Chapter 4: Waiting and Water

In the middle of the woods, Katara faced a dilemma. What should she do with the Kyoshi Warriors? They were currently tied up and stripped of their weapons and equipment, leaving them with only enough clothing to maintain their modesty. They were completely helpless and at Katara's mercy.

On a personal level, Katara wanted to let them go. Their leader, Suki, had been a friend of hers before getting stuck in Azula's body. She didn't want to kill them or ship them off to some Fire Nation prison. However with Mai and Ty Lee around, Katara couldn't just free them without being asked questions she couldn't answer. She still didn't have a full grasp of Azula's firebending and she would be no match for either girl if she was exposed.

"So Azula, what should we do with them?" Ty Lee asked.

Great… no pressure or anything… Katara thought. "I think we have an opportunity here" she said. "Practice applying their makeup."

"Why would you want her to do that?" Mai asked. "Those colors are in horrible taste."

"Those colors are the ticket into Ba Sing Se" Katara said. "We can use those uniforms to get past the wall." And once we're in Sokka will want to see Suki and I can explain what's going on. she thought.

"Hey yea, that's a great plan Azula" Ty Lee said. "I'll get started with those girls."

"You mean I have to wear that" Mai complained while looking at one of the seized uniforms. "It's so hideous."

"Lighten up" Katara said. "You won't have to wear it forever."

"Fine…" Mai said.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to have some time alone with their leader" Katara said.

OOOOOOOOOO

In Ba Sing Se Azula stood in the backyard of the Avatar's house. In front of her was a large bucket of water sitting on the ground, its surface reflecting Azula's face. She had finally managed to obtain some alone time without being expected to do anything for the Avatar. Her new 'friends' were busy searching the city for the sky bison and Azula volunteered to stay at the house in case anyone arrived to report a sighting.

Okay, waterbending. How difficult could it be? Azula wondered. Sure it was the opposite of fire, but this body had been a master of it. It just had a different mind at the controls and Azula reasoned that she would be able to figure it out. If the Avatar can master a second element in months getting the hang of one shouldn't be too hard.

To begin, Azula tried using the movements for a basic fireblast, punching the air. The water in the bucket rippled, but didn't even spill over the side. She repeated the move several times in quick succession, and the water splashed around in the bucket but not leaving it. Then she tried punching the air with both arms, and suddenly the water exploded, releasing steam and showering the ground.

"Stupid water, Move!" she yelled and kicked the air, trying to use another firebending move. For a moment the spilled water flowed across the ground, before sharp pain shot through Azula's left leg. She dropped to the ground, realizing that she had sprained her leg. The pain lessened within minutes, but enough remained to make using the leg difficult.

Trying to tolerate the pain, Azula limped towards the house. Next to the wall were several more buckets of water, meant for when Azula was ready to experiment with larger amounts of water. Azula lifted up her left leg and submerged it in one of the buckets, feeling relief as the cool water dulled the pain in her leg. To her surprise the pain seemed to be vanishing, which wasn't supposed to happen immediately.

Looking into the barrel, Azula saw that the water around her leg had a faint glow. Seconds later the glow vanished and the pain in her leg was gone. She took it out of the water and flexed the muscles, finding her leg good as new. Huh? That's convenient Azula thought. She had heard the stories of the Healers from the Northern Water Tribe, but had believed they were exaggerations used for propaganda.

"This could be useful" Azula muttered. Even a single healer on the battlefield could turn the tide of a fight, bringing the wounded back to fighting condition and sending them back into battle. Suddenly her body became a lot more valuable to Azula, now that she knew about its healing ability.

OOOOOOOOOO

Inside a tent in the woods, Suki was chained to the ground. On her knees she looked for anything that could be used to escape, despite having very little room to move. She had been kept separate from the other Kyoshi Warriors, being the leader. Suki was expecting to be interrogated any minute now by one of the three girls that had beaten her.

