Sorry a thousand times over the long wait. I was almost done with this a week ago and the computer I was working on erased the whole thing. I've been writing my butt off and now it's finally done. Everyone, especially Tsukikage1213 and Realfanficts, hope you all enjoy it!

Chapter Nineteen

Rebirth pt.3

Owens clicked on several instruments, starting up the necessary machines necessary for Hotaru's revival. Ring remained behind to ensure that Owens didn't decide, for any reason, to sabotage her goddess' lifeline. With Lee in the lead, Katara, Nayia, Elm, and Toph made their way outside, unsure if they would return alive. The doors closed to the lab and Ring immediately raised the shield back up before the door. After their protection was restored she turned to Owens.

"Begin, now."

"We will need a temporary containment vessel."

Back within the throne room, Simon and Mockingbird returned only to find that the chairs no longer contained their reluctant occupants. Simon's fists balled into fists and a puff of smoke leaked out of one of them. Mockingbird could only softly giggle in his foreground.

"What a magnificent start to reign, Fire Lord."

"Silence Woman!" He exclaimed. Mockingbird sent him a hurt expression then continued chortling. Simon walked up to the chair Katara sat in and laid a hand upon it. His grip on the hard wood tightened as his mind raced with having to change their plans.

"Sooooo, now what are we to do?"

"We shall adapt, take our new followers and bring me prisoners. Yue is not with them so we shall hold their lives before her for ransom. If Yue wishes to see them alive again she will surrender herself and the Moon Crystal."

"And Hotaru?"

"You may bleed her and whatever body she inhabits dry. I will not allow her to win back a single square inch of this temple. Now go." He pulled a broad sword off a nearby rack.

"Wait, what about you?" she asked.

"I shall affect a more…..permanent solution."

Outside the lab, the group of defenders heard the sounds of large machinery coming to life. Toph could not stop nervously looking over her shoulder at the closed doors. She finally turned back after getting Katara's attention jerked her head toward the lab.

"This new world seems to be too big, bright and loud."

"Tell me about it," replied Katara. "I'm only half used to it by now; I tell you I can't wait to get home." Toph nodded in agreement. Lee and Nayia stood beside one another while keeping a watchful eye of their own stretch of hallway.

His younger sister leaned toward him and whispered, "So we're going to hold off an army are we?"

"That is the plan," replied Lee. He stole a glance at her during a short pause. He wanted to say more to her, to talk to her and learn more about her. Lee deeply regretted how they seemed to be forever destined to stay apart for long periods of time. However as much as he wanted to make pleasant conversation with his sister, Lee knew there was something else he needed to speak with her about.

"Nayia."

She looked at him. "Yes Lee?"

"There is the matter of this…Julian that I feel I should speak about." Nayia shrugged.

"Okay, fire away. What about him?"

"You care for him?" he asked suddenly. Nayia was a word's stone throw away from saying 'no' but the word stuck in her throat. It was to strange, how could she feel anything for someone she had only just met? She looked back to her brother and saw him staring at her expectantly.

"I…I guess I do."

"You should be wary of this man," advised Lee. To this Nayia actually frowned and took her attention fully away from the hallway and onto Lee.

"Why?"

"He may feel very strongly about you Nayia but his loyalties have long been devoted elsewhere. He is a zealot and if he were to be commanded by Hotaru he would kill you without a second thought." Nayia was taken aback by her brother's opinion. Of course he meant well but it still seemed incredibly…..direct. She slowly turned her gaze away from him and shook her head.

"I don't believe that." Suddenly, all of this talk about Julian led to him being a chevalier which in turn led her to thinking about herself as one which eventually prompted her memory about a certain item she was parted with. "The crystal…" She whispered. Nayia took hold of her brother's arm. "Lee, the Star Crystal!"

"What of it?" he asked.

"It's here; remember they took it from me when they brought me here."

"Do you know where it is kept?"

"Probably Hotaru's personal chambers," she said. Lee turned back toward Elm, Katara, and Toph. Both Elm and Katara motioned for the both of them to not waste any more time and to get going.

