*****k, guysez! On with chapter 18. Whew! Can you people believe that I have updated this thing 18 times already?!
Anyway, thanks to everybody who has been reading and reviewing this!
"Shadows"
1.) shade or comparative darkness, as in an area
The streets of Ba Sing Se were deserted; only the sound of the wind shifting the shops' signs to and fro, causing their hinges to creak, could be heard. That and the sound of footsteps, stealthily moving throughout the city.
Light panting could have been heard had anyone been close enough to the woman clad in sheer material, adorning face painted markings in order to hide her true identity.
She had said that she would cease her "duty" as the Painted Lady. She had said it, said the words that told her friends she would no longer journey out on her own, helping people in need while jeopardizing her own life, but her words had been hollow. She couldn't idly sit by, living her life lavishly and luxuriously while the knowledge of people out there who couldn't even afford a loaf of bread haunted her.
Her friends should have understood her need to help people.
Her feet barely touched the ground, alerting nobody who happened to be lurking nearby to the sound of another person in their midst.
"Yes, I know." A man whispered in the distance.
Blue eyes widening, the Painted Lady ducked behind a building immersed in shadows that happened to be close by.
She listened to the two men's conversation as they passed, intrigued.
"The Blue Spirit has made another sighting. And many people are wondering if he has a counterpart; they have seen, for lack of a better word, a ghost lurking through the streets at night."
The other, shorter man snorted. "A ghost?" he inquired skeptically.
The taller, gruffer man apparently nodded, unaware of the man's sarcasm. "Yes, but if you ask my opinion, The Blue Spirit is in for a little competition; this new figure is more than likely a rival rather than an ally."
"I do believe you have been reading far too many stories, my dear friend." The other man replied.
Their voices began to fade as they moved farther and farther out of hearing range. Katara exhaled shakily, and glanced down at the expensive piece of jewelry within her grasp. A young girl in the market had been begging for somebody to help her find her mother's necklace that had been stolen from her.
Katara just couldn't resist helping the girl; the reasons were more personal this time than any other instant before.
Once she confirmed that the long strand of jade pearls was still firmly in her possession, her sapphire eyes quickly snapped back up to survey the vicinity so she could complete her task. However, she almost smacked right into the Blue Spirit.
Emitting a small sound of surprise, Katara's eyes widened at the masked figure.
She knew that most of the mask would appear royal blue had it been daytime, as it was, however, the shadows of the night engulfed the blue, making it appear black.
She could, however, see the white bordering surrounding the eyes, across the forehead and cheeks and around the ears. Two long, curved teeth jutted out father than their companions. The figure was completely clad in black, almost causing the scene to appear more of an illusion from Katara's sleep deprivation rather than reality.
As Katara contemplated all these different things within her mind, the figure had continued to remain motionless, never so much as twitching.
Wondering if perhaps he was simply going to stand and watch her, she tried to slink out of her position between him and the building.
He seized her wrist before she had the chance to take more than two steps.
She glared up at where she knew his eyes would be, trying to convey how annoyed she was in this moment.
He continued to hold her wrist, motionless, until slowly reaching forward to try and brush away the sheer veil that was cascading off of her hat, covering her face.
Gasping, she attempted to pull back; he resisted. It was like trying to move a statue.
Finally she ceased her struggles and looked back up at the character with confusion. "What do you want?" she whispered softly, her voice carrying on the light breeze.
He said nothing at first, simply stared at her.
"Close your eyes," he whispered faintly.
She looked dubious for a moment, but the sincerity of his words had been so palpable… finally, against her better judgment, she did as he had asked.
Closing her eyes slowly, she heard a faint rustle. He never let go of her wrist.
"Don't open them," he instructed.
Katara allowed a small smile to grace her lips. "I won't."
Finally, he brushed the veil away from her face. And although Katara felt exposed and suspicious, she never opened her eyes. That was when a pair of soft- as- silk lips barely touched hers.
It was brief, but so, so beautiful and passionate.
She didn't know who the man was, and she didn't know why he had kissed her, in the middle of a dark alleyway, wrapped in the secrets of the shadows. But she didn't care.
She faintly touched his barren cheek; it felt rough and chapped. A burn maybe?
Before she had time to further lose herself in her thoughts, the lips were gone. Her eyes snapped open, but he had already vanished into the shadows once more.
No sign that he had ever been there in the first place could be found.
Sighing, she glanced down at her palm, still clinging to the strand of pearls.
She smiled thoughtfully and then, with one last survey of the area, just in case he decided to show himself again, she was off, bounding down the street with the stealth of a cat.
From the confinement of the shadows, the Blue Spirit watched her as she disappeared into the night.
A smile found its way to his lips as he touched his finger, knowing that the faint moisture of Katara's lone tear would still be clinging to his skin.
He could compete with her tomorrow night; for now, he was content.
*****Before anyone asks, no it was NOT a mistake that I had Zuko know Katara was the Painted Lady. And as you can see, she knows a little something about the Blue Spirit now, and, if we know our Katara, she won't rest until she discovers whose beneath the mask.
BTW: Is it seriously a coincidence that they are BOTH mimicking spirits?! I personally don't think so.
Anyway, review!
Moonlit- Silhouette