A: TLA (c) Bryke

A/N: I hate the fact I have no time to update! X[ My options are coming up and I've been studying for a test. But now I have a week off school so hopefully I'll be able to update twice! Maybe... Urgh. ANyway, I hope you like chapter 12, :3

Hold me now, 'til the fear is leaving, I am barely breathing, - RED – Hold me now

The Opposing Elements

Chapter 12 – the Past and the Present

Heavy footsteps pounded down the cell corridors and all the prisoners stared in confusion; they didn't know what was going on to make such a drastic response... Aang stood up and wrapped his fingers around the thick bars; feeling for any known vibration. Toph stood next, she placed her hand on his shoulder and he could feel her questioning eyes. "Something's definitely wrong. Someone is here, who shouldn't be." Aang and Toph turned to face the lock-down cell with the fire-breath barricades. How were they supposed to get themselves out? Suddenly, screams echoed around outside the prison and Aang shivered visibly, panic shot through the other prisoners and four guards stepped in with an air of intimidation.

They walked past all of their cells without even a glance and Toph watched as they opened Zuko's door with a breath of fire. Two guards stepped in and two remained outside; the door was left open though, and Toph could see clearly into the cell. Zuko was just a shadow, however. His body was kneeling and his arms were lifted high above his head, she sucked in a breath as one of the soldiers kneeled beside Zuko's shadow and patted his shoulder. "We've found the princess. Do not tell lies to the Firelord again, peasant."

Almost instantly, Zuko's head snapped up and it scared Toph the way his eyes seemed to glow in the dark. The soldier that had leaned down yelped as Zuko back-flipped and crossed his arms, making the chains wrap around the firebender's throat; he pulled them tight then meandered around to the other soldier who was escaping. He growled at the three soldiers who were now running, but then they were gone.

Zuko stared with wide eyes as Aang came into view with a smug look on his face; he cracked his knuckles then clapped his hands together. The shackles around Zuko's wrists dropped to the floor with an echoing clang. The waterbender pushed the soldier away; his face was going a shallow purple and it was quite uncomfortable to be in his proximity because he looked as if he was going to die...

Maybe that was a bit too much,

"All that commotion outside and the guards coming especially to you means it's got to be true; Katara's alive!" Toph pumped her fist and turned to the shivering prisoners cowering in their cells. "You guys stay in here, if you get caught outside wandering, they'll cut you down without a second thought."

Silent footsteps skimmed over curved rooftops with practiced ease; not a sound echoed and not a stumble greeted her.

The tiles underneath her feet felt like she was walking on glass, she was close to the palace and she no courage to present the Firelord with. It seemed it had all seeped out of her after she left it in search of her best friend.

Ginger hair was pulled into a high ponytail as she somersaulted off the rooftop, landing with both feet flat and knees bent. Suki dragged her body against the cobblestone walls as guards suited in armour stroked past her position. Golden eyes scanned the other rooftops; searching for her friend and the 'prisoner'. Not a moment sooner, a two bodies gracefully descended to the ground, the Princess seemed uncomfortable; well, you'd be too if you had shackles around your wrists, pulling your arms back.

"Now comes the real hard part," Yue's voice was just a whisper as she stared into Katara's determined eyes.

Katara huffed with impatience, "Don't bail out on me now, Yue." Yue let out a sigh in shame before bringing her fist up and pummelling it into Katara's gut.

Not a grunt passed her lips.

Suki dragged her legging-clad foot behind Katara's knee and pulled her off her feet; the Princess hit the stone ground with a thud. She writhed slightly on the floor and Yue saw a brief flash of pain on the girl's face.

Not a hiss escaped.

Katara scraped her knees underneath herself; Yue cringed at the sight of a light blood patch on the floor. "Are you sure you're okay?" Suki's question went unanswered as Katara charged for the girl; only to be swiped across the face with a blade-like fan.

Not a scream greeted the air.