He looked to his sister. "Show me." The two then trotted down their length of hallway. The other three who hung back watched the two until they turned a corner and were out of sight. Toph blew some hair away from her face and sighed.

"This is good, now there's three of us," quipped Elm

"Should be fun," said Toph. Katara could only stare down the dark corridor and wait for their enemy to arrive in mass. It was times like these she really missed Aang and Sokka. Lord knows they could all go with a good joke at this moment, even it was righteously bad. Her eyes flew up toward the dark rafters. She thought she heard something. Toph also kept her keen senses on full alert, waiting and watching for the slightest sign of movement.

Unbeknownst to them, Ring crawled like an insect high above them, completely shrouded in the darkness of the rafters. At her command her forces remained out of sight until given the proper order. She leered down at all three of them evilly but when her eyes rested on Elm they narrowed hungrily. Skillfully and silently she moved closer, until at last she hung directly above Elm. If it was one thing Mockingbird loved to do it was to toy with her enemies as they normally became relegated to prey and then to culinary afterthought.

"Oh heroes…." Her voice echoed throughout the air. Elm, Katara, and Toph instantly stood at the ready and began pacing about while looking above. Thanks largely to the acoustics of the temple halls they had no way of exactly pinpointing Mockingbird's location. The sound amplification also had a negative bearing on Toph, who ended up sensing the sound coming from all directions. "….Soooooo desperate to keep a charlatan alive and so brave too!" Elm swiveled his eyes about. "You almost make me wish I still had the ability to cry."

"SHOW YOURSELF!" Cried Katara.

"Certainly, deary." With no difficulty and no worry of pain, Mockingbird leapt down from her post and landed between the three of them. Toph rose two large blocks out of the floor.

"Ah uh!" Said Mockingbird, raising a finger and swinging it about. "Mustn't get too rowdy children." The three heroes turned and saw that Mockingbird's forces, clad in special ops gear and bearing automatic weapons, had joined the fray. Toph gritted her teeth in disregard for the new presence and geared for a fight. However Katara laid a hand on her arm to steady her.

"You and Simon don't know what you're doing," warning Elm.

"Wrong, he does not know what he's doing. I on the other hand have been waiting ages for this day to come, and all it took was some careful planning and some gradual coaxing on Hotaru's number one."

"You turned Simon," said Katara.

"Well…..in a way," replied the vampiress. "More accurately he turned himself. He really had no choice once I showed him all the evidence he needed. Now, to business…." She walked away from them and toward the lab door. Slowly she extended a hand but her finger was not an inch away when she drew back with a hiss. The invisible field guarding the door rippled in and out of view and sent a powerful shock through Mockingbird's hand.

"Ahh, Ring has put her shield back up." She then rounded on the small group. "Get her to lower it."

"What makes you think she'd listen to us?" asked Elm through a chuckle. "If Ring didn't need our help she would have killed us."

"Not exactly what I would call friendly," said Toph.

"Then it doesn't matter," said Mockingbird quietly. "When Ring knows that her one and only line of defense is gone she will have no choice but to acquiesce to me." The entire time that Mockingbird was speaking Toph was steadily gaining a decided knowledge of the earth beneath the floor. The vampiress walked steadily up to Elm. "But I suppose a delicious opportunity is a terrible thing to waste." Elm was moments away from having to take measures to prevent her fangs from meeting his neck when Toph came to his, and indeed everyone else's, rescue. The master Earthbender threw her hands to the floor creating a rumbling shockwave. What soon resulted were enormous chunks of the floor being torn up and thrown in all directions. The walls crumbled exposing the vast open garden. Through all of the commotion Katara was caught by a flying guard and both were taken through the hole. Elm and Toph quickly ran through, threw the heavy mercenary off the waterbender and sat her up.

Katara was easily seeing stars and she looked at Toph irritably. "A little warning next time would be nice."

