Well, here is chapter eight! Sorry for the shortness. Enjoy!
Chapter Eight.
Pirates and Pain
"Appa's tired, Sokka. Surely just a little rest won't hurt your 'master schedule'." Aang reasoned for the umpteenth time. We had been flying continuously the whole day yesterday and through the night this morning, stopping once or twice for bathroom breaks. It was a tiring journey for me, my back stiff. Despite loving flying on Appa, I wanted to stand and stretch.
Sokka let out an exasperated sigh, closing his eyes and rubbing his temples. After a few seconds, I was positive he was going to say no, once again, for the hundredth time. But instead, his eyes opened and he stared down, over Appa, "Fine. But, as long as he's doing something productive. Land him in the water and we can swim towards the city." Appa let out a deep rumble, and Sokka rolled his eyes, "Yeah yeah yeah. You're welcome. But don't even think about licking me or eating me after this."
Aang seemed happy about this, too. He quickly landed Appa in the ocean, which we had been leisurely flying over for hours. As the bison hit the water, a large wave arose from where he landed, the ripples disappearing into the distance. The Airbender patted Appa's head, murmuring words that I could not hear before standing, stretching. I did the same, hearing my back crack appreciatively at this.
The sun beat down warmly onto us. It was a beautiful day. It wasn't too hot, yet not too cold. It was the perfect temperature. The salt-smelling ocean breeze foamed over me, leaving me drowsy and drifting off into a nice slumber.
"Yes! I am the almighty Avatar, here to save you from the stupid, good-for-nothing Firenation!" Olin yelled reaching forward and scooping me up in his thin, scrawny nine year old arms. I squirmed, giggling loudly as he tickled my stomach until it hurt from lack of breathing. I was only seven, and half the size of my older brother. He was my best friend.
"No,I am the Avatar! Coming to save you!" I declared, squirming my way out of his arms and onto my feet. I kicked the air, fighting imaginary Firenation soldiers, swatting at 'them' feebly with my small arms. Suddenly, one of our grandmother's expensive plates fell from it's spot on cabinet, shattered into pieces of the wood floor. Olin and I both stopped, freezing, our eyes wide as we stared at the broken glass to each other, scared out of our wits.
Before either of us could move, there was Grandma, lumbering over us, her wrinkles deeply encrusted into her facial features, deeming her much more scary that I originally thought. I shrunk backwards behind Olin, feeling tears spilling out of my eyes.
"V-Vinca did it!" Olin screeched, moving to expose me. Traitor! I thought, staring wide-eyed up at my grandmother, expecting a hand to make contact with my face any moment now. Grandma wasn't the beating type, but this was her expensive plates we were talking about.
Instead of that, though, she reached now, picking me up in her arms. Her eyes searched my face as I stiffened, wondering what she was going to do. She smiled, shaking her head slowly. "I saw, Vinca. It's alright. You're special." I stared at her, confused. But, my mind was filled with happiness that I had been forgiven, and I only smiled back. "Now, let's get this cleaned up."
I awoke with a start, blinking against the sunlight as I regained my breathing. What a strange, totally random and unexpected dream. I relaxed against Appa's saddle, trying to push the memory away. The dream was from my childhood, which was uneventful. How had I remembered that sliver of a memory? Suddenly, a loud creak sounded behind me. Confused, I turned around, my eyes widening at the spectacle before me. What the hell…? What was a large ship doing so close to us? Then it clicked. We have been caught. It was a Firenation ship, at least it looked like one. And it was dangerously close.
"Aang-!" I let out a startled screech, just as a large, heavy duty net sprung over us, clouding my vision. It wasn't a net, it was more like an oversized burlap bag. I could still see, but only barely.
"Vinca?" Aang's familiar voice called out, and I heart him fumbling, along with the others. I felt hands on my shoulders, and through the dimness I recognized it as Aang. "What's…happening?" He asked, being interrupted mid-sentence as we lurched upwards.
