So... Welcome Back. Long time, no see, eh? Yeah, sorry 'bout that. really sorry 'bout that. I'm working on it. But, hey, here's an update! Look!
All standard/no-really? This is FFN disclaimers apply. Obviously.
Enjoy. It's only nine months late.
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Katara opened her eyes to be greeted by a spectacular view of a small pond. She moved to sit up, her head spinning. When she finally managed to reach an upright position, albeit leaning on the rough wall beside her, she proceeded to look around her.
She was in a cave walled with obsidian, looking out on a sandy beach. The sand was black, a grainy covering across what look like a volcanic expanse. But she frowned: something was wrong. Where was she?
Katara walked to the entrance of the cave and looked outside. The cave was at the bottom of a tall cliff face, the pond was walled in with sharp, jagged alpine rock. It would be suicide to try to leave by climbing up.
That having been made clear, Katara turned inside. She pasted where she'd been laying a few meters from the mouth, and proceeded inside. The walls were a shiny, smooth black with a serrated surface. Katara could see warped refections everywhere, her image twisted and gnarled into something more bizarre than she knew was true. The tunnel proceeded straight back until the entrance was little more than a dot of light before splitting in two. A lit candle lay between the paths.
Katara leaned down, focusing on the ground before her. There was mostly smooth stone, but the left path held tiny grains of sand. Katara choose left, stopping to grab the candle.
The tunnel went up at a steep angle, leaving her quickly in the dark. Not deterred, Katara walked as quickly as her robes and the tunnel would allow, soon becoming hot from the walking. By this time, a strange red light was in the distance.
Katara reached the light, to find an opening that overlooked a lake of lava. Heat rolled off the lava in lazy waves, a mirage of vapor and gas. Azula was there, watching it with a silent wonder. She turned as Katara moved to sit down.
"You woke up," Azula said calmly, her eyes bright, shining and flickering like flame.
Katara nodded, sitting. "Where are we, Azula?" she said apprehensively.
"My caves." Her answer was clipped.
"Where are these caves?" Katara continued, becoming slightly more concerned.
"In the volcano," Azula said, turning back to the lava lake.
"And the volcano is where?" Katara leaned to look her in the eyes, quelling worry.
"Outside of Caldera." Azula fiddled with a stone by the molten rock.
"Where outside, Azula? The rest of the world is outside of Caldera." Katara attempted to not let her lack of patience show.
"They're by the bunkers," Azula smiled. "But here's safer; no one comes here. Ever."
Azula paused, the menacing silence sinking within the rocks, and then smiled at Katara. "We're below the Palace!"
Katara froze. "That's good, Azula." she managed, knowing that remaining calm wouldn't escalate Azula's tendency for maniac moodswings.
Azula beamed. "You're safe now," she promised. "Then bad men can't get you."
Still half frozen, Katara's expression morphed into one of confusion and horror. "Bad men, Azula?"
Azula nodded, her eyes glistening. "I heard them talking about you. They wanted to hurt you. But I got you to safety." She seemed proud.
Katara couldn't move. Azula had been locked in the second highest security prison in the Fire Nation. The only person know to have successfully escaped was Iroh. Iroh and Azula were two vastly different people.
"Whats wrong?" Azula leaned closer, putting her hand on Katara's leg.
"How," Katara started. "How did... How did you get out?"
"Um..." Azula's brow creased. "I melted the lock, and walked out?" She offered.
"Wow," muttered Katara.
"Was I good?" Azula asked.
"That was very... skilled." Katara whispered, shocked.
Azula beamed.
"How did you get down here," Katara asked gently.
Azula pointed to an arch of stone above their heads. It wasn't even complete; halfway, the stone narrowed and a good half meter was thin air. "That. Part of it fell when I crossed." She sounded mildly worried, like a three-year-old worrying over her dolls clothes.
"How long ago did we leave?" Katara inquired.
"Three nights," she mused, shrugging. "You slept a while."
"We should head back, Azula." Katara rose from sitting, suddenly very concerned. Who knew what Zuko was doing to find them, let alone the prison guards.
Azula looked up, alarmed. "Why? It's dangerous up there!"
"Yes," Katara told her gently, "But its even more dangerous down here. Besides, I have duties in Caldera."
Azula pouted, her golden eyes begging Katara's.
"Come on, Azula. Show me the way out." Katara offered Azula a hand.
Azula rose on her own. "This way." She lit her hand, the blue flame dancing and frolicking, and began to lead the way down the tunnels. Katara grabbed the candle she'd brought and followed.
Azula led her to the point where the tunnels merged, and stopped. A second later, the ground shook violently.
