Gyatso and Kara: Prodigies of an Avatar

Chapter 42- If Only, If Only

Appa landed softly on the dirt arena after Kuzon guided him from the entrance of the base. The little boy slid off of the bison after telling him to stay put and looked around. Because the fog had cleared out, it was easy for the boy to see the group that quickly. Iroh and Topaz were the first of them that he saw, and made a point of running to them after noticing that Topaz was in Iroh's arms.

"Topaz, Iroh! What happened?" He yelled, tears welling in his eyes. The four-year-old tried his best to hide them, but despite his efforts, a few dripped down from his big gray eyes.

"Don't worry kiddo." Topaz said, trying, for once, to keep him calm. It would only be a matter of seconds before Fong or one of the remaining Dai Li agents would discover them.

"Um. . . really, Kuzon. . . let's just get to Appa." Iroh added, surprised at Topaz's kind response to the little boy. With that, Kuzon nodded and wiped his tears, running with the duo to the air bison.

"Iroh, relax! We . . . aren't . . . that . . . far . . . away . . . from him!" Topaz struggled to get out as she bounced in her friend's arms.

"Sorry," He sighed when they finally got to the animal. The teen stopped at the bison's front paw, frowning at how far up the seat was from there.

"How are we going to do this. . ?" He asked himself softly, unconsciously squeezing Topaz's elbow. She turned to him with a quizzical look on her face, but turned back when she saw no reaction on his face. You can be so weird sometimes, Iroh. . . she thought with a sigh.

"I've got this," She sighed, patting Iroh on the neck to get his attention.

"APPA!" She shouted with the firm tone that she had heard Katara use with the bison on more than one occasion. "Down, boy!"

To the shock of both Iroh and Kuzon, herself even, Appa went down on his knees, low enough to slide Topaz onto. With an open mouth, Iroh placed her on Appa and, after helping Kuzon up, jumped on himself. He was about to take the reins, but Topaz stopped him with a soft kick to the elbow.

"Yes?" He asked, turning to Topaz with a raised eyebrow.

"Help me up, I want to fly him." She said frankly, extending her hands out to him as a child does for their mother. He stared at her for a moment, his golden eyes having a silent conversation with her tantalizingly green orbs.

Fine, Iroh thought, pulling her to him by the waist and twisting her so that her back would be in line with his chest. He accidently pulled his arms in too hard, hitting her in the back with his chest.

"OW! Iroh!" She screamed, smacking him on the hand. The pain felt like someone was running a blade through her skin. Shrugging the remainder of the pain off, she snatched the reins out her friend's hands as he mumbled a half-hearted sorry.

"Whatever," Topaz whispered, looking over her shoulder at the boy behind her. His eyes weren't on her, but on the sky, staring out at the clouds up above them. He was worried, his lips shaped in a slight frown. Something's up with you . . . what is it? She thought before turning forward.

"Yip, Yip!" She shouted, cracking the reins. She almost gasped as Appa departed, feeling weird in the driver's seat. It had been almost six years since she had rode Appa in the front, a year before the Azula incident, and even though she had managed to persuade Iroh that she was well able to fly the bison, but was still unsure of her self. Her hands trembled holding the thick cloth of the reins. Softly, Iroh placed his hands over hers and patted them lightly as he ducked down to whisper in her ear.

"Relax, Topaz. We're only going a couple of meters." He whispered, causing her to chuckle with nervousness.

"Yeah," She scoffed, looking back at him again. "That's easy for you to say-you've been steering at night ever since we picked you and the rest of you 'studs' up."

"Ha!" Iroh laughed aloud, rocking his head back at "studs". "You amaze me, my friend."

"Um, thank you . . . my friend." Topaz said with a hint of question in her voice. "I'm, uh, gonna land now because. . . Appa is fast." This is the first time that Iroh's made me awkward. . . I just wonder why.

