Disclaimer: Okay, so I have had some pretty bad disclaimer jokes in the first 16 chapters. This will be no exception. These bad jokes get a chuckle from most people. Your face doesn't even get that! So, I do not own the right's to Avatar: the Last Airbender. UR FACE!!
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Content Warning: This chapter contains explicit adult content, as per my per-chapter warning system. Call it a Lemon, Lime or a Sprite for all I care. I'm new to the terminology.
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Rated M: Mature Content. Blood. Guts. Sex. Drugs. All the good stuff.
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Scenery Notes: Nothing really new in this chapter, but I did want to point out what happened in the fight last chapter and what may seem similar here. The plane of existence they were fighting on was the spirit world, but it was also within the subconscious of Jet. That's why Jet had the control he had. I guess you could think of it as limbo between the worlds if it makes it easier to understand. Not quite true, but its close.
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Arnook: My poor palace…
Hakoda: I am sorry for your loss, my friend.
Bato: Really. We wouldn't have destroyed it if we had a choice.
Kenji: It's not so bad. A few good benders can have it fixed in a jiffy.
Aang: Well, you have three of us. Kita and Katara aren't up yet.
Mina: Yeah, we'd be happy to help.
Arnook: But the damage… this place is beyond repair.
Hakoda: It's not that bad Arnook. Looks a little more like the villages we hail from.
Bato: I am starting to get home sick.
Sokka: Me too.
Author: Alright, guys. Stop picking on Arnook. If your palace was smashed by your friends, you'd be a little upset too. /hands Arnook a cookie.
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Chapter 17: Girl Talk
Katara and Kita both remained unconscious regardless of all efforts put forth to wake them. Arnook had them both placed into a single comfortable room with two beds. Hakoda, Sokka and Aang never left the room. The others would come and go, checking on or the other of them. Night fell, and they stayed late into the evening. Finally, Hakoda insisted they all go to bed. Some of them had been lacking sleep in the last few days and they needed their rest.
Jet had passed their test and told them he would answer all their questions in the morning. As a safety precaution, Arnook insisted Jet be set under guard and tied up to keep him out of trouble. Jet understood fully and accepted the terms. He seemed to remember everything this time and knew they were reasonable steps. Ty-Lee had offered to keep him company, and Jet had gratefully accepted. Though he was tied to his bed, they talked long into the night. Ty-Lee fell asleep after a time, and Jet lay there staring at the ceiling. He didn't really feel like sleeping; he had been resting for days, locked in his own mind.
The morning dawned fresh and clear, and Jet awoke to find Ty-Lee had crawled into bed with him sometime during the night. She had been holding onto his shirt tightly as she dreamed. Jet found he really didn't mind so much. The scent of Ty-Lee's perfume was beginning to work its affect on him, and he started thinking as if he were alive again; at least his body was. Jet tried to shake his head clear of such thoughts. Ty-Lee was Fire Nation. She was also alive and deserved a normal life. He couldn't let himself lead her down a path where she would be miserable. Once this was all over, Jet would return to the spirit world. He had no choice.
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Aang slept fitfully, mostly having the same dreams he had that one night in the Fire Nation. He couldn't get any real rest. Around dawn, he found himself back at Katara's bedside, holding her hand and praying to the spirits for her safe return. With him was Hakoda, who for all his parental badgering the night before to go to bed had stayed with Kita through the night. He had slept in his chair, waiting for her to wake up. He sat between the beds, on the one side his daughter and the other the woman he somehow learned to love.
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Zuko and Mai were together in Zuko's room. Zuko had melted a tunnel beneath the walls of their room so they could be together. Though both wanted to do more, they were content given the circumstances to just hold each other and sleep in peace. Zuko wondered what was going on in Katara's mind when she had healed Aang yesterday. Whatever it was, he was scared for her.
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Toph was so tired of being on a block of ice. What she would give for the feel of real earth beneath her feet, sifting through her toes… ah! She woke up from her wonderful dream of being back in the Earth Kingdom with the sad realization that there was no earth within miles of her; at least, none that she knew of. Suddenly, something came to her. It was distant, but she could almost feel earth nearby. She struggled to get herself dressed and headed across the hall to Suki's room.
