A/N: Thank you everyone! And now for the next chapter, again, please R&R! The next few chapters may be a little ways off, I'm working like crazy, but I hope to write at least a page a day.
Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar.
Chapter 6
Katara backed away, blushing furiously from the kiss, and being interrupted. Aang smiled at her and was blushing as well before he turned to the voice.
"Yes?" he asked.
Katara turned and saw one of the younger men in uniform from the White Lotus Society standing near Appa. He kept shifting his gaze from the Avatar to the bison, edging away from Appa as the flying bison kept his gaze on the man.
"King Bumi and the society wish to speak to you, Avatar Aang, Lady Katara. It's urgent."
Aang sighed and glanced at Katara.
"Ok, lead us there, please."
The soldier turned and led them to the room where they had met the society the night before. When they entered, it looked like Zuko and one of the generals were about to start throwing punches. Zuko was barely holding himself back while Toph held his hand. Several of the other men in uniform were physically holding onto the general while Sokka was in the middle.
"Calm down, General Lee. Zuko is not a spy!" Sokka said.
"How can you know that?!" the general shouted as he freed a hand and pointed it accusingly at the prince. "He probably warned them while he was on that infernal contraption! Now my son has been captured!"
"What's going on here?!" Aang shouted as he struck the end of his staff onto the floor, sending a ripple through the stone.
Everyone turned to stare at him and Katara. Katara came alongside Aang and saw his brow furrow as he looked at the general.
"He's a spy!" the general cried as he tried to lunge at Zuko again.
The men holding him lost their grip and the man was almost upon Zuko when he was suddenly swallowed to his shoulders in the floor.
"Let me out of here!"
"No," Toph said, with a deathly cold tone. "Not until you listen."
"I would think it would be best if another told the Avatar what has happened," King Bumi said as he walked in.
He turned to Aang and Katara.
"Some of our earthbenders were wreaking havoc in the fire nation army camps, spreading more discord to end the siege. One of the companies held the sons of several of our generals, including General Lee here. That company was the only one attacked, and all were captured. Several men tried to reach them, but were held at bay by a yellow cloud and a troop of firebenders that were not affected by this cloud."
Bumi glanced at Zuko who was still standing, breathing heavily as he looked from the general in the ground to the king. Katara saw the flash of anger in the firebenders' eyes.
"The general heard and insinuated that Prince Zuko had told them, which is utterly ridiculous. He was in your company and that of your teachers the entirety of your stay here, and had no knowledge of our attacks."
Bumi sent a sharp glance at the general who lowered his eyes in shame before raising his gaze to the Avatar.
"But he knew of the poison, a poison none of us have heard of before, and knew the layout of the balloon and the gliders intimately. He knows something," the general said.
"I would prefer to be addressed as if I were here, thank you," Zuko said in a hard voice. He looked at Toph who was still holding his hand and his face and tone softened. "I'm better now, thanks."
Toph blushed and nodded, letting his hand go as she stepped back. Zuko turned to Aang and Katara, and she noticed that his face was set in a stern, emotionless expression.
"I've heard of the poison because I've been exposed to it, as a child. All royals must undergo some of the same training as assassins to survive an assassination attempt," Zuko told Aang and Katara.
He turned to the general. "And I know the layout of the balloon and gliders because I had to inspect them along with a royal procession before the eclipse. I am not a spy. In fact, both my sister and my father have tried to kill me this past week for renegading."
The general looked ashamed as he tore his gaze away from Zuko. Zuko turned to King Bumi and bowed.
"Forgive me for any trouble I may have caused."
Bumi grinned at the firebender. "No trouble."
The king stomped his foot down and the general rose up out of the ground. General Lee turned and bowed to Zuko.
"I'm sorry. Forgive my outburst."
Zuko bowed his head back to the general.
Aang nodded, starting to smile, as the prince and general took their seats, sitting on opposite sides of the room. Katara sat down next to Toph as Aang spoke to Bumi.
"I heard that there was an urgent need for us to be here, Bumi. What's wrong?"
Bumi grinned at Aang, and then turned to Katara.
"My Lady, how are you feeling this afternoon?"
Katara met his gaze and saw a glass of water on the table. She discreetly waved her hand and again, nothing happened.
"The same," she told the king.
Bumi tuned to a grandfatherly man with long, grey hair, though he was well dressed and groomed.
"This is Dr. Drake. You two should speak afterwards."
