Hello again! After an extremely long delay, I have finally finished work on Chapter 27 of Walking a Wire and now present it for your viewing pleasure. Much thanks goes out to MacFie, who beta'd this and without whom it wouldn't be nearly as good.
And now a little announcement.
For those of you who have been living under a rock (or frozen in a massive block of ice), Avatar: The Last Airbender ended on July 19th with an epic four-part spectacle known as Sozin's Comet. After watching it twice and going on Youtube to watch it five more times, I would just like to say that I'm sad to see the ride end. Mr. Shyamalan is doing movies, of course, but I'm gonna miss that funny bald kid on the television. Anyways...the chapter...
You remember the part about Mike and Brian owning everything, and the other part that says I own nothing beyond OC's? Good. Now without further interruptions--enjoy the chapter!
Chapter XXVII: Fight and Flight
"Please remain calm, there has been a minor accident at the Agni Kai arena and all civilians are asked to return to their homes! We repeat, there is no cause for alarm and please return to your homes in an orderly manner!"
Grumbling festival-goers filed by as more soldiers pushed themselves through in the other direction. Suddenly, the soldier was being towered over by a man clothed in only rough pants and a faded tunic, with a metallic sheath over one arm.
"Sir, we need for all civilians to--gaah!" The man's metalllic hand closed around his throat and the soldier felt himself being lifted from the ground, "C-can I help you?" He squeaked, before the man carelessly threw him aside and began moving quickly up the street, a metallic clank echoing every other step as he heard the sounds of battle bleed from the arena.
--
Akira spun into a crouch, bringing his blade around to stop a lance while blasting several men onto the ground with a wall of flame. Sweat was running down his face, threatening to ruin his vision, but there was no time to stop and fix the problem. Just fight, and fight, and turn around and keep fighting. He no longer cared about finesse, he only cared about surviving as the exit gate seemed to shrink away from him.
"Captain, we're starting to get the 302nd in here! Either we get out now, or we're burnt chicken!"
"I think I figured that out on my own, Kojima, thanks. We just need a clear path and--"
"Wondered when you were going to ask." Toph shouted over, before sending a wave of stone to clear out a line of soldiers.
"I'm not used to defending a non-combatant against our own forces, okay? This whole situation falls just a bit outside what we drilled for!" Akira snapped back.
"Focus, pack leader! We make mistakes here and we won't be walking out." Kojima called over.
"I can't focus! I'm getting her out of here alive if it kills me!"
"Then I'm taking over! Akira, get Ty Lee. Wolves, aya! Seta, as'de enqueme!"
Moving as one at Kojima's command, the rest of the men pushed forward and bent a wave of flame that drove the soldiers back. Falling into a line, the men blasted another wave and the soldiers were forced back again.
"One more push and we're--" Yarin was cut off as an explosion shook the arena and the men stumbled before regaining their footing, just in time to be thrown by another explosion and a chorus of yelling from the soldiers.
"What in Agni's blessed name is going on?" Kojima shouted before catching sight of the towering figure standing in a circle of utter destruction. As he watched, the figure tensed and a knot of soldiers ceased to exist in a blaze of energy.
"Well, at least they've got a target besides us now. Come on!" Leading with a volley of flame, the Wolves pushed onward, Aang and his friends following behind.
Unfortunately, the supposedly simplified escape was anything but. A burst of energy exploded directly in front of them, stopped only by the combined flame shields of three Guardsmen.
"Dasi, Yarin, get over there and--" Kojima was cut off as Aang grabbed his arm.
"No, we'll take care of it." Breaking from the protective formation, Aang brought his staff up to guard, "You guys get out of here, we'll do this."
"Aang, I don't know if--" He shrugged off Katara's hand and began walking out into the maelstrom of battle. Only a few feet out, and an explosion hid the boy behind a curtain of smoke that revealed only panicked soldiers and rocky debris upon clearing. Katara yelled as she and her brother began pursuit, with Toph close behind.
"Sir, they're--"
"Let 'em go!" Kojima yelled, "They've taken care of themselves in worse situations. Watch your own back!"
As if to emphasize the point, several soldiers attempted to break through the side of the Wolves' formation with a coordinated fire-blast. Akira, weighed down by Ty Lee draped across one shoulder, barely got out of the way as the blast was followed up by a line of lances. As he turned to get his one good arm up for a counter, their attackers fell back with a chorus of yells. Looking to the side, he quickly found the source of their retreat, but he couldn't completely believe what he was seeing.