"Well you know when you get a good idea just run with it," replied Toph with a shrug. Elm was just helping Katara to her feet when they saw Mockingbird and what was left of her forces walking through the hall. She brushed a few handfuls of loose dirt off her shoulder. She snapped her fingers at a particularly tall mercenary and he bent down thusly in order to hear her.

"Kill them but not him." Her eyes zeroed in on Elm. "He is allllll mine."

"My lady," responded the hired gun obediently. He looked back and with a wave of his arm signaled his comrades to begin charging forward. Of course all three benders were ready and waiting. Katara's eyes spotted an artificial stream flowing freely through parts of the garden. She let her fluidic motions and martial knowledge take it from there. From both hands each Katara formed a watery tendril. Before the oncoming foes could raise their weapons she seized them around their necks and spun them backward. The next wave she dealt with by using a single large blast of water and separating it into five small torpedoes. One merc had slipped past her attentiveness and tried to slice open her throat. She narrowly saw him out of the corner of her eye and ducked just swiftly enough to only loose a few locks of hair. Coming out of her doge she whipped her foot around, kicking him against the wall and then pinning his arms to the solid rock with a layer of fresh ice. She then created an icy ramp for to slide in order to avoid a torrent of gunfire.

Toph bounced about in every direction. It soon became a common feeling for her attackers that fighting Toph was the same as being sent to the Russian front. The blind bandit had gathered small amounts of rock and covered her hands with it, making a stone glove for each hand. One merc was reaching for his weapon, which had fallen to the floor, but one of Toph's rocky hands landed on the gun. She smiled at him and it was she could do to keep from laughing as he quickly scurried away. Guns were soon deemed ineffective against the three warriors as most of them were either destroyed or quickly knocked out of their master's hands. For Toph, thus far, this battle was little more than exercise.

Elm constantly had to twirl and swing his staff in all directions in order to fend off Mockingbird. The sprightly vampiress utilized anything and everything around her as either a weapon or a jumping platform. Elm lit both ends of his staff with two small flames but as he would swing the staff the flames would discharge a larger burst. She screeched as one flame burst scorched her lower back and another grazed her leg. Like a hissing cat she backed away into an upper corner and waited for her wounds to quickly heal. Elm waited below for her to rejoin their battle. They circled each other ceaselessly; Mockingbird high above and Elm down below. Finally Elm grew impatient and using his staff as a propeller began blasting her with a strong gust of wind. She flipped down from rafters but Elm was already waiting for her. Approaching her from behind, he pulled his staff down over her head and pressed it hard against her throat.

"This place is falling today Tanya," he spoke close to her ear. "Stop this before you fall with it!" Her hands gripped the metal bar at her throat.

"Mockingbird does not fall," she whispered. Her arms moved with an unearthly amount of flexibility and they found his shoulders. "I CONQUER!" Mockingbird yanked Elm clear over her head and threw him down the length of the stone path that ran about the garden. She rubbed a sore area on the side of her neck. "Just as I will you soon."

Katara and Toph were now back to back and moving like their bodies were set on autopilot. The slightest signal from their hands or feet commanded their respective elements. At first they wondered where the seemingly endless pool of enemies was coming from, but that thought soon faded from all consideration. The only thing on either of their minds was survival. Katara and Toph performed similar attacks involving sharp spikes being hurtled at their enemies. Some of Katara's icicles ended up being melted before they could reach their target as some of the mercs revealed themselves to be apt firebenders. Toph noticed Katara having to bear down against several of the newly acquainted firebenders. She uttered a slight growl, raised a rock wall, and slid it with tremendous speed at the group.

"We need to get back to the lab!" cried Katara.

"Sure thing sugar queen!" replied Toph. She winced from blocking a fiery blast then returned the favor in kind. "You just let me know how that goes! AGH!" The two found themselves assaulted again by overwhelming forces and eventually had to retreat to another position.

Within Owens' lab everyone stood around the table on which Hotaru lay, waiting for the main event to begin. Jasper and Amyah were especially eager to see the fire sorceress finally removed from their mother. Ring approached the table with an urn held between her hands. It was of Fire Nation design and bore many gothic scenes of battle and dominion. Ring set the urn down on the table just above Hotaru's head, and then knelt down beside her mistress.

