Chapter 8 – When Everything was Falling Apart

"Somehow, in the back of my mind I knew the water was there, waiting for me to call to it. It seemed eager to respond when I finally did."

.

The night was warm, so the windows had been left open to keep the building cool. Katara snuggled into her bed, the single sheet draped over her body as she slept. She was there alone; Shiyu had left hours ago. He did not usually tell her where he was going, just that he was going out and when he would be back. It was not that late, but Katara decided to turn in early for the night. There was no need to wait up for him. She had blown out the candles in her bedroom-library not long ago.

It had been six months since the Agni Kai and two months since Shiyu had stopped receiving gifts to convince him to give up Katara. It seemed it was too good to be true that Admiral Zhao had up and forgotten about the whole incident.

With no sign of anyone awake in the building, the thief invaded the building quickly.

He entered through the window above Katara's bed and immediately spotted her. The man jumped inside the room and hesitated. He had no qualms about his mission; he was being paid a handsome fee.

Looking down at the girl, he did not understand why his employer was willing to risk the repercussions of stealing her away from her master if caught. She was exotic and had a small figure, he'd admit that, but he figured the client wanted more than just physical looks. The prisoners the Fire Nation captured, once sold to its own citizens were the same as physical goods in the matter of the law. The price for stealing them was a hefty fine with a chance of time in jail.

Outside, the two guards which patrolled The Arena's perimeter passed by. The part of the market that this window faced was pretty empty, so he would need to be quick to pass the sentries unseen.

Though, there never had been a prison break from The Arena, so he doubted the guards would even know what to do if they encountered someone who needed to be stopped. He would not try his luck that night.

Once the guards were out of sight, the thief began his task. In a swift movement, he scooped her up, wrapping the sheet she slept on top of around her as tight as he could manage to keep her from flailing. She woke up instantly, struggling against his hold in a panic. The man swung her over his brawny shoulder and struggled to leave through the window in which he entered. He got through, but not before Katara managed to accidently kick at the curtain rod, sending it to the floor along with the sheer curtains and knocking a set of candles from the windowsill.

Inside the sheet, Katara tried her best to thrash free from her captor's hold. She was wrapped like a baby in the blanket, which made her struggle difficult. She couldn't free her arms and her face was covered so she couldn't see where she was being taken or who she was up against. Her heartbeat raced and she screamed for help. Before she could get two words out a hand clasped over the blanket over her mouth. Bouncing hard against his shoulder, Katara continued to struggle as the man who carried her ran through the dark streets.

She knew not where he was taking her or why she had been stolen. The man kept running, his foot falls hardly echoing on the stone streets. Every now and then a lantern allowed Katara to see through her blanket, but just as quickly as it would appear her view went dark again.

Seeing the city did not help; she never ventured too far away from the arena with Shiyu before, and she only knew the layout during the daytime. The shops they frequented were fairly close or in one single direction. If she escaped her captor, she would be lost.

The man slowed to a stop, climbed up three steps, and banged on what sounded like a wooden door. She tried again to get out of his grip, but he just held on tighter. The door opened.

A raspy woman's voice croaked. "Hurry, take her inside."

Katara was thrown down against the wall and the door was shut. She fought against her blanket and found the end, freeing her head. She managed to unwind the blanket from her arms and looked up at the people.

Above her stood two men and a woman in her late sixties who dressed like she thought she was thirty and half her size. Katara assumed one of them was the man who had kidnapped her. The room she was in was decently spacious, though they had chosen to put her in a corner and stand around her, blocking much of the view. There were no windows in the room that she could see, just a long low table with plenty of seating with very plush cushions set around it.

"What do you want?" asked Katara. She untangled her feet from the sheet and pressed herself up against the wall. The shift she wore to bed was decently threadbare, leaving her feeling exposed under their gazes. If she was wearing her bindings under the fabric, she would not have cared, at least she had on a pair of pants, though they hardly peeked out from under the oversized shirt they had been cut so short. The woman ignored her and spoke to the men.

"I wish I had discovered this one first. The customers would go crazy over her."

"You can still tell him no," the man who Katara assumed was not the kidnapper said. He had yet to take his eyes off her body. Katara pulled the sheet up to her neck, putting another layer between them. She pulled her knees closer to herself.

The woman hissed her reply. "I got paid up front. She's off limits."