"Tachi! What in Agni's blessed name are you doing?" The tallest of the new soldiers slid his faceplate down to reveal one of two soldiers he had spoken to on Ember Island.
"To be perfectly honest, your side looked like a lot more fun than the dead guys." Akira snorted as Tachi continued, "Also, I'm convinced Zuko's going to make a better Fire Lord than his father ever could, and I'd really like for him to have something to rule over besides smoking ruins."
"And how do you plan on survivng this?" Akira said before dodging a spear.
Tachi laughed, pinned the spear to the ground and slammed his elbow into the side of the attacker's helmet. "Simple, really. In the confusion, no one has the time to really recognize anyone. After this, I just worm my way out of association with you and I'm all set for the next crazy stunt you no-doubt have planned."
"Let's just hope we live through this one. The Avatar's group left a minute ago to stop Three-Eyes, and we can't leave without them." Akira said.
"Then maybe," Tachi grunted, "you should go after them. With a handful of my men here, one or two of you would be hardly missed."
"Makes as much sense as anything else has today. Kojima!" Akira waved him over, then fought for a moment to unwrap Ty Lee's fingers from his arm, "Here, keep her inside the circle and keep her safe. I'll be back as soon as I can. Dasi! Mina! You're with me, we're going Avatar hunting."
--
"Aang! Aang, where the heck are you?" Sokka wandered blindly through the maelstrom of battle, dodging spears, axes, and more fire-blasts than he cared to count. As the battle continued, order apparently went out the window. He could see soldiers all around him engaging each other without realizing that they were probably on the same side, and he had even seen several men from the same unit engaged in a vicious free-for-all a few yards back.
"Aang!" Even his own voice sounded thin and weak amid the chaos, and the chances that Aang could hear it were slim to none. He pushed between two soldiers, then slid under a lance thrust that could have taken his head off before coming to a halt at the feet of a very surprised Fire Nation soldier. He could almost hear the wheels turning in the man's brain as he stared dumbly down at the Water Tribe warrior, but he never found out what the man would do.
The flash was painful in its brilliance, and the thick layer of dust thrown into his face didn't help much. Coughing and choking, Sokka managed to get to his feet only to fall down again with a squeak, as the ground in front of him exploded once again and several more soldiers vanished.
Of course, of course he would be here. He hadn't chased them across oceans, islands, and down into the Earth itself just to give up because they were in the middle of the capital city. Combustion Man's foot came down with a hollow clang and his entire body tensed. Sokka could almost see the energy flowing into that stupid third eye on his forehead, and his thoughts whirled in such a frenzy that they might have been making up for the lifetime of things he wouldn't see.
He watched as time slowed down, as the air around the eye warped and the assassin's eyes widened a fraction.
He watched as a shaft of wood embedded itself in the third eye and instantly heated to a white-hot brilliance.
He watched as the brilliantly glowing shaft of wood ignited into an explosion that struck him blind and deaf for a long moment, before he opened his eyes to find a smoking metallic arm speared into the sand not two inches from his forehead.
"Hey! You okay, Water Boy?" Sokka slowly turned his head and looked for the voice, squinting as the afternoon sun hit him in the face. Blinking away the glare, he saw a silhouette standing over him, red and violet flames dancing around one hand and the sun setting ebony hair on fire with gold. After a moment spent staring, he realized that the figure was holding out its hand for him.
"Get back, fire-person!" He yelled, scrambling backward and reaching for his club. His club, however, wasn't resting in his belt and he ended up holding out a broken spear that he had grabbed off of the ground.
"You know the point goes the other way, right? Nevermind, come on." The stranger urged, crouching down to avoid a fire-blast.
"And why would I listen to a fire-person?"
"Because I'm on your side, stupid. Now come on, I'm supposed to round you guys up and we're out of this nuthouse." He found himself hauled up by one arm and forced into a run, nearly shoving the spear in his eye in the process.
"You're--you're a--a girl?" He gasped as they wove under, over, and between attackers on every side. Finally making it to a wall, the girl dragged him to the ground and they both flattened themselves against the stone as best they could.
"You are correct, I am a girl. I'm also an archer, a Yu-Yan actually, and I'm on your side. How you manage to survive without being able to tell friends from enemies I'll probably never know, but I'm Mina. Now where is your sister and the Earthbender girl, Ting, Ty, whatsername."
"Uh, Toph?" Sokka volunteered.
"Exactly, where are they?"
"No idea, we got split up pretty quickly. It's complete chaos in there."
