Yes here it is after a long and arduous wait. Life can be an unforgiving thing, especially when you're trying to write a riveting story. But who cares! Because I have updated and most especially for these people; Tsukikage1213, and Realfanficts. Hope you all enjoy it!
Chapter Thirteen
The Shrine
Lee smirked and with the aid of his powers hurled the ball and chain, connected tightly to Ring's arm, far off into the canyon.
"Now he shows up," mumbled Katara. Lee darted down beside Shandrey and took careful hold of her wrist. As soon as he began to pick it up she hissed and yelped.
"OW! Oh-yeah that…ahh….that hurts…"
"It's broken," said Lee. He rubbed her hand gingerly. "Can you and Katara heal it?" Shandrey took several breaths and nodded.
"Y-Yes…"
"But it will be an all night job," added Katara. "It looks like its going to be dark within the hour; it'll be too cold to travel." Lee nodded. Katara helped Shandrey to her feet And Lee turned to Elm.
"Elm, we need a shelter." The red head smiled and tossed his staff to Lee.
"Can do." Expertly, he proceeded to carve a moderately sized cave out of the side of the canyon. They followed Shandrey inside, one after the other and Elm covered the entrance. There was a moment of utter darkness inside Elm's cave. The dark silence was then obliterated by two pops and the hissing sound of flares being ignited. While built a pile that would surely catch fire, Elm created a simple network for ventilation. Both he and Lee applied their flares to the pile and soon they had a warm and flickering fire going. Shandrey and Katara were already at work trying to heal Shandrey's wrist. They sat in a corner, drawing their restorative powers from any loose snow or ice nearby. Both sets of hands glowed and Shandrey felt the pain in her wrist fading.
"How do you feel?"
"It doesn't hurt as much," said Shandrey. She tried to bend it but for a sharp hiss that escaped her lips. Gently, Shandrey lowered her wrist to her lap, she and Katara still worked over it.
"So is it always like this?"
"What?"
"You're big adventures, your treasure hunts…….all this." Shandrey chuckled quietly and leaned her head back against the icy wall.
"No, some days it gets really fun." They could hear the wind outside picking speeds which would surely have been life threatening. Luckily, Elm had carved the pathway of his chimney in such a way that only the smoke from their fire would be moving through it. Lee sat down beside Shandrey and she immediately lay against him. "Hmm, you're warm," she said girlishly to him. He smiled.
"Glad to help." Elm added a little more fodder to the fire and sat down near his friends.
"Well, since we're going to be here for a while I suppose now would be a good time to ask; where do we go from here?"Lee raised his eyebrows. It certainly was a good question. Shandrey took in a few deep breaths before clearing her throat.
"We know….for a fact that Hotaru already has the Star Crystal, probably stole it from Nayia. There's no way to be sure if she also has the Sun Crystal, as far as I know that one was also lost. Our best bet for another crystal on Hotaru would be to look for the Earth Crystal."
"Okay, any idea where that is?" asked the Avatar-esk warrior. Shandrey shifted herself so that she could point to her back as it lay beside Elm.
"Could you hand me that please?" Elm picked it up and passed it along to Lee who in turn handed it to Shandrey. With the use only a single hand could bring, Shandrey eased her research out and let sit on her lap. "Okay, throughout human history there have been deities associated with the Earth but there's only one which is universal to all and that's Gaya."
"As in…the Gaya?" asked Elm. "I'm sorry; I'm having trouble with this. Are you saying the goddess we're trying to find now is what some refer to as 'the spirit of the earth'?"
"From what I've been able to gather," began Shandrey. She paused to allow a short wave of pain to leave her. "….I've come to the conclusion that Gaya wasn't necessarily a goddess or a 'spirit', as it were, but more on the same lines as Yue and Hotaru. I think she was an Earth Kingdom mystic and was probably the first to artificially create an element crystal."
"Is it possible that none of these so-called gods and goddess are such, and that they are the remnants of past Elementbenders possessing of great power?" suggested Lee. Katara could only shrug.
"Yue was the first mystic I ever met; the best Earthbender I knew was Toph….and I'm pretty sure she was no mystic."
Shandrey continued. "In any case, without studying the clues any further…our best bet is to head over to modern day Eurasia." Elm and Lee glanced at one another strangely. "I realize that's a little far from here."