Katara nodded and thanked Bumi silently as he turned back to Aang.
"We have received a ransom notice for the troop. Their commander, Captain Jade, wants you, Prince Zuko, and Lady Katara in exchange for thirty men, five of which are sons of generals."
Aang nodded. "When and where?"
"A half mile north of the gate tomorrow at sunset."
Aang nodded again and looked thoughtful.
"You can't seriously think of turning yourselves in, can you Avatar Aang?" a man in civilian dress asked.
"No," Aang replied as a wry grin came across his face. "But I will be there so that we may free these men. Sokka, any ideas?"
Sokka looked startled, but quickly recovered. He looked thoughtful until his face lit up.
"You guys go out, and we'll have earthbenders waiting underneath."
"But the poison," General Lee said.
"I'm working on that," Sokka said.
The warrior glanced at Zuko and asked Bumi for paper and ink.
"Zuko, can you draw what I say?"
Zuko looked hesitant, but nodded, drawing a grin out of Sokka.
"Great! Ok, here's what we'll need..."
"Now would be a good time for you to see that guy," Aang whispered to Katara as he sat down next to her.
She nodded and looked at the doctor. Their gazes met and he nodded, gesturing to go outside. Katara stood, excusing herself as the doctor did the same. She followed him outside and waited for the physician to close the door.
"Please follow me," he said, "King Bumi told me of your condition and my assistant is waiting for us."
Katara nodded and followed him downstairs to a room that was comfortable, not what she had imagined a doctors' room to be like. A large window, similar to the one in her own room, let in lots of sunlight, and several plants stood underneath it. A large couch was on the far side of the room and a small table in front of it.
"Oh, hello there," a girl said as she entered the room and smiled at Katara.
Katara stared at the girl. She was about the same age as her, with blue eyes, and brown, braided hair. Katara thought she was the spitting image of Yue, except with brown hair.
"Are you all right?" Dr. Drake asked her.
Katara mentally shook herself. "Yes, thank you."
The physician smiled kindly at her and gestured her to the couch.
"This is my assistant, Kalaya. She was with some others on a voyage to the South Pole from the North, and helped a village not far from here. She decided to stay and help us while her companions continued on their way."
"Kalaya, this is…"
"Master Katara, I'm so glad to finally meet you," the girl said excitedly as she stepped up and bowed to Katara. "Master Pokka talked about you endlessly on the voyage."
Katara smiled back. "It's good to meet another water tribe member."
She moved to the couch and sat, looking expectantly at the physician.
"So, what now?" she asked him.
He smiled and pulled a chair up next to the couch before sitting. Katara saw the girl move behind her.
"Kalaya is going to look you over with her healing abilities while you tell me of your previous experiences with this technique. I've heard of pressure points being used to take away bending, but have never had the chance to examine it."
Katara took a deep breath and sighed before relating her previous experiences when she had fought with Ty Lee to the physician while Kalaya moved blue healing water over her back and arms. She then moved on to her experience the previous night and how it felt different.
"I can still feel the water, unlike the other times," she told the doctor. "And it has always come back by now."
Dr. Drake looked thoughtful for a minute as Kalaya took her healing waters away.
"Kalaya?"
"Her chi is blocked, at the left shoulder, though I can't tell why it hasn't come back," the girl said.
The physician rose and moved behind Katara and poked several areas around her shoulder. He touched the area where the assassin had grabbed her and Katara cried out as a wave of pain hit her.
"I'm sorry," he said as he withdrew and moved to sit again. "She missed a critical point."
"But she didn't miss," Katara protested. "I can't bend."
Dr. Drake frowned. "No, she did miss, or you would have been dead by now."
Katara gasped and heard Kalaya do the same.
"She tried to kill you and missed, but instead of just disabling you for a few hours, she has permanently disabled your bending, but your life has been spared."
"Permanent?!" Katara gasped. She looked at the doctor, pleading with her eyes for some positive news. "Can it be reversed?"
Dr. Drake sighed. "Yes, it can be reversed, but only by a pressure point specialist. I have heard of only two besides this assassin, and one was her teacher."
He smiled reassuringly at Katara. "I will try and contact the other, he is an old friend of mine. Last I knew he was in Gaoling. I'll send word as soon as I know."
Katara stood. "Thank you Doctor. And thank you Kalaya."
The girl smiled at her. "Anytime, Master Katara. If you need anything, please let me know."
Katara smiled weakly at the girl and left the room, walking slowly back to the society's room. She was just about there when she heard voices in the hallway.