What Suki wasn't expecting was her captor to enter the tent with a hot meal for her. It was a simple bowl of stew, which Katara had prepared herself. Katara freed one of Suki's hands to let her feed herself. It was Katara's way of trying to apologize for dragging Suki into her mess, but trying to maintain her cover.

When Suki finished, she had to ask "Why are you being nice now?"

"You remind me of a friend" Katara answered.

"Yea right, as if someone like me would be friends with a firebender" Suki said.

You're really driving in the knife… Katara thought. She replaced the chain that bound Suki's arm, but left it slightly loose. Then she walked out of the tent and left Suki alone.

Suki wasn't sure what to think about Katara. She had appeared to be just another firebender, but had a calm spirit like the water. It was self-contradicting, but she had no way of knowing what was going on. The only explanation Suki could come up was a split personality, which seemed ridiculous. For now she could only wait for another visit from her captors.

OOOOOOOOOO

After spraining her legs twice and having to heal them, Azula determined that waterbenders don't use kicking motions very often. Punching motions weren't very effective either, tending to either do nothing or making the water explode into steam. She needed a new approach to bending, something that was different than what she had learned as a firebender.

Of Course! Azula thought, figuring out a possible solution. Its water, so maybe I need to move like water. Facing a new bucket of water she slowly lifted her arms up, and the water rose into the air. Then she moved her arms to the left, and the water flew to the right. Now you're just mocking me…

Azula was about to try again when she noticed a shadow quickly pass by. Looking up she saw Aang with his glider come down for a landing. She stopped her practice, since it would give her away to the Avatar. When Aang landed Azula noticed that he was smiling, despite no sky bison in sight. "Did something exciting happen?" Azula asked.

"Yes actually" Aang said. "I just helped build a new zoo outside the inner wall. We should go there sometime and visit the animals."

We? Azula thought. "Where are the others?" she asked.

"Well we split up this morning… so I don't know where they are" Aang admitted.

"So what are you going to do now?" Azula asked.

"On my way back I saw a printer's shop" Aang said. "I think I'll head back there and ask him to make some 'missing bison' posters. Do you want to come?"

"Not really" Azula said. "I think I'll stay here and wait for the others."

Aang's smile wavered, then he got back on his glider and flew away. Azula had been oblivious to Aang's attempt to hang out with her. All she cared about was that she could resume waterbending without being seen.

OOOOOOOOOO

After leaving the tent that contained Suki, Katara walked towards a small campfire to eat her own lunch. She could see Ty Lee practicing with the Kyoshi makeup, already getting good at making it look correct. While Katara started eating she spotted a messenger hawk arrive, and saw Mai take the message.

"The army will be here in the afternoon to take the prisoners" Mai informed everyone. "The leader is going to the Boiling Rock."

"Hey, doesn't your uncle work there?" Ty Lee asked. She cartwheeled over to the campfire, her face already having the Kyoshi makeup on.

"He's the warden" Mai corrected.

"Do you keep in touch with him?" Katara asked between bites.

"Occasionally" Mai answered. "But I haven't seen him since my last birthday."

"Speaking of birthdays, isn't yours coming up Azula?" Ty Lee asked.

Katara had been chewing on some meat when she heard the question, and nearly choked on it. Aw HELL! How am I supposed to know That! she thought while trying to maintain her composure.

While Katara tried to think of a way to dodge the question Mai spoke first. "You'll be fifteen this summer, right?"

Sure, let's go with that Katara thought. "You're right" she said. Before she could say anything else a stray thought stopped her. Wait a minute, she's only fourteen? Katara glanced down at her figure. Fourteen year olds should not have this many curves.

"We should throw a party for your birthday" Ty Lee said. "Maybe have it on Ember Island, invite the local boys for some fun, have a great time just hanging out."

For a moment Katara pictured the idea of just 'hanging out' with Ty Lee and Mai. The image was simultaneously ridiculous and funny, since they didn't seem like they could fit in a normal setting. "I suppose that would be fun" she said.