"Goddess, little time remains, you must enter the vessel." The silent body before gave no response but Hotaru hardly needed to be told twice of the consequences. There came a twitch from her host. The sudden movement caused both children to flinch silently. Julian watched just as intently as Ring and Owens. Slowly, the host's eyes and mouth opened and an ominous red hue began to climb up from within. Like a fire hydrant being suddenly opened, three bright red ribbons of energy poured out of Mai's body. They circled about in the air as though waiting to be told where to go next. The sound coming from them was high pitched and hair raising. Then at once all three ribbons found the urn and almost seemed to be sucked into it. The ornate decorations on the outside became backlit slightly by Hotaru's presence. Then the lab was once again silent. Jasper and Amyah heard a slight moan from the table. They turned with hopeful looks and low and behold Mai was herself again.

"MOM!" They both yelled. They threw their arms over her and grasped the silk material tightly. Mai was so very weak that all she could do was curl her fingers over her children's shoulders.

"My children…." She whispered. She turned her head toward Amyah who at that moment was in the process of turning a tear-filled gaze to her. "Amyah….take her in…"

"There's no other way mom," protested the young girl. "It was either me or you and…..well I have a better chance."

"You will no longer be necessary," said Ring suddenly. Jasper and Amyah stared at Ring.

"Why?" asked the older brother.

"Things have changed, thanks largely to Simon's rebellion. There is no longer any time for another host." With that Ring rounded back on Owens. "Begin the ritual immediately." He long stopped protesting or hesitating as it inevitably only led to pain for him. He began typing on his computer and bringing several tubes filled with fluid to life.

"I'm still not all that confident in this thing; it may not work at all."

"If it does," said Ring. "You will have earned your freedom. If not then you will die. Success is in your best interests." That much was perfectly clear to Owens. One last command into his interface and a trapdoor in the floor split open. A raising platform then brought up what appeared to be a large incubation tube. It was lit up red from the inside and was entirely opaque. A frosty layer of condensation covered the outside of the glass. Owens stood up, taking a piece of parchment with him. "The new cloned body is inside; all there is left to do now is guide her soul into it."

"Then get on with it," urged an impatient Julian. He motioned for Ring to place the Urn near the tube, which she did. He unrolled the parchment, extended one hand and after swallowing an enormous lump in his throat began.

"A animus futurus novus…" There didn't seem to be any kind of a reaction at first. Only Ring was aware of the small wind that had entered their midst. Owens paused before reading the second verse. "…A somes futurus subsisto." A short tremble rippled through the room, causing standing objects on tables and desks to fall over. Jasper instinctively tightened his protective grip on his mother. "A saeculorum futurus reservo….." Now the wind was growing more and more furious. Ring's, Amyah's, and Mai's hair flowed freely from the strong gusts. The red ribbons that sat within the urn rose up like charmed snakes and hovered above the tube. Still Owens chanted the ritual. "….A mens futurus suscitatio……" There could be no doubt that the success or failure of the ritual counted not just on Owens capability but also on what was left of Hotaru's own strength. The prevailing winds begin to circulate and twist around the tube, guiding the streams of energy toward it. Owens would bitten his tongue on the last verse had it not been from the particularly dark look he was getting from Ring. Gasping rapidly, he spoke the last line. "A dea futurus reborn!" The winds and the ribbons all converged on the incubator in a whirling cyclone then faded from view. Not two seconds later a loud crack resounded through the lab. The glass fractured and splintered in dozens of areas until it finally just fell apart.

Dead silence fell over all of them. Did it work? The same question preyed on the mind of everyone present. Ring shot a piercing stare to Owens who could only shrug ignorantly. A sound them broke the silence and captured their attention. It was the sound of a newborn child crying. Ring, having no emotions whatsoever, walked up to the broken tube and reached inside. Everyone's mouth gaped when Ring lifted the wailing and wriggling newborn that was now Hotaru. She held it up for all to see and Julian instantly knelt down in worshipful reverence.

