Chapter Nineteen Love

"I'm sorry, do I know you."

Nazca stopped confused, "You don't recognize me."

Suki shook her head then examined him more closely, then she gasped, "Oh my, Nazca what happened to you," she exclaimed as she gingerly reached out to touch his face.

"I kind of just got burned."

"How? Who did this to you?"

"Well I was doing what I normally do: fighting some firebender, when all the sudden there was all of a sudden a fire blast coming at me from behind. I turned and tried to waterbend it away from me but it was too late and I caught on fire. I immediately threw myself into the water and awoke here."

"Wow," she said, "That really sucks. Not only do you get burned alive but you end up in a fire nation prison when you try to save yourself," she said with her face breaking into a grin.

Nazca laughed as he realized this was true even through the minor lie he had made.

"How'd you end up in here?" Nazca asked smiling.

Suki stopped for a moment thinking, "When was the last time that I saw you?"

Nazca thought for a moment then said, "The last time we talked was before I left for the first time but I saw you the day that Sokka, Katara and Aang came to Kyoshi Island."

Suki thought back to it for a moment then asked, "How do you know Sokka Katara and Aang?"

Nazca smiled, "Everyone knows Aang, he's the avatar although I don't really know him, I've seen him before and overheard his name but we've never met. As for Katara and Sokka, their my siblings, adoptive at least."

Suki made a sharp intake, "Wait you're their brother?"

"Only adoptive brother. When my parents were killed I was close enough to their family that the took me in and raised me as one of their own."

Suki, thinking about all of the events preceding this, "I take it that because you're in prison you lost the cloak."

Nazca cringed, "Yeah it kind of got burned when I caught on fire and I don't think I'll be getting it back."

Suki smiled, "You know I made that for you."

"You actual made it? Wow, I'm so sorry I didn't mean to ruin on you."

"It's okay," Suki said with a smile, "I can make you another one."

Nazca smiled, "That'd be great, it's kind of my signature cloak, one of my main traits as the Assassin."

Suki frowned, "You're the Assassin, the one who leaves the water tribe insignia at the scenes."

"That would be me."

"You're lucky that the warden didn't recognize you, you would probably been executed, the fire nation wants you dead and there's a high reward for your life or your death, just as long as they have your body."

Nazca shrugged, "Well in that case I had better break out of here, what's your plan so far?"

Suki looked at him sadly, "I don't have a plan, there's no way out of here. Where prisoners until the end of the war."

Nazca smiled smugly, "Not on my watch," he leaned over and gave he a light kiss on the cheek, "I'll get us out in no time."

Then he went to work.

He was creating a tunnel out. During the break times he would go sneak off and start tunneling. He had built at least a hundred meters worth of tunnel, it being difficult as he had to make it water proof and create the tunnel but he kept on working. It took him almost a week but soon his tunnel was finished. Tonight he would relax and tomorrow he would lead Suki and himself out of here. He walked back to his cell relaxed as it neared time to return to his barracks. He was so focused on trying to make it all run smoothly that he almost didn't notice him, but he did.

Two days ago there had been a failed escape attempt and those who had escaped where aided by someone, a guard the man claimed. The guard who the man said aided him was taken and interrogated but Nazca knew it wasn't him. It was another guard but he had not worried about who until now. Now when the guard when Nazca recognized the gait of the guard walking past him. It was Sokka.

He sprinted back to his barracks hoping to find Suki and warn her. He reached her cell right before she was going to return to it.

"Nazca! What are you doing here?" she asked surprised.

"Do you know that Sokka is here?"

"Yeah he came by to my cell yesterday, said he was working on an escape attempt."

Nazca nodded thinking, as much as he wanted to stay with Suki, he knew he shouldn't go with Sokka as he would lead him to the avatar. He couldn't see Aang yet, now was too soon. Instead he would have to let Sokka and Suki escape together while he escaped alone, "You go with Sokka, and be sure you don't tell him about me. He can't know that I'm here." he leaned over and kissed her lightly on the lips. At first she attempted to pull back, her feeling for Nazca confused with those for Sokka but then she relented. They kissed passionately going into her cell and Nazca sealing the door behind them. They fell to the ground kissed and slept."

Nazca awoke early in the morning the next day. Today was the day when all the plans would come together. He had to be ready. He lightly roused Suki, giving her a light kiss on the forehead whispered, "I'll be watching you." then ran off away from the cell.