OOOOOOOOO

In the afternoon, Azula had figured out basic waterbending moves. She could move the water around as a large mass, and that was about it. Complex moves like the water whip were starting to come to her, but would fall apart half the time. Azula reasoned that for someone that had absolutely no waterbending training, she was doing very well. Or that her body remembered moves that her mind didn't.

While taking a break inside the house, the main door was thrown open. Azula saw Toph walk inside, seemingly bored. "Please tell me something's going to happen soon" Toph asked.

"Not that I know of" Azula said. "But maybe we could make something happen?"

That brought a smile to Toph's face. "What do you have in mind Sugarqueen?"

"Well I heard there's a day spa nearby" Azula said.

"That's your idea?" Toph asked.

"We're here, you the closest thing to royalty we have, and we deserve to be treated as such" Azula said.

"Do we have to?" Toph asked.

In practically no time at all, Azula and Toph arrived at the Fancy Lady Day Spa. Inside the spa Azula let the servants attend to her nails and feet. While Azula enjoyed the treatment Toph was struggling against the servants trying to rub the dirt off her feet.

Agni I've missed this… Azula thought. Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted when Toph earthbended one of the servants through a wall. When Azula looked at the rubble she laughed. These people wouldn't last five minutes in a Fire Nation spa.

Azula and Toph spent the next hour relaxing, taking mud baths and using a sauna. Then they allowed the servants to apply high quality makeup, which was almost enough to let Azula forget that she was still in a peasant's body. When both girls felt fully pampered they left the spa and headed back for the house.

"Well that wasn't so bad" Toph said. "I'm not usually into that stuff but I actually feel… girly."

"And you don't look half bad" Azula said.

On the way back to the house they crossed a bridge, walking past three girls going the other way. One of them with an umbrella made the mistake of trying to make fun of Toph. "Great makeup… for a clown" she said.

The three girls laughed at Toph's expense. "They shouldn't make fun of you" Azula said.

Before Toph could say anything, one of the other girls started talking. "I think she looks cute, like that time we put a sweater on your pet poodle-monkey."

To Azula's surprise Toph started laughing with the other girls. "That's actually pretty funny" Toph said. "Just like this" she said and earthbended the stone bridge, making a circle of it beneath the girls collapse and drop them into the water.

Azula laughed and walked up to the hole in the bridge, then looked down on the girls in the water. She swung her arms to the side to bend the water, and it froze into ice. Huh? I was trying to wash them downstream... She laughed again anyway, finding the look on the girls' faces priceless.

Toph laughed too. "That was hilarious Katara" she said.

"Teaches them to tease their betters" Azula said.

"Yes, it does" Toph said. "You know, I had a good time with you, Icequeen."

OOOOOOOOOO

Late in the afternoon, a squad of Fire Nation troops arrived at Katara's campsite to take the prisoners away. One by one the Kyoshi Warriors were loaded into cages on carts, individually chained to restrict their ability to move. While the Warriors were being loaded Katara entered the tent with Suki in it, since she was going to be the last person taken away.

"One more meal before you leave?" Katara asked, holding a small bowl of soup in her hands.

"You're new at holding prisoners, aren't you?" Suki asked. "You're not supposed to be this nice to your captives."

Katara removed the chains binding Suki's hands, allowing her to drink the soup. "Well I like to be the exception to the rule" Katara said.

"I can see that" Suki said, then drank the whole bowl in one long drink. "I suppose this will be my last decent meal for a while?"

"Maybe" Katara said. She grabbed Suki's hands and rebound them in chains. To Suki's surprise she felt Katara slip small piece of metal into them. Then Katara replaced the chains around her arms, but leaving them just loose enough for Suki's hands to reach the locks. Katara leaned closer to Suki and whispered "don't say anything."

Suki nodded, and then Katara unlocked the chain that bound Suki to the floor. She took Suki out of the tent and led her to a cage for her to be alone in. Katara pushed Suki into it and closed the door herself, not letting any of the nearby soldiers interrupt her. When the cage was locked Katara let it be taken away by the army.

Once they were gone, Katara smiled to herself. Suki, you better know how to use that lockpick…