Ring actually looked almost happy at that moment. "Behold…..our goddess." As soon as it was deemed appropriate, Julian was back on his feet and brought a silk swaddle to wrap the babe in. Ring handed Hotaru off to Julian and then looked to Owens. "You have done well; you have earned your freedom." A massive wave of relief spread through the scientist. However Ring then raised her charged ruby straight at him. He raised his hands defensively and backed away.

"W-Wait! You just said I was FREE!"

"And so you are; you are now free to roam the afterlife." Her red pulse struck him with grim accuracy. Amyah turned her eyes away into her mother's limp form. Owens sank to the floor with a trickle of blood seeping out of his mouth. Julian held Hotaru close and watched Owens slowly perish.

"Infidel…." He then walked back up to Ring. "So what now? Hotaru is reborn yes, but if Mockingbird or Simon discover her-"

"You needn't worry about them," replied Ring tonelessly. "However the Star Crystal is of great importance, you will remain here with them while I secure it." Julian nodded and Ring took her leave. He turned his eyes back down to Owens, who by now was now more than a milk white corpse.

To the untrained eye Elm's staff might have appeared as a solid whirling sphere around him. Mockingbird was now taking to finding any object she could her hands on and turning them into deadly projectiles. By this point, no matter how well he was defending himself, Elm could begin to feel a wave of fatigue moving through him. Unfortunately for him he suffered from it far greater than anyone else normally did. He felt inclined to break the stalemate that was their quasi game of death tennis. The elementalist quickly teleported above her and falling down he also swung his staff into the crock of her shoulder. She hissed so horribly it sounded as though he had actually broken a bone. In her animalistic rage, Mockingbird pulled him down the rest of the way and the two began pushing against one another. Elm and Mockingbird shot daggers back and forth with their eyes. Suddenly it hit him. His mutated metabolism reached its limit and before he knew it he was on his knee and struggling to hold back his opponent.

Mockingbird, a triumphantly smug smile on her face, bore down on him mercilessly. "Getting tired my lovely?" He wrenched her back somewhat but she quickly recovered and the pressure on Elm came back also with a vengeance. "Breathe Carrrrllllll, just breath…."

"ELM!" Both looked to the side and they saw Katara speeding toward them. The remaining crowd of mercenaries would have blocked her path except Katara was now using splashes of water as stepping stones. As she summoned each puddle before her she froze it solid, used it to climb higher, and then repeated. Her icy steps took her far above their heads until she was closer enough to stop. On her way down Katara summoned a mighty wave and which she then used to engulf not just Mockingbird but herself as well. She formed the wave into a large sphere and began to roll back toward the remainder of the vampiress' forces. As soon as the sphere reached a high speed, Katara leapt out of the back, freezing the outer layer and skidding to a halt on her knee. The hired soldiers attempted to flee but they were quickly dispatched in a manner similar to bowling pins. As for Mockingbird, the sphere continued to roll down the path until it finally one of the opposite walls. Her ice water enclosure shattered upon impact and she rolled out onto the ground nearly drowned and unconscious.

Katara righted herself then took to lending Elm a helping hand. He stood up but if it were not for a nearby tree for him to fall against he would have quickly met the ground again. Katara easily dried herself by simply motioning the water off of her and back into the stream. Elm fished around in his coat until he found the one and only remaining power bar from his stock. As he unwrapped it Katara eyed the bar a bit strangely.

"Do those taste good?"

"Not really, but they get the job done. Where's Toph?"

"Looking for me?" Toph stepped out from behind a bunch of very tall and dense bushes. The last of her opponents was set up on an earthen pedestal which Toph promptly sank back into the earth and thus letting him fall to the ground.

"You okay?" asked Katara.

"Considering……….yeah I'm fine." She nodded at Elm. "Is he okay?"

"I will be," replied Elm. "Visit a rainforest; I can now cross that off of my list of things to do before I die." Katara rubbed a sore spot on her back and saw Mockingbird still lying beside the far wall.