"Yes, it is a bit of a walk," said Elm almost sarcastically. His leaned on his staff which was only half extended at the moment. "I guess it doesn't really matter right now. We're not going anywhere until this wind let's up." The group then divided amongst themselves and struck up individual conversations. Lee and Shandrey shared a comfortable silence for a moment; Shandrey always leaning against Lee for support as well as comfort.
"I'm sorry about Nayia," she said softly. He smiled and almost nodded.
"I think we have always been past that. My family seems doomed to live a life of desperation."
"And it's partly my fault," said Shandrey sadly.
"I refuse to allow to you to take that blame," said Lee. "And I'm sure Nayia would say the same." Shandrey smiled.
"Maybe so."
"She has exposed herself danger it seems since birth, the fact that this has happened does not surprise me. Of course I worry for her, but Nayia has always had an indestructible personality." The battle inside Shandrey raged and raged. It was burning at her to say something to him, him being her husband and all. He leaned forward to add more fodder to the fire, Shandrey bit her lower lip.
"Soooooo, I guess this is a bad time to tell you I'm pregnant?" Lee froze in place. Elm and Katara silenced and both gawked at her. Katara raised her eyebrows kept darting her vision between the married couple. Lee slowly turned in place and found Shandrey staring at him apprehensively. Elm guided Katara farther away from the couple.
"Awkward." He then raised an ice wall between them, utterly isolating Lee and Shandrey. Shandrey continued to be fearful, for Lee had yet to smile at the news. He scooted closer to her and settled down.
"Lee?"
"I…….I will be a father?" Shandrey smiled while casting her head downward. She then raised it back up with a single tear.
"Yes, yes you are."
"And you……." Her spirits began to lighten. "You allowed yourself to be put in danger?!" Spoke too soon.
"Lee-"
"How long?"
"….Four months."
"Four mon-" His voice broke. He stood up and paced about, Lee was beside himself. "You've known for this long, how can you have done this?" Shandrey now stood up with folded arms.
"Excuse me, but I believe we have a responsibility."
"Those of us who are not carrying another human life do," retorted Lee. "I also cannot believe that Susan does not know." Her silence screamed the affirmative. "Well, that's just fine."
"I thought you'd be happy!" exclaimed Shandrey.
He took her shoulders. "I am overjoyed that we will finally have a child. But I cannot abide by you being in the open. If I had not intervened when Ring struck……I cannot even imagine what could have happened."
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
"Why have you not told me?"
"Because I know you," she said while shaking. "I know that if you knew you might do some sort of crazy thing to protect me."
"You are correct."
"Well that's why I kept my mouth shut!" She shouted. On the other side of the wall Elm and Katara kept quietly to themselves, the sound of Lee and Shandrey's conversation floated through effortlessly. "I mean I-I-I didn't even know if you wanted kids."
"That is ridiculous."
"Well I am sorry," said Shandrey. "Next time I think about taking your feelings into account I'll know better." She turned away swiftly and stood in place. Lee was determined not to allow her to blame him for this; not that there was anything too blame, it was just human nature to feel this way. He let his expression soft and he took her shoulder. Despite Shandrey short protest she allowed herself to be turned around and taken into his arms. She rested her head on his shoulder.
"You have made me happy ever since you told me yes; today you have managed it yet again." Shandrey wiped away another few tears with her constricted hand. She craned her neck to look at him.
"My life before I met you was hell." He looked as though he was going to protest but she beat him to it. "No, don't take this from me!" He stayed silent. She grasped the fabric of his wooly tunic. "My mother and I were subjugated by my father, and you know well enough about my siblings. With you, I knew I would have a chance at real and true happiness."
"I hope I have not failed you." With one hand she took tender hold of his face.
"Never." Their faces began inching towards one another. They barely began moving when they heard a few short knocks on the wall. Both held colossal irritation in their eyes. They then heard Katara's muffled voice leak through.
"The wind's let up." Lee and Shandrey glanced at one another and exchanged a mischievous smirk. Shandrey yelled back.
"Just a minute!"
Elm had slightly misjudged the sound of the wind outside, for it wasn't until late in the morning until it was safe to continue on. Shandrey's step carried with it a noticeable skip now that she had lifted her secret from her shoulders. She would frequently glanced behind her and exchange a knowing smile with Lee as he brought up the rear. Elm noticed the last exchanged and walked up behind Shandrey with a smirk.