"Please," Katara asked, "why am I here?"

"Take her upstairs," the old woman ordered, ignoring her question. "I don't want anyone here seeing her and asking questions." The two men grabbed Katara's arms and lifted her, kicking and screaming, up to the second floor. Her screams were cut short when a hand was pressed to her mouth.

The steps squeaked under their combined weight. The building was old, though fairly large. If she had been thinking straight, she might have wondered what the building was used for. They passed two doors on the left and paused. Katara was tossed into the next room and the door was locked from the outside. Recovering from being thrown to the ground, she jumped to her feet and tried the doorknob.

"Let me out! Tell me why you took me here!" She pounded on the door with all her might. Hearing the door unlatch, she jumped back when one of the guards filled the threshold.

"Keep it down girl. Or I'll have to make you stay quiet myself." Katara backed away from him and tumbled onto the single large bed in the room with a surprised yelp. She glared daggers at the man until the other one appeared.

"She wants her secured," the new man said. He handed a set of what looked like red silk scarves to his partner. The two of them overpowered Katara easily, pinning her to the bed, and tied her hands behind her back as she screamed and called out for help.

"Why did you grab ribbons?" The first man grunted, Katara did not care to keep them straight anymore. He received a kick to the shin before he could secure her feet. "Didn't we have any real rope?"

"The girls complained about rope burn," came the reply. He tied the last ribbon around Katara's mouth in a makeshift gag to keep her quiet. "So the madam got these ribbons instead. She said something about it being more stimulating for the girls." Katara squirmed on the bed, pulling at her bounds once they were complete, trying to get free. The men watched her for a moment, as if to see if she could wiggle herself out of their handiwork.

"I wonder how he'll feel when he learns he won't be in his usual room?"

"It shouldn't matter. This setup should make him feel like the conquering hero he thinks he is." She watched the two men leave the room before her vision blurred with tears. She heard the lock click. Their conversation made no sense to her, so she did not bother trying to decipher it.

It took several minutes and many deep breathes until she had calmed herself out of initial shock. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that crying and panicking would get her nowhere; though, calming down was harder than her mind made it seem.

She heard a woman's voice talking as she passed the room and a man's voice answer her. Katara knew it wasn't the old crone or one of the men she had encountered earlier, these voices sounded too different. The floorboards outside groaned as the voices were cut off with the sound of a door shutting. The waterbender eased herself onto her side and tucked her legs behind her to try and ease the knots free. As she worked, Katara surveyed the room she was in.

The room was lit by candlelight in several locations, illuminating the decor. It should have made her think of being back in the Water Tribes, but everything was off from what she remembered.

There were no windows, the only way in was the door she had been pushed through. The bed was covered in a thick pelt from a polar bear dog, but the pillows were brown colored Fire Nation silk. A pair of caribou-camel antlers hung over the bed. The dual night tables, which held perfectly molded half burned candles, were made of wicker but painted to look like ice. Chipping paint ruined the illusion.

A single item which appeared to be a chest of drawers with only a single drawer at the top sat near the door. It was obviously made of wood and painted ash grey, though she has no idea what it was. Even the paint on the walls added to the facade as it was designed to look like the inside of an igloo hut with bone struts to support it.

The waterbender was not sure if she wanted to cry or laugh at the terrible decorations which sought to imitate her homeland. She did have a chance to wonder why they were here in the first place as she worked the ribbons free from her feet.

Somewhere down the hall she heard quick rhythmic banging, like a bed hitting a wall. It was gone as soon as it began. She wondered if other people were here, trapped as she was. She sighed and hit her foot on the footboard of the bed, another thing she would have never found in the Southern Water Tribe. She cried out in pain, cursing herself for not paying attention.

The moment the pain was bearable, which took longer than she felt was necessary, she slid her feet off the bed she heard a knock on the door. She wondered how long she had been trapped here already. The knots had been difficult to pull lose, and her fingers truly hurt from trying to pry the silky ribbons free from each other. It could very well have been an hour, but she was not completely sure.

Katara called out to the person on the other side, but her words were muffled. If whoever it was could just open the door and help her, she'd be happy. There was a pause, in it she heard another woman call out in a room down the hall. She sounded more excited- for lack of a better word, then fearful to Katara.