"No, really? Stay on my tail, I've found one." She shoved off from the wall and was running back into the fray before Sokka could do more than dumbly rise and peel himself away from the side of the arena. Skidding to a halt, she swung around, grabbed his arm, and he was once more being forced to dodge flames, duck spears, and somehow manage to keep his footing as she dragged him through insanity.
"Which--which one--did you--find?"
"Can your sister tear off metal armor with her bare hands and use it as a pair of fighting gloves?"
"That's gonna be Toph."
--
"Aang! Sokka! Anybody?" Katara could barely see two feet in front of her through the bodies, flames, and dust kicked up by hundreds of armored boots. Add to that the fact that her waterskin was bone-dry from deflecting fire-blasts, and she was wondering if she shouldn't just find a nice, quiet corner to hide in until this was over. Then she thought about Aang, who was currently who-knew-where amid the fighting, and she banished any thought of cowardice from her mind. Aang needed her, and if her waterskin was dry, well she'd find water somewhere else.
Emboldened by these couragous thoughts, she resumed her hard slogging through the madness around her. She only covered a few feet, however, before a curtain of azure flame cut across her path. Before she had a chance to react, a blast of wind answered the flame and nearly threw her to the ground.
"Aang!"
"Katara!" Katara smiled, then froze. Aang's face wasn't happy, but set in a mask of alarm. She found out why as the force of an anvil landed somewhere in her lower back, accompanied by an eating, tearing pain that she had only experienced once before, during Aang's first attempt at Firebending.
The force of the blast pushed her down to her hands and knees, and she stayed that way as she could hear cold laughter from behind her.
"Well look at this, I go looking for the Avatar and I find something extra." Azula's cruel purr was recognizable even over the impossible din of the battle around them. Katara felt another roar of wind rush past her and heard the answering shot of flame, but she felt utterly helpless as she felt a wet, sticky sensation spread across her back.
Great, and I don't have the water to so much as close the wounds. So she simply knelt there, trying to slow her breathing and ignore the pain from her back as a trickle of blood ran across her stomach and starting staining the front of her tunic.
Great, now I'm going to have to wash this. Well, at least these Fire Nation clothes are red to begin with. Forget it, it's ruined already. Why can't it just stay in the spot it came from, instead of running all over the place like...
Like water.
--
"Come now, Avatar, I had hoped you would be better than this!" Azula taunted him as she blocked a volley of stone with a wall of flame, using the other hand to send out an azure blast of her own. Aang batted it away and swept his staff across the ground, blowing a wave of dust and gravel into the Princess.
"You hurt Katara!"
"I did, didn't I? And just what do you plan to do about it? Kill me? Go ahead, do it if you can!" Azula spread her arms wide and immediately recieved a large piece of rock to the chest. Another stone struck her in the leg and she fell to one knee. Aang brought his staff down hard, stopping it just in front of her face.
"Go ahead, Avatar. Do it." Azula's tone wasn't taunting anymore. There was something serious now behind it, not a game but a challenge, "Take that stupid stick of yours and hit me. Or better yet, use a rock. Crush me, kill me, Avatar. I won't even move." Aang's staff stayed directly over her temple, wavering slightly. Slowly, Aang brought his staff around into an Earthbending stance Toph had shown him once, a technique Shien Fu had used to drive a rock straight from the ground into an opponent. Azula watched him, her golden eyes never leaving his. Aang held the stance, but made no motion.
"I'm waiting, Avatar." Azula purred, "Do your duty, restore the 'balance' you claim to uphold. All it takes is one stone, and you have one less opponent standing between you and the Fire Lord." All around them, the battle raged, but to Aang the sounds were muffled, as though a wall of water were surrounding them. It was so quiet he could hear his own heartbeat pounding in his ears. He could almost see all the horrors this girl had committed reflected in her golden eyes, and Katara...
His muscles tensed, the staff lowered, then he brought it around, swiping across the ground and raising a stone javelin that he fired at the Fire Princess.
Only to shatter harmlessly against the ground beside her.
"If I take a life, even yours, I'll have forsaken everything the monks once stood for. I'm not going to do it, Azula. This battle is over." He turned around slowly, meaning to go back to Katara and help her back to the Wolves. As his eyes left Azula's however, a blue flame snaked around and cut into the back of his leg. Aang cried out, dropping to the ground and grabbing at his calf as the Fire Princess rose.
"Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic! I gave you everything you needed, I thought you might actually show a spine and do something! But of course you'd have to be a scared little lizard-rat and walk away when your enemy isn't so much as weakened! Pathetic!" Aang rolled over on his side, bringing Azula back into his vision. A spiral of flame formed around her hand as she brought her arm back. Then she jerked and gasped, staring at the small crimson dagger protruding from her side.
"You think it's pathetic...that he values even your life? No wonder...no wonder you don't ...don't have...any friends."
"Katara!" Pulling himself up into a crouch, he massaged his stinging leg as Katara stepped up to stand over him. Azula vaporized the dagger still wedged under her armor plates, then fired off a blast of flame at Katara. The Waterbender bent a stream of...something from behind her, although he could see her face screwed up in a lot more than simple concentration as both the whip and flame vanished in a cloud of steam.
As Aang got up to one knee, Katara advanced on the Fire Princess. He could now see that the back of her ragged tunic and leggings were plastered to her skin, and what skin he could see looked a few shades paler than normal.
Azula punched out another fire-blast, and Katara barely managed to bring another tendril of liquid from behind her to deflect it, the resulting explosion of steam forcing her back a few paces. From this angle, however, Aang could see only one place it could be coming from, and he could hear Katara's sharp hiss even as she launched the whip at Azula.
What is she bending? Is she actually using...
It certainly wasn't water, yet it drove Azula to the ground before Katara whipped it across her face, leaving a dark stain across one cheek. Azula rolled away as Katara fought to bring the whip back around, and quickly sprang to her feet as she wiped at the stain. For her efforts, however, she only smeared it across more of her face.
Katara barked a weak laugh, "You know Azula, I think that's actually...actually an improvement over...over how you usually look." Azula's eyes widened a fraction as she looked at Katara, then down at her hand, then back at Katara as though looking at someone insane.
"You--this--this is--" Azula's face paled and she swallowed several times very quickly.
"I'm a Waterbender, and...and that is mostly water. I think. Anyway," She smiled almost sweetly at the stunned royal, "Thanks...for...your help, I thought...I thought I was out of water." Another dagger slammed into Azula's armor with a solid crack, throwing Azula off balance for a moment. Katara lashed out again with the crimson whip, only for Azula to surround herself with a flame shield that vaporized the whip on contact. The shield swirled and retracted into Azula's fist as she punched straight at Katara.
Aang was on his feet instantly, his staff whirling into an air shield to stop the inferno. Behind him, Katara raised her arms, then brought them back around her before sending multiple tendrils out around Aang to restrain Azula. It only partially worked, however, and soon Azula had vaporized those as well.
"Aang...Aang, we need...to get...out of here." Katara gasped. Aang gritted his teeth as another fire-blast came for him and only barely shunted it out of the way with a column of air. What do you think I'm trying to do? He mentally shot back, but he could still see the smear on Azula's face, easily recognizable now that it had dried under the heat of her flames.
"You can't keep this up for long, Avatar, every second you waste only brings you both closer to--" There was a dull thunk and Azula cut off with a choked cough, then her eyes rolled back and she collapsed in the dirt.
"Sorry, milady, but you were right, this cannot continue." Looking down at the short club he held in his hands, Dasi tossed it over to Aang and Katara. She caught the weapon, staring down at it dumbly.
"Your brother should keep better track of his gear. I found it tossed in the dirt."
"Just get us back to the others, Dasi."
"Will do, Avatar Aang. Follow me."
--
"Captain Hideyoshi, it's certainly been a while." Akira stiffened, then turned to regard the new voice. The Guardsman's armor was spotless, even amidst the dust and smoke around him, and the gold plates and markings on his armor shone under the afternoon sun.
"Captain Yamamoto, what brings you down into the land of us commoners?" The leader of the High Guard Gold Unit, informally known as Dragon Force, removed his helmet and regarded Akira with the air of someone observing a wayward child.
"Oh Captain, if that title still applies, you wound me. I'm simply here to ensure the safety of the royal family from...undesirables. Service to the homeland is the highest of all callings, correct? And what nobler way to serve than by taking up arms and laying down your life for the defense of your fellow countrymen?"
"Please stop before I get sick over here. Even supposing you believed half of that, why haven't you found any members of the royal family yet? Or are you just another vulture-wasp circling and looking for a free meal?"
"I would learn respect for your betters, Hideyoshi. Or should I be the one to teach you that respect?" Flames began gathering around his fists as he took up an attack stance.
