A: TLA © Bryke
A/N: This chapter has been edited and now I'm in the process of writing up chapter 11! That chapter is probably going to be longer than most of the previous ones because I haven't got where I wanted in it and it's already 3,000+ words long. WOo! 13/01/13
No one will win the battle of the sexes; there is too much fraternizing with the enemy.
- Henry Kissinger
The Opposing Elements
Chapter Five - I am the Insurgent
The water was eerily still, the sloshing of waves hitting against the ships side barely registering to the people aboard, because they were sleeping. Soft snores echoed throughout the vessel as wind seeped through the open door, but as it whistled to the desk; it wrapped around a still form, one that was gazing across the water, the chilly temperatures seeping into her skin, a stuttering sigh escaping her lips. Thoughts were swarming around her head like the mantle of the earth's core, her brains mulling over the death of Yon Rha and the blue mask; the one she had named the Blue Spirit.
She clutched the robe that billowed over her small form tighter, attempting to try and keep the heat in, to keep the cold away from her, because it brought back memories of him. She didn't know what happened in the cells, but something changed. She changed. Her palms found her eyes as she scrubbed away the rawness from being tired. Whispering words flowed through her ears, the passed couple of weeks filtered behind her eyes, flashbacks, memories... Her father. "Don't ever say I didn't love your mother again." The words were a blank page to her; pointless.
If he loved her, he wouldn't have killed her. Tears welled in her eyes as sobs broke passed her lips, a lump in her throat clogging up her trachea, the sounds of her own pitiful crying sounding in her own ears.
A small hand wrapped itself around her shoulder, causing her to stand stiff straight as her sobs stopped. She turned her neck to face the short airbender, a sad smile gracing her lips. "Morning, Sweetness." Katara nodded, turning back out to the sea, watching as ice-bergs began to make themselves known. "We'll find him," Surprised golden irises turned on the grey-eyed airbender, confusion filling them a second later. "Zuko, the 'prisoner that escaped!' We'll find him, before your father does." The brown-haired princess nodded.
"I just want to escape, Toph."
"The ice-burgs! We made it!" That was supposed to be reassuring, it would have been, had not several fireballs suddenly stormed into the back of their ship, jolting it further into the ice-bank, scraping melodically against the ship's metal.
A scream echoed throughout the ship, one that sounded a lot like Katara's. Then she realized she was in fact, screaming. Without a second thought, Katara jumped over the deck's railing, landing with a loud thud on the floor, where she instinctively rolled into a crouch to break the impact of the drop. Her chest heaved as the ice and snow bit into her skin, soaking through the metal of her shin pads and freezing her calves; she immediately stood up, pivoting on her left foot to face the oncoming Firenation troops.
Sporadically, she was flanked by Toph and Aang, their stances poised and ready to strike at the slightest of movement. "My, my. What would your father think if he saw you here? Protecting the prisoner, I assume?"
"You always did make an ass out of yourself, Chen." With blonde hair scraped to the back of his skull and fiery golden eyes staring into her own, she raised her arms, palms flat and waiting for the attack she knew she would receive.
"The Firelord will know he has an insurgent for a daughter."
A smirk flirted with her lips, "You sound as if you're sure you're going to make it back," Instead of waiting for the first attack, Katara pounced. Her fists were alight with anger, flames licking at her otherwise delicate palms, fireball after fireball shooting from her hands. She never noticed the way Firenation troops surrounded them, encasing them in a circle of evil, all eyes focusing on the battle for survival in the middle. "If you die, I will send your troops back to the Firenation! I'll dump you in the ocean myself, you scum!" Her eyes were wide, her arms arching over her head, all her power that she bottled coming out into her fists. If the Firenation stormed the village, they would end up dead.
The thought momentarily distracted Katara; Chen was able to scorch her forearm. Her eyes briefly scanned around quickly, noticing another batch of soldiers heading towards the small village. "Toph, Aang! The village!" The airbender instantly began pulling the earthbender in the direction of said place, already bending soldiers out of the way in a frantic hurry. Another burn appeared on her arm.
"Distracted, Katara?" Her head spun around to face him, her eyes narrowing as she calmly brought in her spread legs and arms, standing as still as a statue. Her fire extinguished before reaching her sides, her eyes closing in complete peace. Chen didn't know what to do; he wasn't sure what she was doing. He was terrified of her, the sweat lining his brow a clear indication of that; and all she had done was stand still. "It's the fear of the Unknown," It was a whisper, only he himself could hear it.
Unexpectedly, golden eyes snapped open, an intense hatred burned deep inside. "You Firenation scum, you shouldn't be here!"
"Such a paradox. Because you're Royal 'Firenation scum'." Her anger seeped out of her every pore, fire licking across her mocha skin, her chest inhaling rapidly, the blatant movement of her diaphragm was swift and quick. And in the blink of an eye, all hell broke loose.
Instantaneously, Katara had a panoramic view of her opponents, all of them charging at once, closing her into a sea of bodies. However, all of them were stepping back with erratic heartbeats. Lightening twisted from her fingers as she glared at Chen, the blades of blue switching from her left-to-right and back again, teasing him, taunting. Her eyes were locked with his, the cold air that seemed to surround them deteriorated into nothing, as if nothing existed but Chen and Katara, because, if he didn't think like that, he was going to die.
Katara was focused; she had her whole attention on Chen, her heart was throbbing in her chest as she continued to bend the lightening around her fingers, Goosebumps rising on her skin. So when she was unpredictably struck in the back, she released lightening at the ice underneath her, it cracking on impact. Water rose, splashing around her as she dropped into the hole, water engulfing her throat and endangering her lungs.
She didn't know what she could do, but the sounds of war above the ice reverberated through the water, echoing in soundless ears.
This chapter is really short to be honest. It's been edited so it sounds better now! XD
BlackTorment