Forgetting the other sounds in the building, Katara hurried to the door and gave it a shove with her shoulder, still trying to tell the person on the other side that she needed help. The knock was repeated, though Katara noticed it was faster this time. She turned her back to the door and tried to turn the knob with her hands. The lock caught, keeping the door from opening. She growled in frustration and stepped back.

The person must have grabbed the knob from the other end, because Katara watched it turn, again to no avail. She was about to try her luck at kicking it when she heard the sound of a sword being drawn. Katara backed up, not sure what to expect. The thought of the person outside having a weapon pulled her back to reality and she wondered if it was a such a good idea that they were trying to get in while she was still bound.

Too late now.

The sword clanged on the other side of the door and the doorknob on her side was pushed through. It tumbled onto the floor and the door was pushed opened very slightly to allow for room to peer inside. Katara froze.

The door was thrown open then and shut just as quickly as the man hurried inside. Katara tried to speak, but the ribbon in her mouth got in the way. The Blue Spirit put a finger to his masked lips and Katara stopped struggling. He stared at her for the longest time before motioning for her to turn around. She did as he bid and he untied the knots on the ribbons still binding her wrists and mouth with ease. Once she was free, he took her hand and pulled her to the door.

The coast seemed to be clear since he guided her down the hallway. she heard other groans, furniture moving, and low conversations. She would have asked him if the other people here needed help, but he seemed to be wholly focused on getting her away.

They paused, Katara following him like a shadow, as they snuck down the stairs in single file. The steps did not make a sound as either of them crossed their planks. In a nearby room Katara heard the voice of the old woman and one of the men. She felt fear threaten to lace her veins with ice. The Blue Spirit noticed her hesitation and pulled at her wrist to keep her moving.

They snuck under the half wall dividing them from the old woman and her guard and out an open back window into what looked like a storage room, and then down to the street. Voices forced them into the shadows the moment they hit the ground.

Together they watched two men walk closer until they moved under the lantern light of the building. Katara pressed deeper into the shadows as they passed. The Admiral laughed without a care in the world as the noblemen and himself walked up the steps to the building Katara had just been rescued from.

"-my new toy has been acquired," Zhao grinned, finishing out his statement. "Maybe I'll even give you a try when I'm through." The Blue Spirit clenched his fists and glanced backward at the girl behind him. He was all for spending nights with the woman who worked and lived at the 'Spitfire', but they were all consenting adults, to some degree, and were well compensated for their work. This young girl, even with her social standing being where it was, did not deserve to be a toy. He had seen it happen before, and sadly, if she had any other master apart from the old medic, it would have been her reality already.

The Blue Spirit led Katara down a few alleyways and then paused just before they walked under a lit torch near the entrance of a large building which she did not recognize. The street ahead looked safe enough, but he put his hand in front of her to signal for her to wait. He took a step, turned back to make sure she didn't follow and then darted around the corner through the firelight and then into the darkness.

Katara watched him go and noticed that he was not wearing the outfit she had seen him fight in. The clothing was still black, but it fell looser around him and lacked the bindings around his wrists and ankles to keep the fabric from getting caught in a fight. He did carry the dual swords; it made her wonder why he'd need them on an ordinary night. He was only gone for maybe half a minute when she heard movement behind her.

"I saw something over there," called a voice. Katara saw two guards close in on her corner and stood as still as possible. If she ran, the Blue Spirit might not find her and then she'd be lost in this city with no hope of finding where she where she needed to be. She had no idea what part of the city they were in, none of the buildings were familiar here. She hoped the guards wouldn't find her.

Her luck ran short as the firelight from the guard's hand caught her and she was spotted. The men advanced slowly, corning her.

"What do we have here?"

Katara stuttered a response. "I'm on my way home."

"What are you doing out so late, alone?" asked the other man. He moved closer still, holding the flame to get a better look. He whistled.

"I'm going home," Katara repeated. She looked around, desperate for the Blue Spirit to return and help her. One of the guards swayed on his feet as he stepped on an uneven cobblestone, and Katara took her chance.

She attempted to dart around him and get away and hide. She had not thought that the man would be so quick to recover his balance. He looped an arm around her waist and caught her, swinging her back to the wall and pinning her there by jerking her arm behind her back. His shoulder armor was cool to the touch, it sent shivers down Katara's spine where it touched her skin.