Katara slipped, losing her footing and sliding to ground. Azula barely managed to cling to a clump of rock. The shaking lasted merely a few seconds.
Katara clambered to her feet, weighted down by her robes. Azula stood up more gracefully. The two looked at each other silently, then sprinted back up the tunnel.
The lake of lava was rising, and rapidly. Their perch was only a few hundred meters above it already.
"This happened yesterday," Azula said, calming down. "The lava rose."
After a pause, she added, "It was really pretty."
"Azula, get us out of here!" Katara ordered, not as calmed by the sight of rising lava, the memories of the open ocean suddenly so far away. The ground shook again, for not even a second, shaking loose rocks from above, including the archway.
Azula swore violently, using words Katara didn't even know existed.
"That was our way out," Azula told her, gesturing at the lost archway
"To the pond," Katara suddenly commanded. The water had to have come from somewhere, right?
They raced down the tunnel, and then headed for the pond, Katara in the lead. They reached the pond in an eighth of the time it had taken Katara to get to the overlook.
Outside, Katara, stripped off her outer robe, revealing her more maneuverable under robes. She struck a bending pose, and waisting no time, pulled the water out of the pond.
Azula backed up as the water kept coming. More water than a pond that size could ever hold was gushing out, tangling and warping as it moved with a mind of its own. Katara suspended the water above them, and moved to the bottom of the pond, where a hole just big enough for her to fit through lay, water pumping out.
Katara backed up, walking to where Azula stood.
"Do you trust me?" she asked, leveling her gaze with Azula.
"Yes," Azula said softly, looking at the hovering water.
Katara grinned, her plan fully formed in her mind. "Hold on tight." Azula grabbed her waist tightly.
The water crashed around them. Katara pulled out more water from the hole, intent on draining it. More and more water came, until soon it was well over their heads. Or it would have been, if Katara and Azula weren't standing on top.
Katara had no idea where the water was coming from. It came readily and easily, but in her tired state, it was hard enough to summon. She closed off the rest of the world, focusing on the water beneath her feet, and on the water coming. She pulled at it with all of her might as the volcano grumbled. But the water came, more and more of it, eventually to the point where the surface lay a single meter below the edge of the cliffs.
She felt Azula jump away, and then grab her arms, and pull her onto the ground. Only then did Katara dare release the water. As it drained, Katara blacked out, falling into the ground.
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"Katara! Stop falling asleep!" Azula's voice brought her back.
"Azula," Katara muttered.
"Katara! Why'd you go to sleep?" Azula demanded, fuming like a frustrated toddler.
"I passed out, Azula," Katara growled, her body aching. That much bending on no food for three days was not the best of ideas. Slowly, she pushed herself off the ground. Somehow, Katara remained unscathed. Her skirt wasn't as lucky.
Azula stood up and walked away. smoke rose off her body in waves, revealing her frustration and terror.
Katara took a look around. To her right was the hole they'd just escaped from. To her left was a steep slope, littered with more holes, trees, stones and grass. A far way away and down the slope, she saw the ocean glinting in the rising sun. She looked up and saw the top of the mountain, an abrupt jagged edge a far, far way off.
Dragging herself up, Katara searched the nearest plants for something, anything, edible. Thankfully, one of the nearer trees held mangos. Katara grabbed two, and leaned against the trunk, eating, the juice running down her face. She bended the juices back into her mouth.
Azula, having stopped smoking, grabbed a mango and sat next her Katara.
"Where now?" Azula asked.
Katara paused. "Up, and back to Caldera." She pointed.
Azula frowned. "But, that's where the bad people are," she said.
"Yes," Katara reminded her gently,"but that's also where the royal guards, Zuko, and the entire Fire Nation justice system resides."
Azula scowled, but didn't comment.
Katara finished her fruit. She sat calmly, waiting for the sun to finish rising. Azula waited less patiently, lighting blades of grass on fire and watching them burn. Katara supposed she could be doing worse things.
When the sun was fully over the horizon, Katara stood up, and without waiting for Azula, began to trek up the slope. Azula hurried to follow.
Even this early in the morning, The day was warming up. Katara could tell it would only get hotter. And they had to trek up at least a kilometer. Where was Aang or Appa when you wanted them?
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Azula trailed behind Katara as the day wore on. She wasn't used to this rigorous of a hiking.
Hauling Katara down to the caves had felt like it'd nearly killed her.
Her mind wandered even as she kept her eyes on the back of Katara, being careful to stay within a few meters of her. Katara seemed to know where they were going, and Azula certainly didn't. She wondered why Katara was so scared of the caves, and the lava. The lava had been beautiful. And the caves, Azula had known them since she was a little girl, escaping down to them when ever her father's wrath got too harsh and scary for even her to deal with. She knew them like the back of her hands.
