PARADOX

Chapter 24: Invasion of the North pt 2

A/n: As promised this chapter is dedicated to my 100th reviewer: mayndrewfan123. Hope you enjoy.

I was jolted awake when I was tossed harshly from Zuko's shoulders. I felt by body roll a few times before skidding to a stop, face down in the snow. I shuddered and rolled over shaking my head to get the snow of my face.

I heard Zuko panting and looked behind us. There was a giant fissure. He must've just barely made it over it with both of our weights. "Shelter." He whispered to himself looking the same direction he did, I noticed a cave.

With a grunt I was suddenly dragged along the snowy ground by the rope around my shoulders, I sort of felt sorry for Aang though. With the way Zuko was pulling on the neck of his shirt it was going to be out of shape.

He dropped both Aang and I face down and I grunted my displeasure against my gag. I turned my face to the side and watched as he used another rope to tie Aang up, his hands behind his back, and then wrapped the rope around his torso and knees a couple of times. But I noticed he didn't get a gag. Lucky.

Zuko rubbed his hands together than breathed a burst of fire on them. The jerk, we were freezing over here and he didn't even bother to at least set us against each other so we could share body heat.

"I finally have you." He whispers, more to himself but it was aimed at Aang. Apparently he didn't realize I was awake.

"But I can't get you home because of this blizzard. There's always something." He walked over to stare out the cave opening.

Wow, he was throwing his own pity party. He should know that crying over stuff doesn't fix it.

"Not that you would understand. You're like my sister, everything always came easy to her. She's a firebending prodigy and everyone adores her. My father says she was born lucky, he says I was lucky to be born. I don't need luck though, I don't want it. I've always had to struggle and fight and that's made me strong. It's made me who I am." He turns away from the outside and closed his eyes.

I rolled over so I was laying up against Aang's side. Some of the cold on my one side vanished as Aang's body heat blocked the cold on the one side. Zuko looked over at us at the sound. I shuddered leaning against Aang. Being out of the icy land of the South Pole had spoiled me, I was now used to warmth instead of the coldness of the arctic lands of the water tribes.

"We'll be here for a while." Zuko mused out loud.

I grunted, the gag still preventing me from speaking. But at least it was keeping my lips warm, I hoped they wouldn't get chapped. I sighed and closed my eyes. Maybe the time would pass faster this way?

A while later a bright flash of blue light shone through my closed eyelids and I opened my eyes surprised as Aang began wiggling, trying to untie himself. He sat up and stared at Zuko.

"Welcome back." Zuko said gruffly, with a bit of sarcasm showing through.

"Good to be back." Aang glared at him and then inhaled deeply and let out a huge burst of air that served a double purpose. One it blew Zuko into the wall of the cave, two it sent us flying out of the cave. I was only pulled along with Aang because I was at the side that was opposite of the breath.

Aang immediately started inching away like a caterpillar and I was quick to follow his example but not quick enough. Aang was several body lengths ahead of me when Zuko caught up grabbing me by the rope around my shoulders.

He lifted me up, facing him and demanded Aang stop moving or I would get hurt.

There was a silence for a minute then Appa landed and Katara and Sokka jumped off. Before Zuko could react, Katara sent a water whip at the back of his head knocking him unconscious. His eyes slid shut but he was still on his feet then he slowly tilted dangerously towards me. I was still tied up and trapped in Zuko's grip. I hit the ground first then he fell on top of me.

I grunted as the air was forced out of my lungs at his body weight on me. His face was pressed against my neck and I felt his breath warm it as he breathed evenly. I could literally feel my face flushing. This was extremely embarrassing, and awkward, not to mention degrading. I squirmed trying to dislodge him, but he was a lot more solidly built then he looked.

"Kiara!" The gaang called out worried.

I grunted. I really needed to burn this gag as soon as I get out of this mess and find a fire.

Sokka hurried to untie Aang, stupidly commenting on the quality of the rope.

Aang hurried over to me and rolled Zuko off of me. Then he removed my gag and bindings.

"Damn it. I was practically useless today." I growled getting to my feet. I huffed then bent down and hefted Zuko up onto my back.

"What are you doing?" Sokka demanded.

"I'm not just going to leave him out here to die." I said bluntly as I walked up Appa's ramp-like tail.

Aang agreed. Sokka, Katara, and Yue made no more objections.

We hurriedly headed for the city. The moon turned red soon after we started our journey.

Yue said she felt faint then said the moon spirit must be in danger and told us how the moon spirit gave her life.

We landed in time to hear Zhao start to give his rant.

"...they will call me Zhoa the conqueror, Zhao the moon-slayer, Zhao the invincible!" Momo took that moment to clamber all over Zhao's face. Zhao hollered for his soldiers to get it off of him and as they gathered round Momo jumped off of him and flew over to Aang's outstretched arm.

I subtly snuck off to the side, inching my way to the pond in the middle of the oasis. Zhao ignored me, I was important enough to notice. He then threatened the moon spirit which he held in a sack.

Aang tried to reason with him. I was a foot away from the pond now.

Zhao didn't listen to Aang but when Iroh interrupted, Zhao called Iroh a traitor. Iroh demanded the spirit be let go on the threat that anything done to the moon spirit would happen to Zhao himself a ten fold. Zhao looked down as if he was giving up and relesed the koi that was the moon spirit's mortal form back in the water.

