A/N: Sorry this one took so long! Life has been insane. And with kataang week coming upon us shortly I have been really focused on that. But here we go. The major arc is before us. After that it's the climax, one smaller arc, and then we are done! And I am ready to move on from this story, but not until it's perfectly finished. Hope you enjoy.
Although their journey started light, the reality quickly set in as to what they would encounter. They needed to start where the last occurrence was, the Chin Village. After a week's travel, they arrived in the village very early in the day and weren't surprised when the people were wary of on comers. When Aang and Katara introduced themselves it seemed to put them at ease and the tension melted away, leaving only sadness in its wake that was tangible. They requested audience with the chief and it wasn't long before they found themselves before him and his advisor. Tea was made and other offerings of food which the couple politely declined.
"Can I just start by saying how sorry we are for the loss you and your people have experienced?" Aang offered, soft and genuine. The chief nodded and looked down.
"We've lost good men. Five have left us."
"Five? Last I heard it was two."
Chief Fai shook his head.
"We should have contacted you sooner. On our own. Or someone should have. That's old news, almost two weeks. We lost three more a few days ago. "
Aang and Katara looked down at their cups.
"Have you heard anything from the surrounding area?" Aang asked.
"Yes, some of the benders in the swamp north of here had a run in with him. They defended themselves brilliantly. No casualties."
"Him? So it's a person." Katara said.
"Yes, a man. They described him as shrouded in dark robes and using bending they've never fought against before." Fai looked up to the pair. "If anyone can stop him, it's you Avatar Aang. And you Master Katara."
"Thank you for the information. We're going to restock and leave soon."
"Please, be safe."
They bowed and left his home. They left flowers at the gravesites of the brave men and Aang said a prayer for them. They walked through the village, stopping at food stands to restock on supplies. Aang wasn't doing much buying, just staring off into the distance, watching Appa and Amhi play in the sky. He noticed how the children and most villagers were inside, even on a beautiful day like this. They were scared. And this type of fear, Aang solemnly realized, would only spread until the situation was resolved. This was worse than the war in his opinion. It was more intrusive. More intimate. And more unexpected.
"Melon for your thoughts?" Katara asked and tossed him a small melon which he caught easily, barely paying attention.
"I am just trying to anticipate what we're facing." He looked down and fiddled with the fruit, seeming hesitant. She waited patiently, grabbing assorted foods and handing the vendors money. Finally he spoke again.
"During my travels while the war was going on, I heard legends about a dark type of bending. It's a form of waterbending called bloodbending."
"Bloodbending?" She asked.
He nodded. "It can only be done on a full moon as far as I know. The bender can contort and control your body, making your organs explode and killing you slowly. But as much as this sounds like bloodbending, I don't think that's it."
Katara covered her mouth and tried to swallow back the metallic taste she had under her tongue. Aang looked up at her and took her hand.
"I know, it's horrible. And the worst part is, I have no idea how to fight against it." He looked down again and tried to think.
"Well," Katara gulped, "It's two against one. And the waterbenders in the swamp fought him no problem. We can both waterbend. We're both masters. We can do this."
Aang nodded and let go of her hand, picking out food himself.
"I just worry about balancing fighting him and protecting you at the same time."
"Stop. I'm a big girl. I can handle this."
He nodded just to drop the subject, not because he agreed. They took the last of their food and headed to the edge of the village, prepared to take off that afternoon.
"So, where to?" Katara asked.
"He's been able to travel over water but he chose to go to the swamp on foot. If he's without a boat now and alone, he wouldn't dare go to the desert. His purpose is to terrify and destroy and there is nothing for him out in Si Wong. And Gaoling is out of his way if he's heading towards either Ba Sing Se or Republic City."
"Sounds like we're going towards Omashu."
"And hopefully find him before he gets there."
