.
He sighed and wore a deep frown on his face. He flicked his thumb and fire appeared. Katara immediately let out a small gasp, afraid that he might hurt her. He sighed and pulled out a small candle. He lit the fire on the candle and scooted it through to her.
"Your very skinny. When was the last time you ate? Are you hungry?" He asked after a few minutes of her staring him up and down and frowning.
She kept quiet, refusing to reply to him. He was right though. It had been a long time since she actually had something to eat. They were always so busy running from the fire nation, eating was not of her main priority. Surviving always seemed more important.
"I'll be right back." He whispered to her and got up exiting the room. He climbed up the stairs and ran to the kitchen, only to run smack into Azula.
She raised an eyebrow and put her hands on her hips. "Hey! Watch it Avatar! What are you in such a rush for anyway?"
Aang nervously scratched the back of his neck. "Oh, Sorry Azula. I'm just hungry," he rubbed his tummy to add affects. "Very, very hungry."
Azula rolled her eyes, suddenly losing interest in whatever he was up to, but still did not completely believe him. "Okay. Whatever." She walked away and Aang took a sigh of relief.
XXX
Katara sat back in her prision cell wandering about the Avatar. Why was he being so nice to her? Probably trying to trick her, she figured. Wants her to think he cares, when he really doesn't.
She saw the door open and close again slowly. Aang unlocked the bars using some keys, and took the chains off of Katara's wrists. Her arms immediately fell back to her sides, and a feeling relief washed over her. He then went back though the cell and closed it again. The Avatar took the same criss crossed position he had earlier and slid her a bowl of rice meat and vegetables, and a cup of hot tea.
"I'm giving you this food, but you can not tell anyone I'm doing so. Please promise me you won't."
Katara stared at the Avatar. He looked very serious about what he was saying. She slid the food and the tea back to him. "I'd rather starve than eat whatever you give me."
Aang frowned and whispered loudly. "Your already starving yourself! You keep this up, and you'll be dead before we get to the fire nation!"
Katara glared at the young Avatar. "And why would you care Avatar?" She tried to keep her voice at a certain volume, afraid that someone might hear them talking.
Aang shook his head and sighed. "I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I know I'm not doing right, but that's going to change. I promise I won't let them hurt you and your brother. I promise."
Katara rolled her eyes. "Yeah right. What about all the other people you've let down Avatar? You disgust me. How do you live with yourself?"
The Avatar shifted uncomfortably in his spot. His voice sounded quieter than before as he spoke to the young waterbender, "It's very difficult for me to live with myself..." He stared her deep into the eyes to the point where she felt shivers run down her spine. "I don't want to be a part of this war. I'm only 16 years old. I'm an airbender and the last of my kind. The fire nation killed all of my people when I... escaped."
Katara scooted closer to the bars, so that the only thing blocking their faces were those rusty black metal bars. She spoke very softly and kindly to him, very different from her previous tone. "Tell me more please..."
Aang only nodded his head and took a deep breath. It was nice for him to have someone to talk to. Someone who actually understood him, and knew how it felt to have everything taken from you. "When I was 12, I was told I was the Avatar. On that day my whole life changed forever. I had a teacher, pratically like my father, his name was Monk Gyatso. He helped me have a childhood and the other monks were going to force me to leave him. I couldn't stand the thought of leaving him...I really couldn't. I felt as if my heart was being ripped in two."
Katara could see the tears welling up in his eyes. Aang felt the same way about Gyatso that she felt about her mother. He glanced up at her with watery eyes as if asking permission to continue, and she nodded her head giving him the encouragement he needed to go on.
"I loved him. He was like a father to me. He taught me so many things. So I left when I overheard their conversations of sending me somewhere else. I left on my flying bison Appa. I was discovered by the fire nation when I left, and they captured me. About 1 day later I was able to escape from being under them, I hated it there. I was trying to go back home on my flying bison Appa, but got caught in a storm and ended up frozen in an iceberg for 100 years."
Katara's eyes grew very wide with him saying this. Her mouth dropped open to form a big O. "You were frozen in a iceberg for 100 years?"
Aang only nodded his head. "I was literally frozen. Nothing about me changed. I wasn't dead... yet I wasn't quite alive either. It was very strange. It's kind of like time froze for me. I stopped growing, changing, and everything. I just didn't stop living." Katara gasped in disbelief as he said this.