"Captain! Where the blasted heck are...there you are!" From the corner of his vision, Akira could see Dasi approaching, along with the Avatar who was half-carrying the Waterbender girl. From the other side, he heard a low rumble and a high-pitched squeal, followed by Toph, Mina, and Sokka materializing from a cloud of dust.
"So, enemies and traitors, all gathered together in your futile gestures of defiance against the Fire Nation and her Lord. Well, I suppose the least I can do is wish you good luck in your endeavors and be on my way." With that, Yamamoto replaced his helmet and turned on his heel, disappearing a moment later into the battle.
"Coward." Akira spat, "He knew he didn't have a chance against all of us."
"I dunno, seems like he was pretty smart from where I'm standing." Mina said.
"It doesn't matter, let's just get back to the others and get out of here. I'm assuming, by the lack of huge explosions, that we don't have to worry about Three-Eyes for awhile?"
"Ever, actually. Speared him right in that stupid third eye, then watched one last bang." Mina said, "Although I guess I had help from Water Boy here for distracting him. Anyway, I'm all--Get down!" Even as Akira threw himself into the dirt, he heard the whistle, a deadly high-pitched scream with an edge that they had been drilled to fear from the beginning of their training. Akira buried his head against his chest and prayed that he heard the slithering, skittering rattle that signaled a hit on armor, or the muffled thump that meant it was now safely buried in the dirt.
Schunk.
Akira opened his eyes as a suit of armor slammed lifelessly into the dirt.
"Yu-Yan! Get down!" somebody yelled.
"Get down? We'll be sitting turtle-ducks! Get moving!" Akira sprang to his feet as an arrow impacted the side of his helmet and rang the inside like a gong. He ignored it, focusing only on Dasi. The Guardsman was laying face down in the dirt, and the sand was staining crimson around him. Akira could see a broken arrow shaft on the ground hext to Dasi's helmet as he turned him over. He found the other piece of the shaft protruding from the eye-slit of Dasi's helmet. He stared at it for a moment, willing the innocent-looking stick to be just that, a stick, and Dasi waiting to pull it out and yell, "Surprise!" But Dasi never pulled jokes like that, in fact Akira had never known him to joke at all. The helmet clanked against his leg plates as he let go, letting his arms fall to his sides as he knelt over Dasi.
"C'mon, Captain, we've gotta get out of here. The Avatar can't mess up their aim forever, and I'm starting to get worried at how pale Katara's gotten." Mina said as she knelt beside him, nudging his shoulder plate with her hand.
"Hang on, I need something."
"We don't have time, Captain."
"Then get out of here. I need to get this off of him." He pulled the straps loose that held the helmet on, then began easing it off. Unfortunately, the arrow fragment was too long and the helmet couldn't be removed.
"Captain, leave him!" Mina protested, lightly shaking him as an arrow slammed into the ground barely two yards away.
"Watch it, Private." Akira growled, now trying to work the shaft free from the eye-slit. Mina sighed, but she remained crouched beside him as an arrow embedded itself in the dirt a few feet away. The Avatar's air-shield had thrown their aim, true, but Mina knew they only had so much time before the archers figured out how to compensate.
"Captain, I know it's hard but we're in the middle of a battle here, if we can just--"
"Wach out!" The arrow impacted harmlessly against the back of Akira's armor, but it was enough. Through Aang's air-shield, Mina could see the archers perched on the top tier of the seats lining the arena. One by one, they all adjusted their aim while yelling something over to the next in line.
Great. Agni help us, we're toast.
"I've got it, let's go." Mina gratefully turned back to Akira, seeing him shoving the helmet into a cloth bag and sheathing his sword.
"Where'd you get the bag?"
"Used to be his tunic, I burned the extra holes shut and it works, okay? Now let's get moving."
"That's what I've been trying to--heck with it. Avatar, Katara, we're moving!" She felt the roar of the wind die as Aang let the air-shield dissipate. Not a moment too soon, as arrows began striking the ground around them. Mina couldn't help but think that it was some sort of divine timing that they had adjusted their aim exactly when it would actually make them miss.
The run back to the Wolves seemed to go on forever. Mina found herself dodging fewer spears and fire-blasts than before, but it was small comfort when she knew that there were Yu-Yan ringing the arena. And since Aang had been tasked with knocking the incoming arrows down, she and Sokka were left dragging an increasingly unstable Katara along with them.
The Waterbender was barely moving now, stumbling along and frighteningly pale. Her back was a complete mess, dark crimson rivulets running down her legs and leaving footprints in the sand. Mina had heard about the bleeding sickness, men who would recieve the smallest of cuts and bleed for hours without reason. It didn't make sense though--Katara had grown up constantly getting nicked and bruised in the rough life of the Water Tribes, and going up against the Fire Nation Army for almost the past year had to have given her countless other scrapes. So why now?