X
Before long they were on their way back north, retracing their steps and flying low to the ground. Their travel to the swamp took most of the day, the sun hanging just above the horizon when they landed in the murky waters. Just as they took in the thick heat and the humidity, vines wrapped around Appa and Amhi, entangling them quickly. Katara barely registered the danger before instinctively lashing out with her water skins strapped to her sides. She slashed the vines from Amhi first, like a mother protecting her child.
"Whoa, hey! Huu! It's just me!" Aang called out into the swamp and the vines hesitated.
"Who are you talking to?" Katara asked and slashed the vines from Appa.
"Aang?" A low voice called back and a man in a loincloth came out from a pile of vines, his face wrinkled but cautious. He took in the young airbender and smiled. "My, you've grown."
Aang chuckled and the vines instantly retreated from all of them, Aang jumping off Appa and the man coming out into the rays of light still peaking through the thick canopy. They met and shook hands, Aang motioning for Katara to come closer.
"You two know each other?"
"Sure do." The man said. "He got lost here one time, well, him and that young firebending fellow. The one with the scar."
"Yeah, Huu and I go way back." Aang smiled and let go of his hand. "I hear you're had some trouble recently. An unwanted visitor?"
"Oh, that." He said and his smile dropped. He turned and waved his arm. "Come to camp and we'll tell the tale."
Aang took Katara's hand and followed Huu through the curtains of vines. The water wasn't very deep, but their legs kept getting caught on vines here and there. They stumbled behind Huu for a while, who seemed to have no trouble at all, when he called out ahead of himself.
"Due! Tho! We've got company!"
The vines cleared and a small encampment merged on the banks of the water, lined with several huts and small fire pits. There were about twenty people along the shore, all busy with work of some type, be it fixing huts, tying up gathered leaves, cooking or children playing.
"Your tribe has grown." Aang noted as he stepped onto the muddy bank, helping Katara up.
"We have, thanks to you. It's easy to find waterbenders out here with the war over."
Aang looked to everyone working, men and women.
"Get hit with some kind of storm?"
"Shoot no." A voice said and a slim man came forward to them. "Not unless you're talking 'bout that hurricane in clothing that came through a yesterday. Took him all of ten minutes to flatten out the whole village." He said and folded his arms, looking Aang over. "How ya doin' little airbender?"
"Not so little anymore, but I'm fine Due. I hear you gave him a good fight."
"Can we not talk about him?" A thicker man came forward and balled his fists. "He just gave me the creeps. "
"You're right Tho," Due said. "Something weren't right with him. Something evil just kinda came off of him in waves. "
"It took all of our most skilled benders to fend him off, myself included." Huu added. "He moved like an assassin, jumpin' from tree to tree without ever landing in the water. He was more like a ghost, a speedy shadow. Faster than you, even in your younger days Aang."
"Not only that but he's got some weird bending. Got a hold on one of us and shook him up something fierce. Maybe he can describe it for you." Due said and motioned to Tho. "Go on."
Tho shook his head. "Ain't no way I'm going back down that road. I said I don't want to talk about him anyways."
Aang opened his mouth to speak but Katara laid her hand on his shoulder, taking a step towards Tho.
"Tho, I know it's a difficult thing to describe something unpleasant. But we need you. We're about to go after that man and we need to know what we are up against." His features softened at her gentle voice and he was finding it hard to fight her.
"Please," she pleaded.
"Okay fine." He paused and sighed, looking down at Katara's shoes. "It's like he reaches right through your chest and squeezes your lungs and makes it so you can't breathe and you collapse in pain. It's sick and wrong and a mighty awful feeling, having someone play with you from the inside." He looked up from her shoes to her face, Aang and Katara exchanging a look.
"Did he name himself? Most terrorists do." Aang asked softly.
"He called himself the flying spider. Fei Zhizhu." Huu said.
"Thank you." Katara said and looked to Aang. "I think that's all we needed."
"Yeah, we should keep heading north." Aang agreed.
Due and Tho disappeared into the village but Huu hung back with the couple.
"If you're not staying here, I suggest you find a safe place to camp for the night. That's when he attacks."