He then continued on with his story. "Prince Zuko ended up discovering me, and brought me home to his father. I was only 12 years old at the time. I was just a kid. A very confused kid. I later found out that I was the last of my kind. No more airbenders. They were all killed, because of me. I was treated horribly. Just like some object. I am now 16 and still get treated this way. Like I am not a person. Like I have no feelings. 3 years ago I tried to get away with Appa, but didn't succeed. Ever since I've been afraid of doing so. Mainly because of what the firelord did to show me that I was not allowed to leave..."
Worry was very evident in Katara's eyes. " What did Ozai do to you?" She asked in such a quiet and caring voice.
Aang shook his head and looked down. "I really don't like to talk about it... But believe me, I'm going to put a stop to this."
Katara nodded her head, not wanting to make him any sadder than he already was. "Have you mastered all four elements yet?" She asked trying to change the subject.
Aang nodded his head. "The firelord made sure I had the best teachers to help me. They want the biggest advantage over all the other nations, so they made sure I learned all four elements."
Katara nodded her head again understanding exactly where he was coming from. She then looked at his arrow tattoos. "What's the arrow tattoo for?"
Aang smiled as he thought about it. "I got this when I was 12. It shows that you are a master airbender. I got it after I created the Air Scooter." He smiled and chuckled to himself as he thought back to the fun times at the temple.
Katara nodded her head starting to see him as not such an evil person after all. "Your going to have to show me that someday. What's your name?"
Aang smiled. "My name is Aang."
Katara smiled back testing the name out "Aang... Aang. I like that name. It's unique."
He smiled back a light blush appearing on his cheeks. "Thanks. What's your name?"
"Katara." She replied.
"Katara," Aang grinned ear to ear "that's a pretty name." He winked an eye "Pretty name for a pretty girl."
Katara blushed, and hoped that he could not see it. "Thanks."
"I told you my story." Aang moved his hands so that they were on the bars in between them. "Now what's yours?"
Katara frowned. "My story...?"
Aang nodded his head and smiled. "Yeah."
Katara's frown deepend "Why would you want to hear my story?"
Aang hesistated before answering. "I think it's only fair to know something about the person who I am going to help escape..."
Katara's eyes widened when he said this. Escape was the key word for her. Once he said that all that he wanted to know would be at his disposal. "I'm 18 years old. My brother Sokka, who you guys also captured, is 20 years old. My mother was killed during a fire nation raid, and ever since my dad has been at war. He has not come back in years though, and me and my brother believe it's because of the fire nation..."
Aang frowned and let go of the bars forming his hands into tight clenched fists. How could the fire nation be so ruthless? He had to stop this. It was his duty as the Avatar. He owed the world. "You guys can't stay here. I'm going to get you and your brother out of here. Don't worry."
Katara smiled at how serious he sounded. How determined his voice was. She actually believed him. She looked at the food next to her as her stomach growled. Aang chuckled. "You should eat."
Katara smiled and giggled a little. "Yeah. I guess I should." She slowly started eating the food that Aang had given her, only to discover that she wasn't just hungry, but starving. It had been so long since she had something decent to eat. She finished the food in a very quick amount of time, completely cleaning out the bowl and drinking all of the hot tea.
Aang couldn't help but smile. He was happy to see her eating. She looked as if she had not eaten in days. Yet she still looked very beautiful. He frowned when that came into his head. He tried to shake the thought off, but there was no use for it had now been planted in his head. No use in denying what's true. Yeah, sure she's pretty. Prettiest girl I've ever seen. It's not like I like her. I'm just going to help her and her brother get out of here...
Aang started getting up from his sitting position. "I think I should go back up there before they start getting suspicious." Aang went inside the prision cell, and helped her stand up, putting the chains back around her wrists. He then closed the cell's doors and locked them.
Part of her did not want him to leave. Somehow having him in her company made her feel safe. Even though she didn't trust him...
Before he left he spoke to her again, glancing back over his shoulder as he did so. "Bye Katara." A slight smile could be seen, as his grey eyes sparkled at her.
Katara smiled back at him. "Bye Aang."
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A/N: I don't know if I said this but this story might suck, so be warned. :P
Anyways thanks for reading!
Peace out, Zoey :)