"Okay . . . do you see anybody?" Iroh, who had been staring at Topaz's now loose dark locks, mumbled as he looked back to check on Kuzon. The little boy had been very anxious lately, having not told anyone about the exchange with the woman who had kidnapped him, and wasn't as talkative as he usually was. Iroh bit his lip, cursing to himself. Why didn't he say anything to him?

"Yeah, I do, everybody, actually, except for Katara . . ." Topaz sighed, landing the massive animal. "GUYS!" She yelled from the seat. I am not moving from here.

All four heads-Gyatso, Kara, Li, and Kyoshi-turned lightning quick at her scream. Silenced by surprise, the four of them looked with wide eyes at the three members of their group and ran up Appa. Kuzon jumped as soon as Gyatso placed Kyoshi down on the seat, running to his brother and sister-who happened to be sitting next to each other-and wrapped his arms around the two of them tearfully.

Kara sighed, tilting her head onto Kuzon's just as Gyatso had.

"How do you love us so much despite just meeting us, little brother?" She whispered into the little boy's dark brown hair. Gyatso let out a light laugh, looking over to his sister with a small smile.

"It's easy for little kids to love somebody. . . I think that the bigger question is how we love him as much as we do."

"That's an easy one," Kara smiled, bracing herself for Appa's liftoff. "He's a pint-sized little Dad. . . Gyatso, look, he's sleeping!" She whispered, her smile brightening.

Her twin smiled with and looked down at his brother. The little boy was worn out from the recent events of the day; as soon as he found comfort in the hold of his siblings, Kuzon was so calm that he drifted to sleep. Kara petted his hair softly as they flew, wishing that she could forever stay in that moment. If only she knew that the moment would soon vanish when she saw her mother. . .

Katara stood alone, hunched over like a broken doll, recovering from a hit to the chest from one of General Fong's boulders. She didn't notice Appa land a few yards away from her as she took out water from her pouch and summoned it out. She bended the water up to her mouth, blowing on it until it froze and picked it up, aiming to throw it straight into the heart of the old man before her that oozed with evil.

"Be careful with that, Katara." Fong warned, also not realizing that the kids had grouped together and gotten Appa, stomping his left foot on the ground, cracking the earth that he stood on.

"I'm not afraid of you!" Katara yelled, inching closer and closer to the man. "You're just a stupid little boy trapped in an old man's body that has lusted after me ever since I was fourteen."

"Shut up before smash your head!" He snarled at her, bending a massive rock into the air. Katara ran forward, though his threats were quite serious, until the only thing blocking her from him was the rock.

With her hand ready to stab her enemy, Katara relaxed her face and calmly spoke. "Put it down, Fong, and I will not harm you."

"You really think that my intelligence has faded with the coming of my old age, don't you?" He snarled, giving her a look of disgust. She said not another word, suddenly seeing Gyatso creep behind the old man. He brought his index finger up to his mouth and pressed it against his lips silently. Katara blinked in agreement, quickly thought of a distraction, and rocked her head back in a mocking laugh.

"Yes, Fong, I do. You are the biggest fool that I have ever met." She laughed. Fong screamed, beginning to push his hands forward and bend the rock to her face, but before he could complete the task, he fell down in pain. Gyatso stood behind him, rubbing the elbow that he had used to bang him on the head.

"Appa's here." The boy spoke, taking his mother's hand frantically, as if Fong was going to wake from his comma that very second and kill them both. He led his mother, running, to the bison and helped her up swiftly.

Without waiting for Topaz to direct him, Appa departed from the arena, sniffing out the woman that had attempted to kidnap Kuzon. Yet, when he arrived at the area, there was no one to be found . . . only the swift paw prints of a shirshu, and he did not want to go after that.

Heeey! I'm back and updating! Whoo-hooo! How'd you like that chapter! Please, review. . . please. I have a question, though.

Names for The Kidnapper, as I'm calling her at the moment (The Seductress doesn't fit quite yet. . . oops, did I say that). Her name is, at the moment Takei or Adar. Pick one or make one up yourself. Thank you!

God Bless,

Leelee488512