Bleh. I am so tired of writing this chapter. This is like the tenth version and I am still angry with how it turned out... Idk my brain juices are just failing me... But I knew I had to update this story before I gave up all hope of finishing it. So here it is. Be warned, my fight scene seriously sucks. I am just going to be honest. I can't do it. It's a lot easier to just make everyone cry...
Try not to burn your computer after reading this...
I have made mistakes, I continue to make them. And the promises I have made, I continue to break them. -I Have Made Mistakes.
Time stopped.
All she could hear was the blood pulsing past her eardrums.
All she could taste was the stringent surprise that filled the air around her lips.
All she could smell was the life leaking out of the man beside her.
All she could feel was a cold, bruised hand clasped tightly in hers, anchoring her to him.
And worst of all, all she could see was the eyes of a liar. Of a monster. Of a killer.
She shivered at the word. No, he wasn't a killer. Yet.
His eyes held no remorse. He wasn't even affected. She couldn't tell if he knew about her stunning conclusion. She couldn't tell anything. As she stared into his eyes, she realized that she could never tell anything about him. She didn't know him. She didn't understand him. She didn't trust him.
But most of all, she didn't love him.
She wanted to look away. She wanted to look into someone else's eyes. Someone's gray eyes.
But she couldn't.
Because he was unconscious beside her. He was dying beside her. Because of the malevolent man holding her gaze.
And then, time flew back into motion.
Her eyebrows furrowed into an angry stare of pure loathing. Her hand ripped away from the deceitful monster that stood before her and clenched into a vengeful fist. Her mouth straightened into a hard line. Her legs twitched, fighting the urge to stand up and fight. Her eyes burned into the man she had once wanted to marry.
When she pulled her hand away from his grasp, something changed in his eyes. Understanding maybe?
But it only flickered for a moment. Then his face feigned a hurt expression. Once upon a time she might have believed he was hurt. She probably would have tried to comfort him. But not this time.
Her clenched fist moved to her necklace. It felt like it was strangling her. Reminding her of her trust. Of her naivety.
And finally she spoke.
"What have you done." She snarled at him. The words were quiet and low, warning him that she saw past his fake smile. Yet he did not drop his act.
"What are you talking about?" He questioned with concern. Like she didn't know what she was talking about. Like she was insane.
But instead of answering his words with her voice, she just pointed on solemn finger in the direction of the broken man on the couch. Kantu's eyes flickered once again, but this time she knew what the emotion was.
The same one that he had always worn.
Arrogance.
He was proud of himself. He didn't care what she thought. He didn't fear her wrath. He didn't fear her reaction.
He was severely mistaken.
Then he smiled.
His smile repulsed her. The smile he wore now was not his fake one. It was completely real. It was the first real smile she had really ever seen from him. And it was evil. She felt like the smile was planning out her demise. Like it was watching her die.
"You don't know what you are talking about…" He started.
"Liar." she growled with malice.
His eyes lit up in flames. His arrogance was replaced with searing fury.
"I am not a liar!" He yelled back in her face, trying to conceal his obvious contempt. His face got closer when he said this and when he yelled, his hot breath whipped across her face.
She closed her eyes as if she was defeated.
And then opened them again to reveal the same fire reflected in her own eyes.
"You're right. You're not a liar… You are a monster." She screamed in response. On the word monster, a tear broke away from her eye. She wasn't sure why. Maybe from hate. Maybe from anger. Maybe from sadness. Maybe from shock. But despite the weakness behind the water droplet, she stood strong against Kantu. She was unyielding.
At her sentence, Kantu's face transformed into a lived shade of red.
"Shutup. I will not take this from you. You are to be my wife soon, and wives do not insult their husbands." He hissed through his clenched teeth.
Katara's eyes widened in horror at the reminder. She had forgotten about her engagement. She had forgotten her foolish mistake.
But she would fix it now.