"Nice to have you all back." Kojima called as they rejoined the rest of the Wolves and Tachi's men, "Although it looks like 'in one piece' was a bit too much to ask for. Where's Dasi?"
"Can it and get us out of here!" Akira snapped, shoving the damp cloth bag into Kojima's chestplate and pulling up Ty Lee from where she had been mutely sitting on the ground. A few of the soldiers flinched at the Captain's voice, including Mina, but Kojima hefted the bag, then looked at it for a moment before looking over at Akira and nodding slowly.
"Understood. Wolves, no quarter! Punch our way out, use whatever you think is necessary! And Private Sakomo? If there's any Yu-Yan you don't especially like, now would be the time to do something about it."
"Got it, Lieutenant." Said Mina, drawing her bow, "Where the heck is Senai?"
"Who?" Kojima looked back over at her.
"Idiot I work with, he locked me in an equipment room once and he's a general jerk besides. There you are, you little son of a--" The sharp twang of the bowstring was lost in a roar of flame from the Guardsmen, but Mina almost smiled when one of the archers dropped his bow and grabbed his hand. Another shot, and he fell to the next tier while clawing at his leg. Mina slung her bow, then ducked as two arrows shot over her head.
"Door's clear, move it!" Kojima shouted. Mina grabbed Katara's arm again as the Wolves broke their line and sprinted for the arena gate. As she ran, she became aware of Toph slowing down and falling to the back of the group.
"Toph, you okay?" Mina called back to her.
"Fine, Rocky, just get Sugar Queen out of here."
"Rocky?" Sokka asked. Mina looked over Katara's head to see the warrior fighting hard not to laugh.
"My little spark rock things, I showed her how I use 'em last night. Seemed pretty impressed, actually. Wanted to know if I could teach her how to throw the things with her Earthbending."
"You impressed Toph? Are you sure?"
"Fairly, now stow the chatter and let's get out of here." As they passed under the arch separating the arena from the festival grounds, Mina heard a massive crunch behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw that the arched doorway was now sealed shut with a wall of stone.
"My parents always said it was bad manners to leave the door open." Toph was grinning like a Cheshire owl-cat as she caught up with them. Mina couldn't help it, she starting giggling as their strange procession raced through the deserted festival grounds. As they re-entered the city proper, the Wolves slowed down and Mina allowed herself to relax a fraction.
"How's everybody holding up?" Akira called back to them. Mina noted that he seemed to have abandoned the idea that Ty Lee would go anywhere on her own power and was now carrying her pressed against the chest-plates of his armor.
"I'm fine, but Katara's dead weight. We need a doctor and soon." Sokka nodded weakly next to her, seemingly unable to make anything more than a small squeak.
"We'll have everything we need in a minute. Toph, it's this house." Akira said, tapping on the door to a rundown, horribly shabby cottage wedged between two other equally shabby buildings.
"Why are we at the edge of the industrial sector? And what are we supposed to find inside some crumbling hovel that would help us?"
"It's not what's in the house, Private Sakomo, but what's under the house." A familiar voice growled from behind them.
"Sarge!" The Wolves cheered as Ling stepped out from an alley across the street, cases and bags slung over his shoulders or strapped all over his body. Ashani was behind him, carrying a small rucksack and leaning on a large leather case. He noticed the others staring at him and laughed while gesturing at the bags strapped to him.
"Like my new look? I would've brought more, but the wife made me leave a few things behind."
Ashani snorted, "I'm not having you dragging your old armor across the capital city just so you can try to play soldier with boys nearly young enough to be your sons."
"Why I...what do you mean, they are my boys! And I'm not that old! I'm...it's..." Ashani smiled and patted Ling on the arm as he spluttered to a halt. Behind them, Yarin hoisted the leather case as Anzin releaved the bags from Ling's shoulders. As he stretched his newly freed arms, Ling nodded at the bag tied around Kojima's arm, "What's in there that's making such a mess of that bag?"
"Dasi, sir. He--he didn't make it." Kojima said in a monotone.
"Oh. I--I see. It--how did it...?" Ling trailed off, gesturing at the bag.
"Yu-Yan snipers at the arena." Akira cut across him loudly, "I--I'm sorry sir. My fault. Bad tactics...stupid...sorry." By the time he had finished, Mina had to strain to hear him.