"Lee and Shan sit'n in a tree-" Shandrey reached around swatted him hard in the arm. Katara sputtered out a short chuckle and they ventured on in silence. All the while Shandrey led the way using her compass, her eyes hardly if ever left the needle. Just when she began to fear that they may be going in the complete opposite direction, the needle began to spin wildly. She stopped so suddenly that everyone behind her almost collided into one another.
"Shandrey?" called Lee. She smiled and set the compass down on the snow. They crowded around her and watched the dizzying needle spin.
Still keeping her smile, Shandrey slowly shook her head. "I think we're here." Within minutes they were set up and ready to begin excavating the area. Elm and Lee drew a fairly large circle in the snow. The four of them then positioned themselves around the circle. Shandrey stretched her neck.
"This is……going to be exhausting. Lee," He looked at her. "Katara, Elm, and I will loosen and move the ice; you keep it contained as best you can."
"Understood." The group each took in a heavy deep breath and following Shandrey began their endurance test. To any onlooker it would appear they were simply standing there with straining faces. Then the sound of cracks and splits broke the silence in the wind. Like a well oiled machine, Shandrey, Elm, and Katara broke apart and loosened the ice within the drawn circle. As per Shandrey's instructions, Lee began his equally arduous task of keeping the millions of ice shards from flying in every direction. They would have liked to pull it up as one giant cylinder but unfortunately they were forced to lift the ice in thirty-foot disks.
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From afar Hotaru, Ring, Simon, Mifune, and Nayia watched the procedure on a snowy perch. Simon lowered a pair of binoculars and handed them to Hotaru.
"They've started." Hotaru nodded with a straight face.
"We should take them now and force them to finish under our watch," said Mifune.
"No," said Hotaru. "We shall let them do the work for us, and when they are fatigued we shall strike." Nayia turned away from the scene and closed her eyes. With all her might she began chanting within her mind; 'Lee…….Lee please…….you have to hear me.' She peeked open one eye to make sure she hadn't attracted any attention, she was in the clear. She tried again to contact her brother.
Lee's hands were now up and outstretched along with everyone else's. Since they began they had only been able to uproot two disks. Shandrey's statement that this would be hard was looking to win the 'Understatement of the Year' award. As he worked Lee began to feel a prodding in the back of his mind. At first he tried to shake it off, taking it for nothing more than tiredness. Suddenly he heard a familiar voice shout at him.
"LEE!" Lee yelped in pain and fell to the ground. Shandrey's wide eyes darted to him. The other three shielded themselves just as the disk they were carefully levitating burst, propelling tiny shards in all directions. Ring and Nayia were the only ones who didn't show shock at the sight of the bursting ice, although Hotaru's reaction was more subdued. Hotaru slowly turned to Nayia with a terrible frown. Nayia tried to look as innocent as possible but it was for not. Immediately Hotaru's hand held within it a red glow and Nayia began doubling over in pain. The other Chevaliers crowded around her as she silently writhed and twisted on the ground. Finally Hotaru let up on her and crouched down beside her.
"Do keep your silence won't you?"
"Don't….know what you mean," sputtered Nayia. Hotaru stood up and Nayia felt herself being hoisted to her feet by her arms. Mifune and Simon held her up before the fire sorceress.
"Lie to me not, you'll find it to be a futile gesture." She then cupped Nayia's face and looked her directly in the eyes. "Do not attempt to contact him again." Nayia inwardly cursed, for Hotaru had issued her a direct command……something Nayia was compelled to obey for the agony of disobedience. The words began to tug at Nayia's tongue, words that always poison her sense of taste.
"Y-Yes….goddess."
"Good, now, all of you return to the camp. Ring, you stay here and alert me the moment they have a tunnel dug." Ring slowly bowed her head. Nayia followed Simon and Mifune back to their encampment.
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Among Nayia's true friends a hailstorm of questions were thrown upon Lee.
"What was that?!"
"You didn't do that on purpose did you?"
"Are you okay?" Lee turned his head up toward his wife and took her helping hand. Once he was on his feet he took to addressing their questions.
"I am sorry, I believe Nayia was trying to contact me and thus my concentration on divided."
Elm folded, somewhat for warmth. "She did? Then that might mean that-"
"Yes," agreed Lee. "She is here, and if so, so is Hotaru." All of them began looking about in random directions, as though expecting to catch a glimpse of their enemy watching them from a high perch. Shandrey put her hands to her mouth and breathed some warm air onto them.