All the pain throbbing throughout her body went unnoticed as Katara tried desperately to not let her friends feel bad. Also, she knew Suki was going to actually try now; she had pulled out her fans, after all. Katara's feet swept across the floor as she bolted again, earning herself a punch across the jaw and a fan up her chest; effectively splitting her top layer in half. A growl slipped past her lips as she looked down at her bandaged chest.

Yue leapt at Katara with the small sword clutched in her left hand, she curved the sword around Katara's attempts of hitting her, and after she stepped past her, Yue sliced straight up her back.

It was a sort of comical; the way Katara's robe split and fell to her wrists; constricting her forearms of even more movement. Heavy footsteps greeted their ears but they didn't let it distract them; they couldn't. Clanking armour followed their actions and the three girls upped the level on their fighting. Suki released her fan into the air and it sliced at Katara's leg; whizzing in between them before returning to their owner.

A glare shot its way through Suki's head and pierced Katara's gaze; with that distraction, the girl was roughly slammed onto the floor and dragged into rope by her supposed friends. The soldiers watched on in pride as the girl was widely outnumbered. They went to take her off their hands, but Yue stopped them and ripped Katara off the ground by the hair and growled into her ear. "Sorry boys, but we're taking the credit for this one. Go and find the other three intruders." Yue didn't know how her plan had fooled the soldiers, but it happened and for that, she was grateful.

Zuko ushered Toph and Aang behind him as he held a finger to his lips; urging them to be quiet. He clutched at his chest as he watched the soldiers enter the scene he didn't want to come upon. It was a complete coincidence that he had actually came across the person he needed to see; but the situation was one he didn't favour, especially considering he couldn't intercept it. But he trusted Katara's view of people.

He knew how good she was at reading people and if her friends were attacking her, they must've had a plan. Well, he hoped so. Toph was close to breaking his forearm as he continued to restrain her; she really was worried.

Zuko almost bit his tongue when Katara was forced to her knees and shackled; he had to squeeze Toph's arm back to stop him from interfering.

Zuko gestured for Toph to fly up to the roof and get an aerial view on the situation; she complied. He whispered to Aang to get to the palace undetected; he made sure to tell him to stay put once he was under the court room.

A grunt did pass Katara's lips as her head was forced into marble flooring; the hands on the back of her head and on her wrists kept her in an uncomfortable position; but she sustained it.

She stared gold into the floor, not wanting to remember the sight she had seen; it was horrifying to say the least.

Katara fumbled Jet's face around in her brain; the way he had taken that beating off the soldiers for her; telling her to run and find her friends. She hadn't found her friends, but she had devised a plan.

After explaining it to Suki and Yue, she had told them to get on with it; the sooner they would be in the palace, the sooner she could confront her father; the sooner everything would be over.

His taunting voice seemed to reverberate through her ears and it made her scowl; her fists began to curl in the shackles.

"My lord," Yue knelt in a bow and touched her forehead to the floor, "Forgive us for deceiving you, but we had to make it believable to the traitor." She could feel the smirk in his voice, the whoosh of his robe sliding down stairs indicated that he was heading their way.

Hakoda wrapped his fingers in the plait of brown, the colour was so much like his own; was his own, and he felt slight remorse as he yanked back; her neck elongated and her golden eyes were revealed. She glared into him with such burning hatred, he let it slide.

"You know what happens to traitors," Katara's eyes narrowed, "Your execution will be held at dawn," Suki bowed next.

Her lips opened, "My lord, you don't understand how much remorse we feel for going behind your back like we did," the Firelord nodded; not paying attention to the supposed traitors bowing at his daughter's side.

"You're dismissed, I need to speak to my-the traitor." The girls exited rather quickly.

Hakoda looked down at the hand wrapped in his daughter's plait, the end was slightly frayed and split-ends were visible in chunks; she looked like a peasant. "This is the life I never wanted you to have,"

"Was it expected to get better than what I had? If so, I'd rather die tomorrow; by my own hand."

"It would've been okay if you hadn't had run after a peasant like a love-sick puppy," his voice turned into a mild growl as he pulled slightly.