"Suki, are you up?" Toph called quietly through the door.
A little shuffling inside and the door opened. Suki giggled a bit and asked, "What's going on Toph?"
"There's earth here. I can feel it. Can you help me get to it?" Toph asked desperately.
"Sure. We were going there this afternoon anyway. It's the spirit oasis." Suki told her.
"Thank goodness. I was afraid I was imagining it." Toph said.
"First though, why don't we get your clothes on straight?" Suki suggested, giggling again at Toph's backwards shirt and inside out pants.
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Sokka woke up and jumped out of bed. He quickly got cleaned up and dressed before barreling down the halls to check on Katara and Kita. When he opened the door, he found Aang and Hakoda asleep in chairs, each holding one of the girl's hands. Deciding not to disturb them, he headed for the dining area and sat down for a hearty three or four breakfasts. He needed his strength today after all. Today's the day Aang promised he could speak to Yue.
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Bato was up much earlier than he liked. He couldn't sleep; he was too worried about Hakoda and the girls Kita and Katara. He got out of bed and cleaned himself up quite a bit. For some reason, he just knew today would be a special day. Besides, he wouldn't want Katara waking up to his ugly, unshaven mug. Once he cleaned up, he headed to get some breakfast, where he found Sokka stuffing his face, three empty plates in front of him.
"Seriously Sokka, where do you put it all?" Bato had to ask for the umpteenth time as he took his seat.
"I exercise a lot." Sokka said between mouthfuls. He was obviously on his fourth helping.
Bato was served a plate and began to eat, chatting with Sokka about back home at the South Pole. Neither wanted to bring up what they were really worried about; the girls laying unconscious in bed, their hands held by the men who love them. Not that Sokka knew Hakoda loved Kita of course. Not even Bato was entirely sure… but he was sure enough to mention it to himself. He had seen Hakoda like this before, years ago.
Chief Arnook joined them just as they were finishing. He came up to Bato and sat down next to him. "Excuse me Bato, but can I ask you a favor?" Arnook began.
"You can ask." Bato smiled a reply.
"I… Well, that is… My young niece has approached me and inquired as to the Southern Tribes customs and beliefs. As similar as our Tribes are, they are obviously not identical and I am having trouble answering some of her questions. She would like to meet with you to discuss tribal differences. Would you be willing to escort her to the ball we have planned for tomorrow evening? Perhaps you could discuss our cultural differences as you dance." Arnook asked.
Bato frowned. He didn't have a date yet, and he still hadn't found that gorgeous young lady that had caught his attention at the feat the other night. "Sure, why not; nothing wrong with training a young girl to broaden her horizons and expand her mind." Bato said.
Arnook thanked Bato, got up and left; he was not willing to correct Bato's misconception. His niece had specifically asked for Bato as her escort for a reason, and Arnook refused to get involved.
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Kita and Katara were both sitting on the ground in a strange place. It wasn't the same as it was before; Kita realized that. The horizon and sky all around them was totally black, and yet did not impair their vision. The ground beneath them was solid and stable, but it was a pure white that was not the earth they knew. In Jet's mind, the sky had been blue and normal; here, it was anything but. There weren't even stars in the sky to give them the impression that things were going to be alright.
Kita awoke lying on the ground, Katara lying right next to her. She rose herself up and looked around. Not even a tree; nothing to differentiate one direction from another. Kita sat back down next to Katara and brushed her hair back. Katara was just over ten years her junior, but after what happened with healing the Avatar, she felt very close to her, like a big sister. She wanted to hold her and tell her everything would be alright.
Katara woke slowly, opening her eyes and then taking in her surroundings before sitting up. She noticed Kita sitting next to her, arms folded around her knees. "Kita?" she asked, blinking and rubbing her eyes. "Where are we?" Katara asked, obviously confused.
"I don't know, Katara." Kita replied. "It looks similar to where I was when Aang was fighting the Blue Spirit, so I would guess this is the spirit world. There are differences though." Kita explained.
"So what happened? How did you get to the spirit world? Is Aang okay?" Katara bombarded questions, obviously started to panic a bit.