"We're losing daylight, let's keep working." If the perilous nature of their journey wasn't motivation enough, now the fact that their worst enemy was looming in their wake easily coaxed them into overtime. They worked in silence, that is they dispensed with casual conversation for the duration of their chore. It was a long and laborious six hours before they were even close to being finished. By this time they no longer removed chunks of ice as a group but worked individually at chipping away the layer. Shandrey began to worry, nightfall was creeping ever closer and they were still going. Just when the first sign of moonlight was shining on them, Katara's mouth fell open and she shouted to her companions.
"HEY! I think we made it!" Elm, Shandrey, and Lee dropped what they were doing and gathered near Katara. "I….I feel a space beyond a drift I just removed." Elm pulled a few glow sticks out of his pack, cracked them, and let the green glowing sticks fall down the shaft. When they reached the bottom they could barely be seen as tiny green points of light.
"Wow," mouthed Elm.
"Indeed," said Lee. Shandrey took Katara's shoulder.
"Nice work!" Her voice had to work over the growing wind. "We need to get down there; the temperature's dropping too fast!" From Elm and Lee's backpacks they drew hooks and ropes and began anchoring them around the opening. Lee finished nailing his rope and hook into the ice.
"We will have to take this slow but not too slow! The tunnel is dug but is still unstab-ARGH!" His instructions were interrupted by a ball of fire knocking him down a long hill behind him. Shandrey, Elm, and Katara turned surprised eyes at Hotaru. Katara summoned a sphere of ice but Hotaru was faster and Katara soon joined Lee far below. Before long, Elm and Shandrey were surrounded by Chevaliers and several tactical clad mercenaries. There was little they could do as far as resisting; Shandrey turned trying to see if she could see Lee.
"Well well!" Hotaru's voice brought her gaze back around. "Here again after so many centuries, Yue! I'm almost feeling nostalgic!"
"You're wasting your time!" Shouted Shandrey. The wind still howled with voluminous pride. "You can't make it work you might as well let us go!" Hotaru chuckled derisively and walked closer to Shandrey.
"Let's find out!" Ring leapt down the shaft, without need of any rope or harness. Shandrey and Elm for then forced to follow after her. Once the entirety of Hotaru's forces was at the bottom, they would discover that below the ice was an entire network of tunnels.
Lee was startled awake when he was dropped down on his back near the opening of shaft. Katara had dragged him back up the hill and in her exhaustion found she couldn't support his weight. She rubbed her hands together vigorously then quickly pulled two thick gloves over her fingers. Lee staggered to his feet, blindly reaching about for support. Katara hastily took his arm for fear that he might stumble back down the long hillside again.
"Lee!" She shouted. He trained his eyes to her. "Hotaru took us by surprise! Shandrey and Elm are down there with them!" Lee said nothing in return. He merely motioned toward the ropes and for Katara to follow him. The two of them took hold of the ever freezing ropes and slowly began making their way down. The trek downward was absolutely nerve-wracking. Their hands could just barely grip the rope through the patches of ice that had gathered around it, like slippery moss. Fortunately they were able to increase their chances through the use of spiked boots, which clung to the ice wall as they moved down. Katara paused for a moment, needing to catch her breath. High above her the wind just seemed to get faster and harder, the sound made a resounding echo below her. She took a deep breath and continued on. Her glove wrapped around a patch of ice and her grip was lost.
"AhhhhhhhhHHH!" Lee twisted his head at Katara's cry. She tried to use water from the ice to form a bridge of sorts but the air was so cold the water froze prematurely and was too brittle to support her weight. She broke through her makeshift catch but did indeed stop falling. She, and many pieces of broken ice, floated effortlessly. Her eyes then fell on Lee. He slid down the length of his rope, one his hands outstretched. She smiled as she floated in her own bit of zero gravity.
"Thanks."
"Let's try to maintain the element of surprise." There was barely twenty more feet to climb down, thus Lee carried them both the rest of the way. Once they were at the bottom, they two were met with a network of tunnels.
"What are we going to do?" whispered Katara. Lee lowered his hood.
"We will find them, and we will not allow anyone to stop us." Katara looked a little perplexed.
"W-What do you mean?" He looked at her seriously.
"Katara, have you ever killed a man?" She gave him a short shaking of the head. He drew from his wooly robes a short sword and handed it out towards the waterbending teen. Katara was understandably hesitant. "I…..I don't-"
"It belongs to Shandrey, the short and curved blade is designed to work elegantly alongside a waterbender." He placed the sheathed blade in her hands. "Strike fast and accurately, and do not hesitate." She opened her mouth but Lee turned swiftly and he began running down one of the tunnels. Katara took sword in hand and followed after him.