Then as he drew back to unleash a fiery blast on the moon spirit I jumped forward shielding myself with water even as I shielded the spirits with my own body. Then screamed in pain as the fire blast burnt through my water shield and smacked into my back branding it with scorching heat. I sobbed in pain as I lay in the pond, the koi fish swam faster and faster around me looking flustered and agitated.

"KIARA!" My friends yelled.

Iroh released a huge burst of fire at Zhao just as Aang airbended, sending the fire speeding towards Zhao even faster and more powerful than it would have been by itself.

The cool water of the pond was little comfort to the harsh burn of my wound. Even as the water began to glow around my body, as my healing powers kicked in, the pain was still as strong as ever.

There was a brilliant white glow as Aang entered the Avatar state. The black koi fish that was the Ocean spirit jumped out of the water locking eyes with Aang in his state. It floated there, suspended by a small amount of water. It's eyes slowly started to glow as well as the dot on it's head then slowly a bunch of the water from the oasis rose up to surround Aang and then Aang in the shape of a giant Koi monster creature rose up with Aang glowing in the middle where the heart would be.

I howled in pain as I thrashed uselessly in the water. The moon spirit swam around me brushing against my face with every pass as if trying to comfort me. But the agony of the burn wasn't leaving even as my own healing powers and the moon spirit's healing powers worked. After a while the pain dulled but didn't retreat completely, and I slumped in exhaustion and pain. I was slowly lifted from the pond and held in unfamiliar, but warm and gentle hands. I sighed softly as the man holding me readjusted his grip so he was holding at the top of my shoulders and under my knees so he didn't touch the scar that now spanned across the middle of my back and across the lower sides of my arms. I had jumped forward with my arms outstretched trying to defend the spirits and the attack had cut a path from my right forearm to my left elbow.

I blinked tears away and stared up at the kind, old face of Iroh.

"Hurts." I whimpered, feeling more pathetic by the moment.

"Hush, child. It will be okay. You did a very brave thing defending the spirits just now." He whispered comfortingly.

"I don't feel brave. I feel stupid." I admitted softly.

"Some times the two blend so much that no one but someone who is outside of the incident can tell between the two." Iroh said sagely.

"Is she okay?" Katara asked leaning over me hurriedly and hovering like an worried bumblebee.

"Give her to me." Sokka demanded, distrusting the firebender instinctively.

"I can't, it will hurt her to shuffle around too much." Iroh explained gently, holding me steadily against his chest.

I sighed this time in only exhaustion. The pain had finally faded away. My eyes drifted shut of their own accord and I drifted off to sleep.

I woke up a short time later laying on my stomach on one of Appa's furry legs.

"I can't take care of that kind of wound." I heard Katara admit.

"She won't be able to handle being jolted so much on the back of Appa." Aang agreed reluctantly.

"We should leave her here. Not let a firebender take her." Sokka interrupted saying firebender like it was a fithy word.

"Iroh said he could take care of her. He took care of Zuko's burn scar too." Katara interrupted.

"She won't like being ditched by us." Aang interjected.

"But if she goes with Zuko we'll probably meet up every other week. We can ask her how her burn is and just take her when it's healed enough for her to travel." Katara interjected a little bit of logic into the argument.

I agreed with Aang. I won't like being ditched by them.

"We'll have to let Iroh take care of her." Katara finally stated firmly.

I opened my eyes partially so they looked like they were still closed and watched Sokka and Aang's reactions.

Aang's resolve faltered first. "Okay."

Sokka looked reluctant, but then looked over at my "sleeping" body and nodded his head in acceptance.

Iroh appeared around the corner, Zuko trailing behind looking exhausted. Katara stared warily at Zuko, but Zuko made no move to attack.

"Your decision?" Iroh asked, "We can't stay much longer or we'll be caught." He explained.

"We'll let you take Kiara, as long as you promise to treat her well, help her heal, and release her back to us when she is healed." Katara stated formally.

I saw a small serious smile spread across Iroh's face. "Of course."

He moved over to me and gently scooped me up into his arms again. I opened my eyes and stared at him blearily. Then closed them again, I knew I was safe with Iroh.

"Here." Katara muttered just loud enough for me to hear. She shuffled around handing my belongings over to Iroh and Zuko, as well as provisions for two weeks.

I blinked my eyes open and stared at Katara.

"Kovu?" I whispered worriedly.

"He'll come with us. We'll take care of him." Aang said instantly soothing my worries.

"Tell him to behave." I whispered tiredly, slowly drifting back asleep even as Iroh began to move carrying me along.

I was set down on a soft pelt, stomach down to avoid irritating the burns on my back.

"I'm surprised that even now you're not trying to capture the avatar." I heard Iroh remark before I fell asleep completely.

A/n: Oh god. I have no idea where that came from. It was out of left field and I really have no clue why I wrote it. But I can't bring myself to rewrite it. Kiara now has an injury that will impede her movements some and draw attention to her arms. She is also now traveling with Zuko and Iroh.

Next: the story will be officially turned into three different stories. This is the end of book one, a nice even 25 chapters. I will be renaming the story Paradox Book One: Water, as soon as I post the first chapter of the sequel. I will also mark this story as complete when I post the first chapter of the next story.

Everyone review and tell me what you think. Please don't flame me for this chapter. I hope this story will still keep you reading.

P.S. Book 2 is up! Check the sequel out!