Katara scoffed and she scuffled her knees to get comfortable, "There are other reasons to go than just Zuko, you know. Don't give him that much credit." Hakoda waited for her to continue, but she didn't.

"Go on,"

"Ozai," Hakoda couldn't help but visibly wince, "For starters, you don't see me dead do you? My mom's friend, Ursa, she lives in the Southern Watertribe." Katara paused, "Mom always listened to me, always comforted me and treated me like a normal person," she could see the clenching of Hakoda's fists even under the thick, crimson robe he adorned. "You; you were always on about how you would raise me to be the most powerful bender; how you would turn me into a monster and use me to run your spawn." It was as if she was mocking him, and it was getting to him.

As he opened his mouth, little puffs of smoke escaped, "You should be grateful that I took the time to raise you,"

"You killed my mother!" A hiss escaped her lips as she was brought up to her feet, only to be slammed back on her knees again. Hakoda however, wasn't anticipating the fiery kick that was sent up to his chin, he kept his grasp on her hair, and Katara severed the locks.

She has used his own knife against him; the blade he kept on his lower back attached to hit gold belt; she had drawn it and used it to escape…

It was as if it had all happened in slow motion. Katara's run up his body sent him rearing back but he still had a grasp on her hair; except, she wasn't on the other side of her hair. The Firelord watched as inches and inches of brown hair fell to the floor.

When he looked up to Katara; he could see the shock in her eyes as she held the knife on her outstretched hand… When did she escape the shackles?

She had never cut her hair; after her mom had said she looked beautiful with long hair, she had made a promise to herself never to cut it. Why did she feel as if she had stabbed someone?

Colossal roars of metal and footsteps broke them both out of their daze, and before Hakoda knew what was happening, he had just managed to dodge a white fire ball.

A growl ripped through his throat as he returned the 'greeting'; putting more power behind his.

Katara didn't even try to dodge it, instead, she pulled her palms together and blew fire through her fingertips; she looked like a dragon in disguise. Her feet parted and she was suddenly bracing herself on bent knees as Hakoda upped the ante; he took to keeping his fire pouring out of his body; Jet was right, he had gotten stronger.

Katara hissed as a ball of embers scolded her arm; her flesh turned an instant red and she gritted her teeth, she stopped her fire-breathing and sprinted at her father. Glaring eyes stared into her own and she dislodged the gaze with a manoeuvre of her feet. With a roll of her wrists, she crouched low and flipped her legs around her body; fire trailed her tattered boots as they arced. Hakoda backed off from the display but raced his fiery fists in anticipation.

"You forget that I'm the one who trained you,"

"You're forgetting that I've always beaten you," Katara threw an embered punch at Hakoda's face, she narrowly missed his cheek.

Her left hand came up behind his right shoulder and a flaming dagger materialised; Hakoda saw it and collided his fist into her ribcage, it knocked her back with enough force to push her over. He watched as her body rolled across the floor and her head hit the marble flooring with an emphasized bang; it made him cringe. Golden eyes stared as the form on the ground clenched her fists and pushed herself on her hands and knees, she stretched like a cat and clicked her back; the pain was evident in her face, Katara had obviously hit the floor really hard.

"Stand down, Katara," he watched as her short hair swung around her face lightly; it reached just passed her chin and was uneven. She stared into him like something interesting; her gaze wouldn't falter and everything seemed to stay silent. "We can put this behind us and carry on like we used to,"

"No." Her voice was just audible enough for Hakoda to hear, but he carried on.

"I'll explain to the nation that you'd been possessed,"

"No," her voice was little louder this time and he began shifting from foot to foot.

"You can become my heir again, you'll run this country when I leave this world,"
"NO!" Her body flared to life and chi encased her whole body, white fire flexed along her body; flickering with her wrath and curling around her eyes. Her eyes. Tears were dripping down her cheeks and Katara stood; she reminded him of a cat – whatever cat you wanted her to be – and with provocation, turned into a raging dog.