He sat perched at the highest point of the prison, away from sight waiting for Sokka's escape attempt to begin, then the prisoners started a riot. Nazca watched the chaos begin as guards and prisoners alike fought each other for no reason. He scanned the field then felt them, they were over in a corner, Sokka, his dad Hakoda, Suki, some burly man and the prince Zuko. Apparently he was on their side now Nazca noted. Then he felt Suki star running, she jumped from head to head quickly gathering ground. Then she quickly scaled the wall, towards the warden, she vanquished two guards quickly and captured the warden, the rest of the group catching up with her in time, breathless. He then felt them head over to the gondola. So they were going to kidnap the warden and hijack the gondola. They took the gondola quickly and Zuko sent the line reeling them off, with the handed broken off so they couldn't pull them back. He moved quickly to the area near the gondola and perched himself out of sight watching closely, then the two girls he had met earlier came, Azula and Ty Lee. Ty Lee climbed on top of the line and began running across it like and acrobat, Azula grabbed a pair of hand cuffs and locked one side on the line and held the other side. She propelled herself forward with firebending and they both headed rapidly towards the moving gondola that Sokka and the others where on. Nazca figured that they could handled themselves and sat back relaxed. Then the warden yelled to cut the line. Nazca sat up immediately worried. He felt them lock the line then begin sawing the line. Nazca realized that if they cut the line they wouldn't stand a chance. He felt Ty Lee and Azula star heading back on another gondola that had passed by. Nazca prepared to once again reveal himself to the world when it happened. The other girl, Mai, came in and took out the guards with stilettos. She locked the guards down, restricting them from movement , then sent the gondola moving again. Nazca stared impressed and the girl. Guess this girl was on his side now. He felt the gondola escape from the island, know it was his turn to achieve freedom. Then he felt Ty Lee and Azula returned. He heard Azula yell and Mai, then Mia retort. Then they each got into a fighting stance and just when he felt the fight about to begin Ty Lee ended it. She hit Azula in some strange fashion, causing her to collapse limp, guess Ty Lee was also on his side. He felt the two girls get ready to leave but where then surrounded by guards, Azula gave the orders and they were thrown into a cell. Great, Nazca thought, someone else to save.

He approached the cell quickly, disguised in a guards uniform, his plan was to free them quickly and then take them to the tunnel where they would escape. He opened the door quietly and slipped in. He felt the attacks approaching long before they hit but due to the fact he was trying to close the door quietly to explain himself he had no time to react. The girl Ty Lee did the same thing she did to Azula. Her small jabs hit him in pressure points and suddenly his body seemed to lose control and he collapsed.

"Argh," he groaned, "I'm on your side."

"And what side is that?" Mai asked.

"The one against the fire nation, against Azula and with the avatar."

"We're not with the avatar," she said.

"Well you're against Azula and as far as I can tell your with Zuko so that kind of makes you with the avatar."

Mai stared at him angrily thinking then said, "Fine where with you, what's your plan."

Nazca smiled, he knew they would have to join him, he had the only way out.

"Secret tunnel. Now bring me some water."

Ty Lee walked over and grabbed her water and moved it near Nazca who lay limp on the ground. He inhaled and concentrated. He would have to been without any movement except for his head. He pulled his head up raising the water. He brought it over to him and began healing himself.

"You're a waterbender," she commented, "Wait do I know you… wait it's you Nazca!"

Then she thought with a confused expression, "I thought you were a firebender?"

Nazca smiled, regain his arms to heal the rest of his body, "It was a trick to gain your trust, just a small bit of oil and a spark."

He soon finished healing the rest of his body. He froze the water around his arm to keep it at his side.

"C'mon I have to go pick something up."

"What?" Mai asked.

"My cloak."

During the time that Nazca had spent at the boiling rock he had stolen the materials that Suki needed to rebuild his cloak and she had made it during the time she spent in her cell. Nazca and the girls quickly covered the ground between themselves and the place Suki said she had left it for him. It had been placed near her cell, a convenient place for her to leave it but not so convenient for Nazca to retrieve it. They quickly ran through the halls, Nazca making sure no guards where nearby before heading down. Soon however he reached his destination. He quickly sprinted over to the fake floor panel he had made for Suki to hide it and lifted it up silently. He reached in, grabbed his new cloak and was off.

He began running for the secret entrance to his tunnel, a fake wall he had created in a rarely used room.

Then he came face to face with seven guards.