"Calm down, Katara. I honestly don't know what happened. My…" Kita caught herself; she was about to tell Katara about her hands. "I suddenly feinted or something and found myself near where Aang was fighting the Blue Spirit. Jet was there too, chained to a tree." Kita told her about the fight and what had happened; about how Aang was injured and how she had tried to heal and found she couldn't, but somehow could talk to Katara in the real world.
"Incredible. In the end, I realized I didn't have the skill to heal such a bad wound, but when you took over, it felt as if my power was flowing out of me and into you." Katara said in wonder. "I have never felt anything like it."
"I don't know how it happened either. It felt incredible though, like we were…" Kita said
"Connected." Katara finished her sentence. The two young women looked at each other and then gave each other a hug.
"Thank you for guiding me through the healing, Kita. Really; you helped me save Aang." Katara said, tears in her eyes.
"It was my pleasure Katara. Aang seems like a great person. I'm happy to help." Kita replied.
Katara sighed. "I owe you an apology, Kita." Katara told her.
"An apology for what, Katara?" Kita asked her.
Katara blushed. "Well, I um… I sort of thought you and Aang might have had a thing going on, or that you liked him."
Kita laughed. "Oh, dear, there's nothing to apologize for. I only met Aang this morning. I have no interest in him romantically. If anything, I should be apologizing to you." She said.
"To me?" Katara asked surprised. "Why would you need to apologize to me?"
Kita sighed. "Because there are secrets I hold that may affect the lives of you and your family in a way that may not be for the best." Kita admitted. It felt good to finally be able to talk about things.
"What sort of secrets?" Katara asked, curious.
"Well, um…" Kita began, searching for the right words. She blushed and turned away; she couldn't look Hakoda's daughter in the face when she said this: "It's a long story, but I think the first thing I should tell you is why I am not interested in Aang; I am interested in someone else."
"You like someone?" Katara asked excitedly, her girlish side emerging.
"Yes; actually I love him, very much." Kita told her. "I shouldn't, of course. I barely know him. It's just… whenever I am near him I feel so wonderful. He's handsome and smart and brave… he makes me feel like the luckiest woman in the world."
"Well, have you told him?" Katara asked Kita. She was obviously unprepared for what Kita had to say.
"Well, I think he knows… and I think he feels the same way about me, though I am not really sure." Kita told her.
"Well? Who is it!?" Katara demanded. "Do I know him?"
"Yes, I would say so." Kita said. Then she sighed, "Katara; its Hakoda, your father."
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Ozai had returned the conquering hero. His subject cowered before him, but that was not enough. He needed to rub their faces in his newly restored power. To that end, he had thrown a banquet in the palace and invited the local populace to attend. It had been wonderful. Everyone welcomed him back, groveling at his feet. He had missed his power these last few months. Azula obviously welcomed the attention. She had picked up a few new friends amongst the girls Ozai had summoned from the girls academy. They were each skilled in combat and had similar personalities to their new ring leader, exactly what Ozai had hoped for. The last vestiges of her madness were gone; in its place was a fierce determination to defeat the other nations and to kill those responsible for their previous defeat.
Admiral Kang had served well, and Ozai had promoted him to over-general of all his military forces. He was at Ozai's right hand at all times. Ozai was not above rewarding good service and behavior, and decided that after the banquet would be a good time. Once the guests had left and Ozai was once again free to do as he pleased, he summoned a few women from the populace to his bedchamber and to that of Kang's. The man deserved this.
Ozai told Kang to enjoy himself tonight and he retired to his room, Kang totally confused. Ozai couldn't help but chuckle to himself; a good night indeed.
He entered the royal apartments which had been thoroughly cleaned and redecorated back to how he liked them. Closing the doors, he stepped up to his bed, the three girls waiting patiently as expected. All three of them were completed nude and obviously uncomfortable being there. Their unwillingness was a real turn on for Ozai, and one of his favorite benefits of power. The girls had been brought by guards; their parents had been threatened should they refuse. The girls were huddled together on his bed, waiting for only Ozai knew what.
"Is it not customary to bow before your Fire Lord?" Ozai demanded mockingly. All three girls immediately separated themselves and bowed down deeply to him, their foreheads touching the blankets they were on. "Much better." Ozai said simply. He approached them and stood at the side of the bed, the girls still bowing down.