"Come on, let's get back before she wakes up again."

Lee carefully peeked around the corner of the hallway leading to Hotaru's personal chambers. In the far off distance, he spotted several guards all spread about the area before the double doors. He rounded back around the corner.

"I count seven," he said quietly.

"Well that's no problem," said Nayia taking her own glance. "They're just personal sentries, probably in training to become chevaliers." She returned to her brother's side. "Talk about old school Fire Nation baddies."

"The fewer casualties the better," said Lee.

Nayia shifted her eyes. "I'm not sure they would have the same considerations for us."

"I will not comprise my honor simply because they would, if they can be spared they will be." Nayia sighed and nodded. "Now to that end, can you suggest a stratagem?" The young ninja thought for a moment.

"Well…..I'm still technically a chevalier." Lee was quick on the uptake and nodded.

"Clever…..if not classic," he said with a smile. She stood up but he took her hand. "Careful." She nodded down at him with a smile. Lee let her go and Nayia walked around the corner. She tried to look as natural and calm as possible, but she hadn't been an assassin in many years. Finally one of the guards noticed her approaching and he alerted the others. They met her halfway and stopped her progress.

"I am sorry chevalier but none are allowed any further."

"I am under orders from Ring," said Nayia.

"That may be but I also have my orders and they are to not allow anyone but Hotaru to pass."

"I see, your loyalty is a credit to your cast." They bowed to one another and Nayia began slowly retreating. She gave Lee an inconspicuous head nod. "Guard." He stopped and upon turning found a foot connecting with his helmet. Lee quickly entered the heat of battle and cut the spearheads off of all their staffs. Two very industrious guards leapt away from the fray and began releasing large fireballs. Lee and Nayia jumped around the nearest guard and allowed them to take the full force of the hit. As they fell, Lee released a powerful wave of mental energy, casting the two guards far back against the wall. Nayia pilfered the sword from her human shield. She and Lee engaged the remaining guards in various forms of fancy swordplay. One by one they dispatched Hotaru's personal guard. Nayia suddenly found herself being pinned against the wall and the point of a sword being steadily inched toward her throat.

"LEE!" In a flash his arm was around the guard's throat and he yanked him hard to the floor. In his adrenalin Lee brought his sharp blade down and through the dark mask of the guard. He quickly removed it and cleaned the blade of the small amount of blood. Nayia looked down at the fallen guard.

"I'm sorry."

"Had to be done," said Lee. He sighed despondently. "Let us just continue. The less time we spend here the better-" He speech was cut dead in his throat. Nayia saw his look of dread but didn't clue into the fact that he was staring at something over her shoulder.

"What?" At the other end of the long corridor, Ring stood with her hand raised. Without so much as a turning a hair on her head Ring fired a long red pulse directly at them. The destructive beam of light passed right through Nayia and forced her into Lee's arms.

"NAYIA!" Her hands limply grasped his gi and her legs could barely keep her aloft.

"big brother…."

"The time for your surrender has come," said Ring. Lee gathered up Nayia further and began moving back toward the double doors. When he reached them he was frustrated to learn they were extremely heavy to move. Finally a coaxing from his powers opened the door just enough for both of them slip through. Using the same technique he closed the door and barred it with a very thick and wide beam. Once they were secure he knelt down beside Nayia and picked up her head.

"Nayia…" Panting rapidly and gasping for air, Nayia took his hand.

"Crystal…..you must…get..crstyal." He barred his teeth. Nayia closed her eyes and he let her head rest on a nearby cushion. Rising to his feet he surveyed the room, looking in all likely and unlikely places. Finally his eyes rested on a pedestal beside Hotaru's bed. Unfortunately, he saw that the marble stand was empty. His fists clenched angrily.

"Looking for this, perhaps?" Out of the shadows, stepped Simon. In one hand he held his broadsword and in the other the Star Crystal. "Guerilla warfare suits you people, a frontal attack would have never gotten you this far."

"Give me that crystal and we will all leave in peace."