"You can't just give yourself up."
"I'm not going to go down without a fight, and you'll be there."
Katara sighed and waited behind the corner as she heard Toph and Zuko talking.
"I know, but what if Sokka's contraptions don't work?"
"I know you. If there's trouble, we'll be ok," Zuko said, his tone softening. "I have complete faith in you and Aang. It'll work out."
Katara heard Toph sigh.
"I know you're there, Katara, come on out."
Katara felt a blush come across her cheeks as she stepped around the corner and walked over to Toph and Zuko.
"Everything ok?" Toph asked her.
"Yeah, fine." Katara replied.
"Don't lie to us," Zuko said.
"Hey, that's my line!" Toph said as she punched Zuko softly in the arm, a smile tugging at her mouth.
Katara sighed and smiled at the camaraderie of the two.
"How did you know?" she asked Zuko.
"Your face," he said calmly.
"Fine," she said. "My bending is gone, permanently unless I can find a pressure point specialist. The physician here knows of one in Gaoling and is going to contact him. I feel…useless."
She sighed again and fell into one of the elegant chairs that lined the hallway.
"I can't bend, I can't teach Aang, I can't fight, and I don't even think I should be here right now."
"Nonsense, if anything, you can mother the fire nation to death," Toph said, smirking.
Katara glared at the earthbender and was about to send a remark back when Zuko spoke.
"You're not useless, look at your brother. He can't bend, and he's one of the best swordsmen I've ever met. Also remember Mai and Ty Lee. They couldn't bend, but they got by."
"Yeah, but they had training," Katara replied, still depressed.
"I can teach you," Zuko said.
"What?!" Toph and Katara shouted as they both stared at Zuko.
"At least some of the martial arts, and swords. There should be someone here that can teach you something else you might be interested in. And Sokka could help too."
"Why do you have to teach her?" Toph asked.
Katara was surprised at the undertone of anger in the earthbenders' voice. Zuko just turned and smiled down at her.
"Because I'm here, and Sokka can teach her too. You're not jealous, are you?"
Toph turned and grumbled under her breath. "No," she said finally.
Zuko smiled at her and placed a hand on her shoulder before he turned back to Katara.
"Maybe you should have Sokka start, but definitely today."
Katara nodded and was about to ask what had happened in her absence when Sokka poked his head outside the door, frowning until he spotted Zuko.
"Zuko, can you draw some more?"
Zuko sighed and nodded, following Sokka after giving Toph's shoulder a squeeze.
Toph sighed and sank into another of the chairs in the hallway as Zuko closed the door behind him.
"So what's the plan so far?" Katara asked Toph after a few minutes of silence.
Toph sighed and relaxed into the chair.
"Snoozles is creating a kind of mask that the earthbenders should be able to breathe through without breathing in the poison, kinda like your bubbles. You three are gonna go meet the captain and get the men back. As soon as they're clear, we'll create some mayhem and get us all back into the city."
Katara felt a smile tug at the edge of her mouth. "Sounds like Sokka."
Before the two girls could talk more, the door opened and most of the men filed out, followed by Sokka, Zuko and Aang. Several of the younger men hurried off in various directions as the older men talked excitedly, leaving the area in twos and threes. The boys looked confident as they approached the girls.
"Finally," Toph said as she jumped to her feet. "So is the plan the same?"
"Yeah," Sokka said as he grinned at the earthbender.
Zuko was speaking quietly with Aang behind Sokka while the warrior told the girls almost exactly what Toph had told Katara. Aang grinned at Katara as Sokka finished.
"Sooo, you need training?" Aang asked her.
"Yes," Katara sighed.
"Great! Sokka, we can teach Katara while they work on your design. C'mon!"
Aang hurried back into the room and out to the courtyard where Appa lay while Sokka followed, puzzled. Toph was holding back giggles as she and Zuko followed a dejected Katara. Aang turned to them once they were all outside. Katara felt odd when she saw that they had lined up, almost automatically in front of Aang.
"Ok," Aang said as he looked at Katara and Sokka who were on his left. "Sokka, you can start teaching Katara how to fight without bending. Her bending's gone until the doctor can contact a pressure point specialist."
Katara saw Sokka look worried before a smirk crept onto his face as the information of her disabled bending reached him. She was going to have to get back at him for that later.
"Toph and Zuko, you guys can train me further. Momo, you can…Momo, what are you doing here?"