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Hotaru seemed to possess an intimate knowledge of the area, even after thousands of years. For in no time they reached the upper spire of the Moon Tower, now also known as The Shrine of Tsukiyomi. One after another they filed inside. The kerosene along the walls had frozen solid but a touch from Hotaru's finger soon rendered it once again liquid and shining brightly. The reflective ice only made the mysterious temple look even more stunning. On the domed roof was painted a stellar chart of many constellations. A small circular platform placed its bearer a few feet from many lines of script.
"Ahhh, long has it been since I stepped in this room," mused Hotaru. She lowered her hood. Elm's mouth slacked open. For in the silence and better lighting of the shrine he finally got a good look at Hotaru's face, the only thing is…..it was Mai's. Like a staggering drunk he moved toward her.
"M-Mai?" He breathed the name of Hotaru's host, the name of his wife. Ring moved to intercept him but Hotaru held her back. Elm stepped up to Hotaru and touched her face. "What have you done to her?!" The face of his wife became sympathetic and almost longing; as though maybe the true soul of the body was trying to reach out. Then her lips curved into a cruel smile.
"I have stolen her from you." Ring and Simon then clamped down on Elm's shoulders and threw him back alongside Shandrey.
"Elm!" She knelt down beside him and helped him up. Hotaru removed her coat and let her hair come free.
"It will be a few moments before we are ready." She giggled excitedly. "So……talk amongst yourselves." Mockingbird stepped out of the darkness when Hotaru became absorbed in the almost endless lines of Watertribe script. Mockingbird bent down so that she and Elm were now eye level. Both he and Shandrey glared at her.
"Ohhh don't feel bad, Miles. I can be your wife from now on."
"Leave him alone," said Shandrey.
Mockingbird ignored her. "I bet you're still holding out hope for your pathetic darling. You could probably see her in my eyes if you looked hard enough." Shandrey knew exactly what the vampiress was trying as did Elm, but sadly his mind was clouded by a flurry of emotions. His eyes strayed to hers and like brick on mortar they were stuck there. Shandrey moved closer to her friend.
"Elm look at me."
"He can't," sang Mockingbird. "He can do nothing……isn't that right beloved?"
"You have…no power over me," whispered Elm. Mockingbird smiled hungrily and moved closer, so that her eyes took up the whole of his vision.
"Then look away, if you can." How he tried. He pulled and tugged but Elm couldn't tear his gaze away from hers. "I am the only one Miles…" her voice became silken, a sound which positively slithered into the ears. "You can love me….." He felt pain, the pain of fighting a loosing battle. Shandrey darted between them then forced Elm's head away.
"Elm snap out of it! You know who she is!-" Mockingbird slapped her away and this drew Hotaru's attention.
"Mockingbird!" The aforementioned turned to her mistress with a vicious hiss.
"What?!"
"This is not play time, leave them be." Reluctantly but obediently, Mockingbird rose to her feet and walked away from the pair. "Yue!" Snapped Hotaru. She stepped down from the platform and held out the scroll taken from Shandrey. "To business then." Two chevaliers brought Shandrey to her feet and it was then that she saw one of them was Nayia. The two stared at one another briefly, during which time Nayia expressed her lamenting sorrow. Shandrey had no choice but to understand, the situation was all too familiar to both of them. They forced Shandrey up onto the platform and Hotaru shoved the scroll into her hands.
"The stage is set; you need only make me proud."
"You will be sorely disappointed," hissed Shandrey.
"Mmmm, for his sake……I hope not." Without warning Ring placed her ringed hand upon Elm's forehead. Immediately his mouth slacked open and it was painfully obvious as to what was happening. Elm needed to eat almost constantly due to his abilities taking their toll; Ring was sapping his body of its much needed energy. Normally the worst it ever got for Elm was that he would need to eat and sleep all day long, but this time…..this time h was actually turning pale. Shandrey shook her head and turned to Hotaru.
"STOP!"
"Ring." Ring took her hand away. Elm crumpled to the floor. Hotaru folded her arms. "Does this mean I will not be disappointed?" Shandrey said nothing, denying her as much pleasure as possible. She turned herself back to the wall of writing and began chanting the wording on the scroll.