"Now that was rude," the guard smiled. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"I have to get home. I was just talking a walk-"

"Wearing this?" The guard who held her to the wall asked. He rubbed the cloth of her nightgown between his fingers. "She's not a street rat, that that's for sure. Probably some nobleman's whore." She kicked out at the man, sick of being restrained. The word itself had no effect on her, she had never heard it before, nor did she know its meaning.

"Don't worry little one, we'll take you back home to your master," the guard smiled. He shifted her wrists to one of his single large hands and then slowly lifted the edge of her shift to expose the loose shorts she wore underneath. Katara tried to twist away.

"Let me go," Katara called out. "I haven't done anything. Stop!" The guard restraining her moved closer until he pressed his body up against her right side. He trapped her legs between the wall and his own. The other solider moved for his belt and reached for Katara's shorts. The ribbon holding them tight against her hips came free with a single pull, though the covering only loosened, it did not fall away. When his rough hand made contact with her skin and slid under the loosening waistband, Katara's heart raced and she panicked.

"No!" She squirmed away from the man as best she could. "Let Me Go!"

She didn't get far before the solider inched his fingers too close for comfort. Eyes closed, Katara ripped her hands free from the ironclad grip of the soldier.

In a single second, the two men lay stunned and Katara was free. She blinked her eyes open, expecting to see the Blue Spirit standing before her. What she saw instead shocked her.

A chunk of ice, frozen from a puddle in the street, lay inches from the man who had been restraining her. It was broken into three pieces from impact. He moaned and moved to hold his head where a gash bleed into his eyes.

The other man, the one who had touched her, lay dead. She could tell even without feeling for his breath or checking for the telltale thumping of blood in any of the major veins like Shiyu had taught her. His back was covered with ice pellets formed into tiny two-inch spikes. They were driven deep into his neck and spinal column.

She realized it had to have been her who had done this. Adrenaline coursed through her veins and her breath came in short gasps. Katara was terrified yet amazed at her power when her emotions got the better of her.

The single living man moaned again in agony and Katara looked down at what she had done once more. She stepped back and bolted when she saw the blood pooling on the ground, melting away the icy bullets. It flowed down the stones and mixed with the puddle she had drawn her water from. With her power, she had just killed a man.

Katara flew around the corner, fear filling her eyes, and crashed into a hard body. She struggled against it, not truly seeing who it was. When he released one of her arm and put a gloved finger to her lips, she calmed instantly, finally seeing through her panic.

The Blue Spirit cocked his head to the side in confusion, she assumed because she hadn't waited. It would have been easier if he talked and told her what he was thinking and planning, but she realized by now that he would not. The young waterbender glanced back to the alley and then looked up to him. She stared at the blue demon mask, trying to see into the eyes of the man behind it to give her plea.

"Please, take me home."

He gave her arm a gentle squeeze and nodded. They jogged through the night street, avoiding any and all further patrols without issue. He led her to a door surrounded by crates of fabric bolts and barrels with rainwater once they came to the side of The Arena building. The door was already open slightly and the Blue Spirit pushed her inside. She shut the door behind her.

"Who's there?" called Shiyu's voice. Katara smiled in spite of all that had happened tonight when the doctor appeared at the top of the steps. She flew up the stairway to him and she found herself down in the sitting room within seconds. Before she came into sight of the main room though, a shout called out.

"Is that her?" Katara recognized the voice as the old man who liked tea, Prince Zuko's uncle.

Shiyu called back to him in amazement. "She's back!"

Inside, the warmth of the room sent the events of the night rushing back to her in a flash. Weak in the knees suddenly, Katara clung to Shiyu for balance. He did not seem to mind and gently guided her to a cushion at the table. Even as she sat on the floor, he kept a hand on her back.

"Katara," he asked slowly. Iroh handed her a cup of tea, jasmine again, which she accepted gratefully and sipped at. She did not have time to wonder why Shiyu was up and why Prince Iroh was present. She assumed he was the one Shiyu had gone out to visit earlier that night and they had both returned here to relax with tea only to find her missing.

"What happened?"

Katara bowed her head, thinking of the soldier whom she had killed with her waterbending. No matter what, she could not tell them about that, but it occurred to her that the men were not referring to that most recent part of her night as she caught Shiyu's ramblings.