The caves and tunnels had always been her little secret, something neither her father nor mother nor brother nor teachers nor servants had known about. But she'd shown Katara. And Katara hadn't liked them.
Azula let the bad thought pass by, and her mind wandered on in a skill gained from years in a tiny space.
She remembered the heat that had come flowing out of her hand as she'd melted the lock off the bars around her, and the elation at having been able to move freely.
And the horror as her gentle tap to Katara's shoulder -which was meant to surprise her - had knocked her unconscious.
So Azula had run with Katara to the safest place she knew, her caves.
And now they were out, climbing up the volcano's rocky exterior.
Azula allowed herself to marvel at the butterflies and other insects flying around her as she hurried to keep up with Katara, who seemed to be in quite the hurry.
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After a little over an hour, Katara estimated, she was forced to stop, due too both Azula and herself. The sun, though barley over the horizon, was already heating up the air. Flopping into a patch of shade, Katara wished for the south pole, where the warmest it got was above freezing.
Azula landed beside her, looking worse than Katara felt. At least Katara had been walking around for the past few years, rather than cooped up in a cage.
Katara wished she'd worn her water pouch, but there was always water around in the Palace, thanks to Zuko and Iroh. They'd nearly tripled the number of ponds and water features on the grounds, along with placing well-kept and large vases of flowers or floating candles in just about every room. It was nearly impossible to not find a source of water to bend when walking around the palace. Over the past years, Katara had grown lax about keeping water on her. Now she was paying for that.
Her mouth was parched. There was no water around, save that which she'd sworn never to reach for. Stupid flowers.
Azula looked up at her. "Is there water, Katara?" She asked softly, sounding parched too. Parched and weak.
"No," Katara told her sadly.
Azula whimpered.
Katara leaned against the source of the shade, a rather tall tree. She closed her eyes and waited until she felt well enough to walk. The temperature kept climbing.
When Katara finally stood up, Azula glared up from her position across the ground, clearly disinclined to move. Katara ignored her, and began walking uphill again. Azula consented to moving only after she saw Katara wasn't going to wait for her,and proceeded to trail behind.
The slope seemed to be only increasing as they went up, and the holes int he ground seemed to decrease dramatically.
Katara could soon see little figures on the ridge and moving downwards, little groups of soldiers. After her time with the Avatar, she knew a Fire Nation solder on sight, and from quite a distance away.
Katara grimly prayed that those figures were out to help them, and kept on walking. She had quite the ways to go.
Surely, the men got larger and seemed to have spotted them, as they were heading straight for the two women. Katara herself was heading straight for the men, urging Azula to keep up. For her part, Azula hadn't collapsed yet.
Katara could only hope they'd meet up soon.
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The soldiers approached faster than Katara could have hoped, urging her faster. Behind her, Azula grew more and more agitated as the men's faces came into view.
"Lady Katara!" One man called as soon as they were close enough. "Please wait there! We will come to you."
Katara rolled her eyes. She wasn't going to stop walking, but she did slow down, allowing Azula to catch up.
"Katara," Azula whispered, leaning close, "Those are the bad men."
"Azula, they won't hurt us. They're your brother's soldiers. He won't let us hurt them," Katara promised, and kept walking.
They met the soldiers in a little flat space covered in waist-high grasses. Azula dropped behind her as the men got closer.
"Greetings, Lady Katara, Lady Azula." The speaker bowed. "I am Sargent Royu. This is Shaya, Korrez,-"
He was cut off as Azula launched forward, fire spilling from her palms, launching towards Royu.
"Azula! Stop! Now!" Katara snarled, turning towards the girl.
Flames rushed past her head, singeing some stray hairs. Katara whipped around, to find Royu as the source of the fire. Katara opened her mouth to order him to stop as Azula retaliated, blue flames arching over Katara to the soldiers. Katara whirled around, feeling helpless with no water. There is water, a voice in her head nagged. This was dangerous; she was helpless. Freaking out, her head spinning as more flames -from where, she didn't know- spun around her, Katara grasped for the nearest source of water. Water spun into her fingers, covering her arms, arching above her, putting a stop to the flames for a single second.
"What do you think you're doing?" Katara demanded, water spiking up from the ground around them and rushing towards her, tearing at the men's boots.
The men froze for a split second as the water moved.
Then Royu smiled coldly. He gave her another bow. "We, Lady Katara, are here to kill you."
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So... That's All Folks! for now. Later*, there'll be more. I promise.
Review? please? I love reviews.
*as in before July. Just let me get through finals.
=^.^= 文芸猫