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Lee and Katara moved about the winding tunnels in silence. They found small lights had been placed throughout so as to provide some guide for travelers. He turned a corner then reared back and with his hand ushered Katara back with him. She mouthed 'what is it?' His only answer was to slowly draw his sword. He pressed her lightly against the wall, it being a silent gesture to stay put. He narrowed his eyes and in an instant his feet carried him over to the guard's foreground. He took a firm grip of the guard's chin and pulled his head back to expose his neck to the sharp edge of his sword. He slowly brought the dead guard down to the floor. He dragged his body out of sight, but to Katara's dismay he did not return. Her thoughts were soon a flurry with possible reasons as to why. 'Maybe he heard something and left to investigate. Or maybe he got caught and now I'm on my own.'
"Okay, I can do this." Despite her best efforts her voice echoed slightly. She unsheathed her borrowed weapon and chose her own path through the tunnels. She darted around corners and used the reflective properties of the ice as mirrors to check for unseen dangers. She stepped around the latest corner.
"Hey!" She turned as masked mercenary, who seemed to come out of nowhere, cocked and raised his weapon. Katara dashed from side to side to avoid his immediate gunfire, which was muffled by a silencer. She twisted her free hand about commanding a jet of freezing water to slash upon his weapon. With the automatic rifle drenched, Katara froze it solid with a kick from her foot shattered it. He grunted and lunged at her with a punch. She smoothly remained out of his grasp. Without planning the move Katara let two water tentacles take hold of the short sword where upon they unleashed a powerful windmill slash upon the guard. The intricate and impromptu move ended with the blade stuck in his chest. Katara's mouth hung open and she fell to her knees beside him. Half of her wanted to begin healing him while the other half decided it was best to just end it.
Lee's hand suddenly appeared and he pulled the blade out of her defeated foe. He stopped twitching and sputtering instantly and Lee handed the bloodstained sword back to her.
"The more you hesitate, the more he suffers." She breathed out a long sigh as he stood up and continued on. They hadn't gone far when a loud single shot chipped the point of an icy stalactite. They stopped and saw that Hotaru's trigger happy Chevalier, Tommy, had found them.
He grinned at them quite terribly and pulled the hammer back on his other pistol. "Howdy." The two flew back behind any cover they could find as Tommy began releasing a hailstorm of gunfire.
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Within the shrine the sounds reached their ears. Shandrey ignored the sounds, growing more and more confident that her hero was coming for her. Hotaru, on the other hand, was less excited. She nodded at Simon and Mockingbird.
"Check it."
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Tommy stopped firing and as soon as the echoes subsided, the sounds of his calm laughter resounded.
"You know, I never did take too kindly to them fire powers Hot'ru gave me," he said while he reloaded his guns. "It's much more my fancy to shoot things, but it does come in handy now and again."
Using his hands, Lee conveyed to Katara a plan of attack. During their conference they heard two clicks and their nerves were on end again with the knowledge that the desperado was ready once again. Katara turned her eyes about to the slightest view of Tommy. She brought up her hand with a ready sphere of whirling water. Lee made his way around the formation he hid behind.
"Come on now, the Mrs. wouldn't be too proud of her man play'n hide and seek." With the smoking muzzle of one of his pistols he slightly pushed the brim of his hat up. "I will admit, there's something therapeutic about a fir'n game of cat and mouse." Lee jumped out of his hide and threw a razor sharp shuriken. Tommy whirled around and with bullet deflected the object. Katara was next; she slid out into the open using the ice beneath her feet as a vehicle. With waves of her arms she tossed powerful shockwaves of water and ice at her opponent, Tommy however proved to be more agile then they thought. He avoided many of her attacks though one was true enough and he was thrown into a frozen formation. With barred teeth and a horrible expression to match, he quickly holstered one pistol. Tommy punched his fist and a large bust of flame sailed toward Katara. Katara threw up a round barrier of water, effectively extinguishing the blast; but Tommy would not be deterred. He shot to his feet and threw his hat off.
"Y'ER DEAD YOU LITTLE WHORE!!" Like a monster out of his mind Tommy began, with lighting speed, alternating between his pistols and his unnatural firebending. Katara released one last water whip but she didn't bother trying to take aim. His frenzy drove him into a mad insanity which he made apparent with a loud scream. The bursts of flame and barrage of bullets nearly carved away at Katara's barricade. When he finally halted his attack he was breathing hard and with only a single bullet left. His eyes were wide and maddening; they panned down and saw that Katara's shadow was still there and shaking. His face twisted evilly and he cocked his gun for one final shot.