Her attacks were malicious swipes and her dodges were clumsy openings, yet she maintained her un-injured phase. She did; until someone interrupted.

The fire whip sliced straight through her stomach; her eyes were wide as she stared at her father's shock. Her eyes were even watery as she collapsed onto her knees but otherwise stayed conscious. Katara's mocha hands clutched at the wound; flames were eating at her clothes as she desperately tried to quench the bleeding.

Another whip punctured her left shoulder.

Her right arm stretched out in the direction of her father as she fell, "I'm sorry, mom," into unconsciousness; bathing in a puddle of her own blood.

Her eyes drowsily slid open, the first thing she felt was support coming from her right side; the arm felt safe and comfortable but the grip was slackening. She saw a brief flash of recognizable arm supports and released a small smile. The arm bands were crimson with a huge, opal gem the colour of blood embedded in it. "S-Suki," the girl let out a small yes and immediately sat down, gently guiding Katara as she went. "You came back."

"I wasn't planning on having to-" she caught her breath, "-to fight for your rescue," Katara's brows furrowed as she could only remember having the upper hand in the battle between her father and her.

"What-" she let out a shuddering breath as she moved and blood trickled down her back and front, "-do you mean?"

"I only came to save you because Ozai interrupted."

"What?"

"He attacked you, twice. You were on the verge of death, it was lucky me and Yue managed to get you out alive." Now, Katara looked at Suki. The girl's face was littered with bruises, and her clothes were scorched. Little cuts adorned her naked arms – apart from the arm bands – and scattered bruises blemished the tan skin. Katara then looked around expectantly; searching for Yue.

"Where is she?" Katara watched as Suki held her breath and looked to the cobblestone; she brought her hands up to her face and covered her eyes.

"She-she didn't… Make it." Katara shuffled to a standing position with a frantic face.

"Then we've got to go get her! We need to save her before the Firelord does something-"

"She's DEAD Katara! Don't you get it!?" Mocha skinned hands froze; her whole body froze.

"…"

"How did it happen?" Her voice was a cold soprano.

"After you fainted, I and Yue managed to get to you. We both took on person each, I got Hakoda. After I knocked him out with my fans, I turned to help her with Ozai. Of course, Ozai was much stronger than her," Suki moved her hand away, "She told me to take you and get you to someplace safe. So I did."

"She might not be dead."

"Ozai was running at us with a katana,"

"And just as I was about to shut the doors, I watched as Yue took the blade through her neck." Katara didn't feel any of the pain her wounds were making, no. She could feel soul-deep pain. The white-haired girl who had always been bullied for her cross-breed heritage, the girl who was beaten by her father because she had been the reason behind his Love's death – her birth – and the girl who Katara had rescued. No, that was wrong, too.

Yue was the one who rescued Katara.

After her mother's death, Katara was on the brink of life and death and Yue had been the ne to tie a rope around her waist and drag her out of her own personal hell. And again, Yue had been her sacrifice.

"Let's just get out of here," with that, Katara began to walk, only to stumble and be caught by Suki.

"What about the others?"

"…"

"Katara…"

"I DON'T KNOW SUKI!" Katara pushed her away and wobbled on her own through the town, the cobblestones were eating up her blood eagerly.

"I know it's hard to accept her death but you have to realize that she would always be you sacrifice; we all would."

"I don't need to be babied. I can do this on my own, I don't need you, I don't need Yue, and I don't need Jet, Toph or Aang." Suki sighed. "And I don't need Zuko. I can bring Hakoda down by myself."

"We're not doing this because we need to, Katara," Suki took a step forward but was stopped by a spontaneous wall of flame. "We're doing this because we want to." She turned to scale the walls of the building only to realize she was completely surrounded by fire.

"No-one needs to die for me," and the fire was gone, yet so was Katara.

Quite emotional, I know. Especially with Yue's death. She dies in the actual series - well, not dies, but you know - so I thought I'd have the same sacrifice just a different situation. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, leave me little review, please! :3

BlackTorment