"Rise, but remain on your knees." He commanded them. The girls did as they were told, obviously embarrassed and upset. They hung bare to his eye and were trying their best to cover themselves without being obvious about it. "Arms to your sides; I wish to inspect you properly. The Fire Lord deserves only the best!" he snapped. One of the girls was still holding herself with her hands and was too scared to do as she was told. Ozai reached to her and pulled her arms down, freeing her breasts to swing in his view.
Ozai took his sweet time touching, fondling and exploring the bodies of these three young ladies. None of them were over sixteen, a prospect Ozai found appealing. Mature women had their uses, but tonight, he was in the mood to inspire fear and terror; the kind only the young could fully fear in this environment. All three girls sported long dark hair which was his preference. None were so pretty as to warrant a second look, nor were they so ugly as to repulse him. One girl in particular had a very shapely figure; Ozai almost salivated at the thought of what was to come.
While inspecting the girls, one of them started coughing. Ozai grimaced at the girl, reach out and grabbed her right breast. He used it as a lever and pulled her from the bed, throwing her to the floor. "Get out of my sight. I will not let some sick whore contaminate me. Grab your things and go!" Ozai barked.
The girl yelped and quickly grabbed her clothing where it hung near the door. She raced out as fast as she could. The other girls looked at each other, obviously wishing they were sick too, but afraid to fake it.
"Now, where were we?" Ozai asked himself casually. He raised his arms to chest height and said, "Disrobe me."
The girls hurriedly complied, one first untying his royal robes while the other removed his shoes. The robe slipped off and fell to the floor, leaving him still clothed but less burdened. The girls then removed the remainder of his clothing until he was standing before them, just as naked and obviously aroused. The girls could not stop staring at his manhood, obviously scared of what he intended to do with it.
Ozai grabbed the girl who had removed his pants by the hair and pulled her close until her face was an inch from his crotch. "You will suck on it until I tell you to stop." He commanded, and then released his strangling grip on her hair. The girl with the great curves sat on the floor, watching in horror as the other one took his phallus in her mouth and began to suck and slurp on it. Ozai had to admit, the girl wasn't that bad. Perhaps he would keep her around for this purpose. It had been a very long time, months since Ozai had been with a woman. He felt the pressure building quickly and once again grabbed the girls' hair but not telling her to stop. Soon he came, and the girl continued to suck and lick, drinking all that came into her mouth; she was terrified to stop without permission. "That's enough." He told her, and threw her to the floor.
The girl never tried to get up, the shock on her face evident in the candlelight that permeated the room. The remaining girl did not move a muscle as Ozai's gave fell upon her. She was frozen in fear. He admired her curves and decided to examine them more closely than before. He placed his hand on her leg and slowly drew it up, over her hip and up her side, ending with it cupping her breast. He rolled the soft flesh in his palm, savoring the feel. The girl whimpered as he brushed the nipple. Ozai slapped her face and said, "Be silent!"
The girl froze again and did not make a sound as Ozai dropped his other hand between her legs and found her moist and inviting. Shoving her back on the bed, he climbed on top of her, his need once again apparent. He forced her legs apart with his knees and lined himself up to her opening as he leaned in to bit on her sensitive nipple. The girl could not help scream as his teeth bit down. Ozai plunged forward mid scream and entered her roughly. The scream went on even after she ran out of breath; she seemed unable to draw another in. Ozai did not pay her any mind, and continued his own satisfying need, pumping in and out; his victim was thrashing about beneath him, obviously in pain and terrified. Ozai finished after just a few minutes and collapsed on the horrified young girl; his sweat glistening in the candlelight over his muscled torso. He fell asleep that way, blissfully ignorant of the girl pushing him off of her and leaving the room, taking her friend with her.
Both girls would not see daylight again; they would kill themselves with the rising of the sun.
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"My dad?" Katara repeated in wonder. She had said that same line a few times now; Kita was getting a little nervous.
"But you don't even know my dad! We've only been here a couple of days!" Katara suddenly exploded.
"I know, Katara. I was in love with him before I even met him. And when I did…" Kita shuddered.
"How could you love a man you've never even met?" Katara demanded to know. "Explain!"