"Its time missy…….time…for the long goodbye.." Katara pulled her legs close to her chest and readied a last gasp strike with her sword. "Don't you worry; I hear the sun is always shining brightly in Heaven." He then heard quick footsteps behind him. He swiveled around in place, bringing his pistol up but not fast enough to stop Lee's quick and clean cut. "AH!" Lee halts a short distance away from Tommy and remained stationary. The chevalier stood confused for a moment, he had felt a fleeting pain then nothing. Finally it dawned on him and his mouth fell open. "Ohhhhh hellllll…." His body fell limply to the floor throwing his loose head off to the side.
Lee reached down and pulled Katara to her feet. "We must go." She nodded and a scratching sound drew their attention. Like a spider combing the bowels of a passageway, Mockingbird crawled along the ceiling. Upon finding them with her upside-down vision she smiled.
"Ahhh, they're you are."
"Let's go!" Shouted Katara. She stomped foot upon the floor and a controlled cave-in blocked Mockingbird's way. "That should take care of her; someone else is probably looking for us."
"Which is why we cannot linger," said Lee. They sped off down the path that Tommy had appeared through.
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Shandrey stood with her eyes closed and her chanting now in overdrive. Anyone within close proximity would've sworn they began to hear her voice echo upon itself, like a chorus of Shandreys was speaking. Hotaru's eyes widened in wondrous awe as the lettering before Shandrey began to give off an unearthly blue glow.
"Yue?"
"I almost have it," whispered Shandrey. Lee almost ran into the opposite wall as he found his way into the shrine.
"NOOO!" Just as he entered Ring clothe-lined him and Lee hit the floor like a rock. Shandrey turned away form her work.
"Lee!"
"Yue!" Hotaru's shout was accompanied with a snap of the finger. "Try to remained focused." Shandrey decided there would be time enough for a surprise attack after she had the new Moon Crystal. A gentle mantel of water created by Shandrey kept the scroll aloft while she read from it. As she spoke tiny strands of water rose up around her and began to converge on one of her hands. Hotaru could not have been more pleased with the sight. The words coming from the Waterbender's mouth were now so pronounced she was shouting them.
"…..Ego quaeso substantia della Luna!"
Like a newly born star the streams of water tightened and entwined themselves until they formed a perfect sphere. Upon its completion it released a short wave of energy, making all present stumble. Both Shandrey and Hotaru stared wondrously at the orb floating above Shandrey's open palm. Hotaru began to inch her hands toward it and Shandrey knew this was her chance. With a long and fast sweep of her arm and thick wave of water knocked all of her targets off their feet, she even managed to render Ring unconscious. Hotaru pulled herself up and blasted the entrance, making the group of heroes skid to a halt. She moved some loose hairs out of her face.
"No one is leave until I get my Moon Crystal!" She then traced her index and middle finger threw the air in a circle before her. They saw the building charge following her motions and held their breaths. Lee's eyes darted between Hotaru and his pregnant wife. Without hesitation the samurai leapt forward and extended his open hand. Hotaru let loose a powerful bolt of lightening which Lee intercepted and shielded using all the strength his telekinesis could muster. Shandrey had to be held back by Katara Elm and even Nayia.
"Lee NO!"
"GET OUT OF HERE!" He shouted back. He turned a determined by strained face back up towards Hotaru. "I'll be right behind you!"
"I'M NOT GOING WITHOUT YOU!" screamed Shandrey.
"Elm!" sputtered Lee. His strength could only hold back Hotaru's continuous attack for so long. "Get them out of here!" The red head turned his head back toward the blocked entrance and found an opening through which he could see. Shandrey made up her mind and began to reach for her husband. Elm grabbed her and threw his arms around everyone else. He stole a glance back through the small hole and in an instant teleported away. Hotaru titled her head down at the straining samurai and moved closer. Still he managed to shield against her attack. With a pompous smirk she reared her hand back then shoved it forward; the momentum she brought upon him threw Lee hard against the wall and down beside Ring. Hotaru was enraged enough about loosing the Moon Crystal to Shandrey. Her mind began contemplating the many ways she would force this impudent swordsman to pay dearly for it.
Should have gone a little more but it had to updated. I hope you all understand. Back again with more ASAHP!-(As Soon As Humanly Possible)