In one fierce motion she grabbed the necklace that had once held so much hope, and she ripped it from her neck. Then she flung the torn necklace onto the ground and dropped a heavy foot on the engraved stone. When she lifted her foot, the charm was shattered into sharp pieces. Just like her.
When she looked up to say something she was immediately met with a strong hand to her cheek. The sudden force knocked her to the ground and it didn't take long before she could feel the skin start to swell where she was struck.
When she fell, her hand landed on the broken necklace and she felt the sharp edge cut across her palm in a stinging motion. She knew without looking that there would be blood.
More blood. That was the last thing she wanted.
And it was all Kantu's fault.
At that moment, Sokka opened the door to check on Aang's condition. He had been waiting to hear from Katara, but she had never emerged from the room. He could only expect that things weren't going well.
What he found was much worse than he thought it would be. All he saw was the inflamed mark on his sister's cheek and the blood flowing from her hand.
And Kantu standing over her in an enraged state.
The dots connected in his brain and without even thinking, he charged across the room and tackled Kantu. They both fell to the ground with a loud thud. Once they were on the ground they began to roll in a violent struggle to attack the other. Sokka threw wild punches and felt a few connect with Kantu's smug face. Meanwhile Kantu placed a few jabs that hit Sokka and knocked the wind out of him.
They rolled around in an equally matched fight when Kantu finally broke out of Sokka's hold. Sokka knew that he had broken free, but he did not realize that Kantu had moved his feet into a dangerous position.
Suddenly Kantu kicked out with ferocity and pushed Sokka off of him. He then jumped onto his feet and punched the confused Sokka, who was still trying to get up, right in the jaw. There was a loud crunch at the contact and Sokka was thrown to the ground once again.
But this time, he didn't make an attempt to get up.
As soon as he hit the floor, Kantu began to kick him. Most of his kicks were place near the rib cage, and all Sokka could do was curl into a ball, trying to protect his vital organs. Each kick was strategically placed to cause the most damage possible. There was no mercy. Only cold determination.
"You...cannot… beat… me…" Kantu uttered between kicks. All the while he stared down at Sokka like he was a pitiful excuse for a person.
And his kicks were not lessening up.
If anything, they were becoming harder, as Sokka's defenses slowly faltered and melted away.
Then a piercing yell interrupted the barrage of blows.
Kantu turned around to find Katara standing across the room with multiple water streams surrounding her in an attack stance. Her face was set in a fierce position, ready to defend the people she loved.
At this sight, Kantu stepped away from the battered Sokka, and moving one step in her direction. He had a hungry look in his eyes, like he was hunting his prey.
"This ends now Kantu." Katara threatened. Her eyes piercing him as if she could kill him with a look. Kantu raised his hands as if he was giving up, while Sokka moaned in pain on the ground. Katara tried not to let his anguished voice effect her, but she couldn't help it.
When she heard his voice, her hands started to tremble and she hoped that Kantu did not see her weakness.
"Honey, calm down. We can figure this out." He said with a soothing voice as he slowly moved closer.
"No. We can't." And with her resigning words she flung a water whip across the room grabbed his foot. Or at least she tried. He easily avoided her attack with a sidestep.
"Now. Don't get feisty." he cooed.
His words only pushed Katara's rage even farther. With a sweeping motion, she sent a multitude of icy bullets in his direction. Most of the bullets missed, but a few made contact with his arm.
He clutched his arm and let out an agonized scream.
While he was distracted, Katara bended the water from the healing bowls and sent it in his direction, with the intent of freezing him to the wall. And this time, her attack did not miss.
Kantu was pinned to the wall from the waist down, and he struggled to free himself, to no avail.
With Kantu subdued, Katara ran across the room to help Sokka. When she reached him, there was blood gushing from his mouth and his rib cage looked severely swollen. She struggled not to start sobbing at the sight of her brother in this state.
She had already dealt with Aang. Not Sokka, too.
Not her strong brother. Not the warrior.