Kita sighed. She had no choice; she had to tell Katara everything. "It's a long story…" Kita tried to evade.
"We don't seem to be going anywhere. Tell me." Katara demanded again.
Kita told her all about Kenji's accident at the spirit oasis and her own attempt to save him. She told her about her hands and how they worked, and how only Kenji, Mina and Chief Arnook knew about them. Kita told Katara about how she had gone in anger to the spirits after her father died last winter and how they had shown her Hakoda, where he had been with his men protecting the Earth Kingdom from the Fire Nation navy. She mentioned how she had loved Hakoda since the moment she'd seen him in the vision, though she hadn't known it at the time.
"Why would the spirits show you my dad in a vision? That doesn't make any sense." Katara said.
"It will in a moment." Kita told her sadly. Lastly, she told her how she had gone one last time to the spirit oasis because the pain had been unbearable, and the spirits had once more shown her Hakoda, this time in the Fire Nation. "So they showed me your father a second time, and that was when I knew that I loved this man I hadn't met. I didn't even know his name. I told my brother, Mina and Chief Arnook, and Mina made a drawing of him. She's a very skilled artist. Chief Arnook recognized the picture and from my description told me it was Chief Hakoda." Kita explained.
"So, the spirits are trying to get you to love my dad? That's crazy." Katara said.
"It's not that simple Katara; there's a little bit more." Kita continued. "After I saw your father in the Fire Nation the spirits showed me Hakoda being with our tribe, kissing me. That part happened yesterday." Kita told her.
"You kissed my dad?" Katara exclaimed.
Kita blushed. "Actually, he kissed me… but there's just one more thing." She said. "The last part of the vision showed me holding Hakoda in my arms. He was dead." Now Kita had tears in her eyes. She couldn't help herself; she had fallen in love with the man she was meant to save, but the vision made her believe she would fail.
"…. My dad is going to die?" Katara said haltingly.
"I'm so sorry Katara. I would have told you; all of you, as soon as I had the chance, but I was told by everyone not to say anything." Kita apologized through her sobbing.
Katara nodded, her brain working on overdrive. "Your hands," Katara said suddenly. "Is that why you bandage them?" she asked Kita.
"Yes. Even the air can make them hurt worse." Kita told her.
"And touching my father makes the pain go away for a little while?" Katara continued.
Kita nodded, trying to stop crying and wiping her tears away.
"Well… you can never replace my mom… but you seem like a good person. If my dad loves you back, then I won't oppose it." Katara told her.
Kita cried out in joy and threw her arms around Katara in a big hug. Katara returned the hug in kind. "I always wanted a sister." Katara muttered quietly. Kita laughed.
"Of course, don't expect me to tell everyone else. You're the ones in love, so you get to do it. Now, how can we keep my father from dying?" Katara asked.
"I honestly don't know. The vision didn't show me where or how it was to happen. I thought maybe if I am always with him I can protect him, but your father would never go for that; he'd be worried about protecting me." Kita told her.
"True…" Katara trailed. "Well, we will have to tell him. Maybe if he understands…" Then she sighed. "So, now the real question is: how do we get back home?"
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Author: So, who needs cookies this time?
Sokka: Ooh OOH! ME! /waving arms in the air
Author: Um… I don't think so Sokka. You'd eat them all, and you're hyper enough as it is.
Aang: Isn't that the truth.
Zuko: Seriously.
Toph: No lie.
Sokka: Hey! I don't need to take that from you. Just because I burn off a lot of energy…
Zuko: Sokka, I firebend. I burn more energy in 5 minutes than you do in an hour.
Sokka: You can't prove that. And you don't bend all the time.
Ty-Lee: What about me? I exercise more than you, and I don't eat that much.
Sokka: You're a girl. You don't count.
Suki: Girl, huh? Don't count, huh?
Sokka: SUKI! I, uh…
Author: And on that note…
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Author's Corner:
A little bit shorter on this chapter, but not by too much. After a little looking around, it seems that my chapter sizes are much bigger than many other folks. Not sure if that's good or bad, so I will simply go by what I think works.
Thanks again to all the reviewers of old, and welcome to the new one aurabolt. All reviews are welcome. Keep up the reviews!