"An offer as amusing as Hotaru's ego," sneered Simon. He stowed the crystal away in his robes. "When I have the Force of Balance I will get what I want, my own chevaliers. You are a most skilled combatant, don't be foolish Lee."

"If right is folly then I have been foolish my entire life," said Lee.

"Very well then, those doors have an inner core of reinforced steel so it will be quite a while before Ring will be a problem. I shall cleave you both with gusto." Lee closed his eyes in dread.

"If you choose to fight this way, I will kill you." Simon was expectedly unconvinced and raised his sword. Lee grasped the area of his sword where the hilt married met the end of the sheath. His thumb pushed the sword out slight in preparation. Simon growled loudly and charged forward. Within an instant Lee's sword was drawn and he was using it to fend off Simon's enraged blows. With Simon's lung was so long that Lee took the opportunity and using Simon's own back as a fulcrum, spun moved around his enemy and knocked him elbowed him hard in the back. He grunted while stumbling forward. Lee repositioned himself in a new defensive posture. Simon turned with a snarl.

"I have not even cut you yet," said Lee calmly. "This is your final warning."

"SAVE YOUR WARNINGS AND YOUR PITY!" He thrust his hands forward and Lee's eyes widened to saucers at the sight of two jets of fire erupting from Simon's hands. Lee quickly sheathed his sword and covered his face with his arms. Simon continually kept up the assault. The samurai encased himself in a protective layer of telekinetic energy but the heat from the growing fire still leaked through. Simon was absolutely mad with rage. The flames coming from his hands wound around Lee's bubble until they covered it completely. Lee's feet left the floor. The energy he gathering around himself was steadily growing more powerful and unstable. Sweat poured down his face and neck. While he hovered in the air he strained against the intense heat bearing down on him. Through the pockets of live flame Lee saw Simon gearing up to throw his sword like a spear. Lee was not about to let himself be skewered and burned alive while his sister lay dying beside him.

Lee gathered what force he had left. "HAAAAAAA!" His shot his arms and legs out, releasing the building energy in the form of a powerful and massive shockwave. Simon easily left the floor and sailed backward into a hanging tapestry. The pure concussive force of Lee's blast completely doused the flames Simon created. Lee fell back to the floor but if did not linger there. Simon was also quickly back on his feet and feeling like raining divine retribution. Again Lee drew his sword but slowly as though silently warning Simon against carrying out his next attack. But of course the chevalier was far beyond reason and only wished for one thing; to bleed his foe like a stock pig.

Simon held his sword very tightly with both hands and raised it high above his head. Lee adopted the most basic of defensive positions and waited. Just as Lee predicted, Simon charged forward with the intention of a downward hack. The samurai let his eyes close in pity and remorse. He allowed Simon to get closer and closer without batting so much as an eyelid. Suddenly he held his sword up at a downward angle. Simon's blade connected with Lee's, only because of the slope of Lee's sword Simon's slid down its length and forced him off to Lee's side. The chevalier felt the horrifying realization that he was now overbalance and totally exposed. Lee needed only to spin in place and in the same movement twirl his sword around and make a cut in the back of Simon's neck. He was not beheaded but the wound was well beyond his spinal cord. Simon's broadsword clattered to the floor as did himself soon enough. Lee's movements were so swift that not a drop of blood was left on the razor-like edge. He watched as the pinkish white orb rolled out of Simon's robes. Lee stowed his sword and picked up the Star Crystal. He then returned his attention to Nayia.

"Nayia?"

"Still here…..," she whispered. At that moment A red beam cut through the door and began making a 'ring sized' hole.

Lee began picking her up without taking his eyes off the door. "Come." Looking about, he spotted the tunnel which Simon used to enter the room without alerting the guards.

Jasper and Amyah stayed at their mother's side, trying to slowly nurse her back to health. They all raised their heads at the sounds of Katara, Elm, and Toph getting nearer. The shield was still up thus they required the permission of someone within the room for entry. Amyah quickly let them in.

"Oh dad you look horrible," she said observing his battle scars.

"Comes with the job," he replied. He saw Jasper keeping Mai company. "How is she?"