He looked so out of place, lying on the ground, looking so defeated. So hurt.
It wasn't right.
Hastily, she gathered some water off the floor around her and frantically moved to heal him. As she worked, he mumbled a few incomprehensible words. His eyes looked like they were trying to open and look around, but he could not find the strength to open them more than just a squint.
"Shhh. You are going to be okay." Katara assured him as she moved her healing hands around.
"Katar- what..about-Kant…?" He stuttered through the blood that was collecting in his mouth.
When he said this, Katara turned her head to check that Kantu was still stuck to the wall .
But to her shocking dismay, the wall was empty.
Her heart plummeted with fear.
Her eyes frantically searched around the room, trying to find him before he could attack her. Before he could somehow take more from her.
She stood up from beside Sokka and pulled some water from the ground in case she needed to defend herself.
Her eyes kept darting around in panic.
First behind the corner.
Then under the coffee table.
Then next to the chair.
Then over to the doorway.
But her eyes found nothing.
She was about to turn around and continue her healing, hoping that Kantu had run in defeat, when she heard that icy voice.
It was somehow different this time. Not so much composure. Not so much cockiness. Not so much pride.
It sounded much more like desperation.
Her body whipped around to lock her sight on the source of that voice.
And then she saw him.
She gasped in horror when she witnessed the scene that was unfolding before her.
There was Kantu. With a knife in his hand. And his knife was pressed precariously against the throat of the still unconscious Aang. And in Kantu's eyes she saw no mercy. Just pure desperation to inflict pain on her. .
"Kantu. Stop." She struggled through her increasing breaths. She had to stop him. This couldn't happen. But as she calculated every move, she realized that anything she did would result in the same outcome. And that outcome would end her. She could not afford to lose Aang. Not again.
Not again.
And then she suddenly knew what she had to do.
"You did this to yourself. You chose this." He said just before he moved his hand to slice through the soft flesh beneath his sharp blade.
And then his hand stopped. His hand started to tremble and his body fell limp as Katara took control. His movements became forced and jerky as opposed to their normal grace.
She moved her trembling hand to bend his body and move it away from Aang's. Once he was away from Aang, she threw him against the wall in a powerful stroke. His body hit the ground and did not move anymore after that, whether he was unconscious or dead, she didn't care.
All she cared about was Aang.
And her brother.
And the hate Kantu.
Suddenly realization of what she just did hit her like a powerful wave hitting the rocks beneath a cliff.
She had blood bended.
Without a full moon.
Her rage and fear and grief had been so intense that she had somehow bended without the power boost from the moon.
Her raw power invoked an unsettling fear deep within her. With the twitch of her hand, she had saved a life and possibly taken a life.
It was a power she didn't feel was right.
She shouldn't be able to choose who lived and died.
But if she hadn't done it, Aang would be dead.
The gravity of Aang possibly being gone for good suddenly settled in.
Never hearing his laugh jingle through the air. Never feeling his eyes see through hers. Never holding his hand in hers. Never talking to him. Never feeling his warmth surrounding her on cold nights. Never tasting his lips on hers. Never loving him.
It would all just be gone.
He would just be gone.
With a shiver, she decided that she had done the right thing.
Even though it felt wrong, the other outcome would have been much more devastating.
But after bending Kantu across the room, her eyes suddenly darkened. Her knees buckled and she fell to the ground in a heap. Her inner turmoil and her waning energy had finally caught back up with her.
When she fell to the ground, so did her mask.
She just cried.
She cried for the unfairness of everything. For the monstrosity that was Kantu. For her wounded brother. For her broken friend. For her stupidity.
And with each tear, reality slowly began to slip away, as if the whole thing was just a dream…
"Just a nightmare." She murmured as she drifted away from the broken world filled with all the broken people.
Wonderful ending, right? Jk.
Hey at least this chapter is over and you never have to read it again! :)
Review!...If your eyes are not blind from the horror above...