"-and the library looked like someone had broken into it. Are you ok?" He continued. She sighed; they wanted to know about the kidnapping in general. They knew nothing of the guards in the alley.

"Shiyu. Let the young lady catch her breath."

Katara looked into her teacup. "A man broke into the library through the window, and I was taken to a building. I think the sign said 'Spitfire', but I could be wrong. I didn't really have time to read it." Shiyu cringed when he heard the name of the building and Iroh shook his head. Katara noticed both men's reactions.

"What?"

"The Spitfire is a brothel," Iroh stated. Katara looked at him with her naive blue eyes, begging him to explain further why that should mean anything to her.

"What's a brothel?" asked Katara when no one said anything.

Iroh frowned and turned to Shiyu. "Did you ever let her out of this room? What did you tell her if she asked about certain buildings in town?"

"It was on a need to know basis." He answered quickly, almost blushing in the candlelight. "And all she needed to know was medical information and techniques. I can assure you I never thought I'd need to discuss anything about brothels with her. I never took her when I delivered remedies or looked after the sickly girls there, so she had no questions to ask. Besides, I doubt she was taken advantage of. She's too calm." Iroh nodded.

Katara kept her questions to herself and looked down at her left knee in thought. She wondered why Shiyu looked so frazzled with the topic.

Iroh sighed, his shoulders sagging. "It does beg the question. Who would do this? It's against the law to steal and carries a serious penalty."

"No one has shown any interest in her out of the ordinary when we go out to the market," offered Shiyu. "Unless you think it could be Zhao. His gifts stopped coming a while back. Maybe he resorted to something more drastic-"

"Why would she end up at the Spitfire then?" Iroh asked. Katara jumped in while the two men pondered aloud.

"We saw him. The Admiral walked into the building just as I was rescued. The Blue Spirit got me out just in time to miss crossing paths," Katara said. "It couldn't have been him that took me, it was a man who I think worked there. He was talking with another man about a delivery from him that had just arrived-"

"That's proof enough. Zhao didn't kidnap her, but he arranged for it. That's proof he did it." Shiyu extended his hand towards Katara.

"Her word is useless Shiyu," Iroh sighed.

"Then the Blue Spirit's," Shiyu said. "He no doubt heard it as well."

Iroh countered quickly. "The Blue Spirit is just the man's arena name. No one knows who he really is. We'd never find him."

"No one?" The doctor asked like he already knew the answer. The two men held each other's gaze in a battle of wills.

The doctor felt that the Blue Spirit and Iroh were somehow connected, even just in passing. The two men stared across the table until Shiyu finally yielded. Though, it could have just been a coincidence. After all, he had been given the girl by the man at that very same brothel six years previous. He could have just been a regular patron and been there at the right time to notice something fishy.

Shiyu shook his head. "So now what? What's to keep Zhao from going after her again?" There was a moment of silence as the question floated between them.

"I'll keep an eye on her," Iroh offered.

"I'm not-"

Iroh's next statement was dead serious. "I'll give you her weight in gold." He added more gently, "she'll be safe from Zhao in the palace as long as you don't let it slip who has her." Shiyu looked at his hands and nodded. Iroh seemed satisfied and got to his feet.

"Alright then." He smiled, turning to Katara. "The sooner we get you inside the palace, the safer you'll be from Admiral Zhao, or whoever it was who ordered you kidnapped." The girl nodded and paused when Iroh held open the door for her. "I'll send the gold over in the morning." Iroh called back to Shiyu as he moved out the door as well.

The waterbender moved to follow after the eldest prince of the Fire Nation and looked once more at her home for the last several years. They had been an excellent chapter of her life. Taking a step back, Katara threw her arms around the doctor. He stiffened in surprise.

"Thank you. Ffor everything. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't taken me in."

"Be good Katara," was the shocked response Shiyu gave her, loosening up to pat her on the back. "Don't forget what you've learned here."

"I won't," she promised. The two parted, and the door closed between them.

(Original Author's Note)

I guess I've decided that Fire Nation soldiers have no morals... and I already miss Shiyu.

How's the story so far? Has my foreshadowing been any good? Anyone see where things are going? Or are you all content to simply hang on for the ride? I'd love to know anything you've caught that doesn't seem to make sense or that you've found thought provoking.

*The chapter title comes from "You found Me" by The Fray*