"Well then, I...well, let's just get inside." Ling cleared his throat loudly, "Middle of the street's no place to stand around gabbing like old crones, eh? Come on, White Unit, shift it!" The Wolves jumped and Anzin nodded to Li and Atin, who proceeded to open the door and rush inside. A moment later a voice called out, "Clear!" and the rest of the group filed in. The building had been completely stripped of it's furniture, but it was still a tight fit for the expanding crowd attempting to fit inside.
"Alright Toph, wherever you are, you know what to do!" Ling shouted.
"Got it!" Toph shouted back. Mina yelped as the ground beneath their feet fell away, leaving them on a rapidly descending square of stone. Even that soon fading to oblivion as the surface light failed, and several of the group began breathing quickly and shallowly as the stone shaft continued to deepen. Just when it seemed someone was going to pass out or start screaming, the descent slowed and stopped before a wall of the shaft fell away and bathed everyone in a deep red light.
Ling cleared his throat loudly, "Welcome to the Dragon's Spine, a cozy little series of caverns that everyone else forgot about fifty years ago. All of the tunnels are blocked up with rockslides or magma, so noone will even want to check down here." he proudly stated as the group filed out into a massive cavern lit by several pools of freely flowing lava.
"And why would we want to stay down here? There's lava over there, for the love of--" Sokka hurriedly quieted as Ling glared at him.
"We want to stay here, Sokka, because there are heated springs down here, and the tunnels leading from the main chamber stretch up into the modern tunnel system all over the city." Ling pointed to Mina, "Mina, you and Sokka follow Toph to the springs and find some way to wake Katara up enough to help herself. Akira, if it's possible to get her off your arm, hand Ty Lee over to Ashani. Aang, you're coming with me to find a doctor. The rest of you, set up camp and then get yourselves situated. It's been a long day."
--
"Katara? Sugar Queen, wake up!" Toph shouted, but Katara was out cold. After Toph had isolated them from Sokka, courtesy of a solid rock wall around the small pool, Mina had set to work on the Waterbender as she tried to remember everything they had ever told her about battlefield medicine.
"Remove any clothing that might interfere with the injured area...check." the archer muttered to herself, cutting away the last strips of fabric still clinging to the burned skin, "Keep the bleeding area elevated...wait, how do I do that, she needs to be in the water and if I do that she'll drown!"
"Relax, she's a healer and if we can just get her to wake up she can heal herself." Toph resumed poking and prodding Katara, several times shouting in her ear. "I give up, this is..." Her face suddenly broke into an evil grin, "about to get a lot more fun. This always gets Katara up."
"Umm, Toph, what are you going to...wait, you're going to--?" Toph waved her silent before she pulled her finger out of her mouth and immediately jammed it into Katara's ear.
Mina wondered if she would ever hear normally again. Katara could really yell.
"Well, that's just--" She never got any further as a blinding blue light surrounded her, along with a humming sound that seemed to vibrate in her bones even as the glow faded to leave Katara looking around with a dazed expression.
"Welcome back, Sweetness."
--
"Are you worried?" Ling asked. Aang slowly nodded as the shabby houses slid by them.
"If something happens to Katara, if she ever... I don't think I could..."
"Relax, son. Nothing's going to happen to her with everybody there. I bet they've found a hot spring already and she's patched herself together good as new."
"Yeah..."
"I said relax. Do I have to make that an order?"
"No, sir." Both grinned at each other for a moment, then resumed their walk.
"I'm sorry about Dasi."
"I am too. He was a good lad, they all are, but he never got the chance to find out what he really wanted to do with his life. That's what kills me, the fact that all these boys have ever known is war. They know strategy, they know a dozen ways to kill you with a pair of chopsticks and an old boot, but they know nothing of what life outside the Army is supposed to be like. They don't even have real burials!" Ling was agitated now, pounding one fist into his leg with what Aang was sure was unnecessary force, "That's why they need the helmet, see. A soldier's burial, just melt the armor down and put a stone over it." Ling had slowed to a crawl, now examining his fingernails thoroughly.
Aang cast around for something to change the subject, "A pair of chopsticks?"
Ling smiled weakly, "Okay, I was exaggerating a bit, but Akira is good with those knives. Yarin's got his spear and Kojima, well he's pretty good at the lance himself. It's actually the basic weapon that all soldiers learn first. The spear, I mean. It teaches them control, since you can't really slash with it and get anywhere. You have to thrust, to stab and if you're even a hair off target you've left yourself overextended and open and your opponent has you done. For the Guardsmen, they can learn whatever discipline they like once they complete spear training, but most stick with what they know. Am I boring you?"