"If we can get her out of here she might make it." He then joined Katara and Toph as they curiously made their way over to the incubator. Julian had placed her back into the tube, of course this was done after the broken glass and debris was cleaned away. The three of them crowded around the tube. Inside they saw the newborn version of Hotaru sleeping soundly and wiggling a little in her swaddle.

"That's Hotaru?" asked Katara.

"Yes," said Julian.

"She almost looks like a human being," muttered Elm.

"Careful with your blasphemy, heathen!" spat Julian. Elm ignored him but turned to his children.

"Has Lee returned?" they shook their heads.

"I am here." All rotated in place at the sound of Lee's voice. He emerged from the tunnel, towing Nayia in his wake. Julian's eyes locked on to her and he ran up to Lee.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!!!" Lee shoved him away.

"We have not the time for this! We must go, now." Elm and Jasper were already gathering up Mai. Julian however had no intention of letting any of them just up and leave.

"No one is going anywhere!"

Lee's hand strayed to his sword. "Out of the way boy, there is more at stake then you know." He jerked his head at Katara. "Bring Hotaru." This was the quite nearly the final straw for Julian. He sprinted back over to the tube and jabbed a fiery hand at her.

"Stay back!"

"We're only trying to help her." He blinked several times, unsure of what to believe.

"Do not listen to them, chevalier." Ring had arrived and now stood in the doorway. Lee glared at her while he held up his sister. Ring snapped her eyes to Katara. She pointed her hand at her threateningly and produced a spark from her ruby. "Not one step further." Lee shook his head, they needed to leave now and he was going to get them out. The samurai ran forward, with Nayia on his back, and having no intention of stopping. Ring tried to adjust her aim on him but he expelled a wave of energy as he ran. The force knocked her backwards and her arm just as she fired the beam. The renegade pulse ran amok through large areas of the ceiling. Katara snatched up Hotaru in the ensuing confusion. Julian tried to chase her but a few loose rafters fell before him and blocked his passage. Like a line of human sized ants, they all filled out of the lab as fast as their legs could carry them. The halls were almost completely devoid of life but they hardly bothered to stop and ask why. What one or two guards they did happen across were easily but peacefully neutralized. Finally they reached the main gate. Nayia hoarsely whispered in Lee's ear to bring her close enough to touch the red orb beside the gate. With help from Katara, Nayia placed her hand upon the orb and raised the portcullis back into place. Toph was one step ahead of them in making sure they were not followed and cracked the jewel in a thousand pieces once the metal gate was up. Now it was Katara who led them through the dense trees of the jungle. She brought them to the open spot where they first appeared and emptied the remainder of the powder Shandrey gave her.

"Get us out of here!" Shouted Lee.

"Right, give me a second," said Katara.

"Pretend we don't have a second!" barked Toph. Katara would have gladly done without the grumpy encouragement. She finally enclosed all of them within the circle and began speaking the words given to her. It took a few moments but soon the world around them faded from view and they all felt the sensation of being pulled swiftly upward. The realm of subspace whirled past them with a torrent of wind and energy.

Mifune stepped out of the trees, having seen the whole procedure. It was a long way between the temple and wherever it was they were going, but he was confident he could follow.

-----

"Come on! They should be just outside!" Shandrey urged Regan through his house and out the backdoor. Just as Shandrey said, a rippling bubble appeared in Regan's yard, dissipated, and revealed the entire group. Shandrey nearly halted in her tracks when her eyes beheld Lee. Husband and wife had been apart for so long it was almost too good to be true. Yet her legs betrayed her caution, soon Shandrey was running head long and straight into the arms of her husband. Her hands grasped him like there was no tomorrow. Had it not been for the obvious need that Nayia and Mai receive medical attention, Shandrey would have gladly remained as she was for the rest of her days. Unfortunately a moan from Nayia broke her happy trance.

"Nayia is gravely injured," said Lee.

That took a while. But it wasn't my fault! Honest. Believe me this is a good place to end this chapter. Laters!