"Thanks Huu. I don't think he'll be coming back this way anyway, but stay safe and keep sharp, just in case." Aang said and shook his hand. Huu looked to him and Katara.
"Keep her safe. He's a formidable foe, that one." Huu said so she couldn't hear. He just nodded and let go of his hand, watching him go back into the village.
They left the muddy clay bank together, walking back through the curtains of vines and finding Appa and Amhi quickly.
"I will be happy to leave this place. Nice people and everything, but I just feel like we're being watched in here. Plus the heat combined with the humidity is starting to make me uncomfortable." Katara said as they climbed onto Appa. Aang couldn't agree more, flying out of the canopy and towards Omashu. They had about three hours left of sunlight and they used that to follow the coastline, stopping just outside Omashu, where the forest met the mountains.
A stream trickled not far off and Katara went to gather fresh water while Aang set up camp. Amhi accompanied her so she wasn't alone. Once she was out of ear shot of Aang, she let out a breath she hadn't known she had been holding in. Her stomach was in knots. Tomorrow would be the day they encountered the biggest threat the world has seen since the war and it was just the two of them.
She shook her head and leaned down on the banks of the stream, filling her skins and trying to align her fear. She heard a groan of pain and gasped, standing up and having a water whip ready. She looked around and saw a man laying on the banks of the stream, covered in bruises and cuts.
"Oh no." She dropped the water and ran to him, rolling him over onto his back. He hissed a complaint and opened his eyes, so silver they were almost white. He looked to her in shock and tried to scramble away, leaving blood trickles in the water.
"Don't move, I'm a healer."
He didn't acknowledge her and she held him to the ground as he squirmed.
"Stop moving, I need to heal you!"
He looked back to her and his breathing was slow but ragged, like he wasn't sure which would be his last. He stopped fighting and nodded and she opened his robes, taking water from the stream and starting the process. Most of his wounds seemed to be minor, just a few cuts here and there. The skin closed over thanks to Katara and he was left with small pink lines over his chest and abdomen. She looked him over and found a few scrapes on his face. She worked with lithe fingers and intricate bending, but wasn't blind to his handsome features. He had facial hair, a small beard just an inch long and long sideburns. His hair was very long, almost as long as Katara's and all of it was straight and pitch black, held back in a ponytail. there was a pink mark that crossed his lips. He saw her catch a glimpse of it and her shook his head.
"Old scar. Won't heal." He said and she dropped the water.
"Well, other than that you look fine, now. Here, let me help you up." She stood and held out her hand for him. He took it and stood slowly. She was willing to support him and he was thankful, but silent.
"Come on, let's get you to camp."
She and the man limped their way towards the firelight beyond the trees, Aang greeting them at the edge of the campsite.
"Who's this?" Aang asked and took his other arm over his shoulder.
"Found him washed up on the stream shore. Another victim no doubt." She assumed, helping Aang get him near a boulder and leaning him down to rest. Aang and Katara stood in front of him and Aang looked down at his dripping wet clothes.
"Here, let me dry you off." He said and bent the water from his robes and skin, then using airbending to get the rest. The man smiled softly.
"Thank you, now if you would be so kind-"
He held out his hands and Katara and Aang froze, unable to breathe. Aang tried and he couldn't inflate his lungs, the choking pain making him and his beloved collapse to the ground. Aang was on his hand and knees, one hand on his throat, trying desperately to breathe. He had never been without air before and it was so painful, like his lungs were being turned to ash inside of him.
"Ah, that's better." The man said and stood without problem, focusing his hold on them. "So, that's all it took to trap you? A feigned performance of weakness and your little woman here heals me up from what those damn, uncultured, muck-hutters in the swamp did to me? Of course you made yourselves easy to find, what with the only two sky bison known to man flying above, who couldn't spot you?"
Aang caught a short, sharp breath and looked up at man, standing over them in the light of the full moon.
"Fei ZhiZhu." He accused.
"Hello, brother." He sneered down at him, the evil as plain as the ethereal glow in his silver eyes.