"No, no, I just never really stopped to think about them as ever having to train to be...what they are."
"Yes, it is hard. It's always hard to see the enemy as human, with their own lives and troubles. I'm as happy as a lobster-clam to hear Yarin might be off the drink, but losing a brother like that...I just hope he can keep himself together. Akira too, he's pulling himself apart over that girl."
"Ty Lee? I know they're friends, but--"
"You don't know the half of it, son. You probably don't fully understand what happened today, but I'll see if I can explain. Guardsmen are trained from an early age and practically grow up with the Army. They're trained to obey authority completely, even though they are encouraged to fulfill commands in whatever way they think best. For a High Guard, much less a captain like Akira, to disobey direct orders from the blasted Royal Family is so unheard-of as to be absurd. He's just taken his entire life and thrown it out the window, for what? Actually, a better question would probably be, 'For who?'"
"For...wait, he did this for--?"
"Well, it certainly wasn't the only reason. The Wolves have always been seen as the 'loosest' of the High Guard Units, so I guess it surprised fewer people than if, say, Gold Unit or Red Unit had defected." Ling turned into an alley, Aang having to drop behind to fit in the confined space, "That being said, I've watched out for those boys for years now and I usually have a good idea of what's going on under those helmets."
"I'm still confused, what does this have to do with--?"
"I'm getting to that. Because of their training and...different upbringing, they tend to make snap judgments on personality and character that define their entire relationship with you. Either you earn their complete and total devotion, or else you might as well kill yourself now and save them the trouble."
Aang followed Ling out of the alley and started up another street, "So, you're saying that he's attached himself to Ty Lee or something? I still don't really get it."
Ling smiled, "No offense, Avatar Aang, but you don't look a day over thirteen at the oldest. Akira's attachment to Ty Lee goes beyond even the normal standard of High Guard devotion. See, if Yarin or Anzin were to meet Ty Lee and take a liking to her, it would be simply as friends and allies. Extremely devoted friends and allies, but nothing more. Akira's attachment is different. Their training seargent before me, a wonderfully gentle man by the name of Nei, left records to help me carry on with his work and warned me several times that I needed to find some way to separate those two."
Ling shook his head and chuckled before gesturing to another alleyway, "The problem with Nei's assessment was that he picked the wrong outcome." Looking behind him, he chuckled again at the Avatar's confused expression, "Well, I've told you this much, might as well tell you this last bit. See, there's two different ways you can deal with a girl waiting for you to come back from war. Or, I suppose in this case, when the girl's fighting right beside you. You can either get yourself all worked up worrying about her and wind up getting someone killed, or you can let her go and focus on winning so that there's still a world out there for her to be happy in."
"But I can't help worrying about Katara! I love her and I'll do anything I can to protect her!"
"And there you have the problem."
"Huh? What problem?" Aang grabbed Ling's arm as they came out of the alley and brought him to a stop, "I'm trying to protect her!"
"Yes, I understand that, and I'm not saying it's a bad thing. But think about what you're saying. What do you need to protect her from? The Fire Nation? Zuko and Azula? Katara isn't a china doll that will break if you let her out of your sight. From what I've heard, she's taken pretty good care of herself in all sorts of scrapes and I'm sure she'll keep taking care of herself."
"So...what you're saying is...I should stop trying to look out for Katara all the time?"
"Oh, keep looking out for her, that's what friends are for. But, I would look very hard at just what kind of person Katara is, and how you plan to fight this war while worrying about things you can't control. Ah, we're here!"
"Wait, this is the same place we started at."
"Exactly."
"But aren't we going to look for a doctor for Katara?"
"We don't need to. Between my boys, Ashani, and the archer, we've got as many qualified battlefield medics as a fully-staffed field hospital. She'll make it, but you were jumping out of your skin. Thought you could use a walk and a little conversation."
"You've done this before, haven't you?"
"How else do you think I convinced Akira that helping you was a good idea? As much as he dislikes the Fire Nation right now, the idea of working with the Avatar still took some getting used to. Now come on and get us back down there, I don't like being up here with the most wanted young man in the Fire Nation."
"Alright, sir."
"Call me Ling, Avatar. I keep telling my boys to stop, but you know how they are."
"Yeah, I think I do." The walls of earth rose up around them as they descended back into the caverns, both occupants of the platform slightly smiling in the darkness.