"Aang! Get Appa to fly forward! We can get out of this!" Sokka yelled.
Aang's hand left my shoulders followed by a gust of air. "Yip Yip!" Aang encouraged Appa, and the bison flew forward. Nothing happened. The thing surrounding us only moved slightly. It was no use. We were trapped.
Just as quickly as the darkness appeared, it vanished. Sunlight engulfed us, leaving me temporarily blind. I felt rough hands shove me, and I stumbled backwards, getting my vision back. Gruff, mean, vicious looking men were around us in a large circle, glaring menacingly. They were dirty, covered in grim and dust, and some were roughly tying Appa in chains to hold him to the ship. He let out a growl.
"Let him go!" Aang hollered, stepping forward and sending a blast of air at the men. They fell backwards in various positions, while others held their ground, running forwards. Their long, sharpened swords glinted evilly in the sunlight.
"Pirates." Sokka muttered under his breath from his position beside me. He abruptly ran at them, taking out his boomerang. Scary, Sokka! I thought inwardly, but in this situation I didn't dare say it. The wooden object turned to be useful, though, as he flung it at some pirates heads.
Katara, on the other hand, was bending water from the ocean around us, shooting it at the men, freezing them to the ship. They were strong, though, and some of them broke through and continued to advance. Toph, on my other side, grabbed the deck, picking up a piece of metal. Katara hadn't been lying. She is a metalbender! I stared in awe, completely amazed. She hurled the chunks of metal at the unsuspecting pirates.
All the while I stood there like a turtle-duck. Make yourself useful! I commanded myself, and turned to my left, where pirates were outnumbering Sokka. I rushed forward, flicking my wrists, my eyes narrowed in concentration. Breath, I thought, Push. Adrenaline pumped through my veins as a gust of powerful wind swirled together, knocking down the pirates. Vinca:1, Pirates:0. I smiled in triumph. Sokka shot me an appreciative glance, and I smiled back, fueled by newfound energy.
A pirate swung a sword, aiming towards Katara's feet. Knocked away by me. Airbended by me. Now, I was running on pride, greedily snatching up any opportunity to bend. Oh, A pirate there? No problem. A flick of the wrist and he's gone, into the water.
As I was dodging an oncoming sword, I felt hands wrap around my stomach, crushing me. I gasped in surprise, but the sound came out like a gurgled shriek. I felt a cool, iron object press firmly onto my neck and I froze, the only movement coming my lungs, who were desperately trying to get back the oxygen that was dwindling.
"One more move and she's dead."
(Aang's POV, third person.)
The words echoed softly in the air and in his ears, making him come to a sudden stop. Aang sidestep swiftly, causing the pirate that was coming after him to fall overboard into the water below. His eyes searched the deck, resting on his friends. Sokka. Check. Toph. Check. Katara. Check. Vinca. Vinca? He stiffened, frantically searching for her. And when he finally found her, he did not relax.
She was held by a pirate, the captain, he assumed by the way the other pirates followed his command. One of his large arms were wrapped tightly around her stomach, cutting off her airflow. Her cheeks were pale as she struggled for air. She was froze to the spot, her feet in an awkward position. Aang suddenly went rigid as he saw the single silver dagger which was pressed against her neck with a firm, steady hand. Oh, no. Spirits…He mentally cursed, feeling weak in the knees. But he would not move. Even though there was a possibility that the pirate may be bluffing, he wouldn't risk it.
A wide, sickening smile crept onto the man's face. Aang didn't like violence, but this grin made him want to slap it off his face. The pirate stared straight at him, the smile growing wider. "Now that I have your attention, I'll give you a warm welcome, Avatar." He said, his voice raspy yet loud as it reached Aang's ears. Aang blinked, his eyes moving from the man's face to Vinca's, whose mouth was parted slightly as it drew in a small breath. She was much, much smaller than the large, pompous man. It looked like he could crush her, and he was.
"What do you want?" He asked, his voice coming out quietly compared to the pirate's. He straightened. "What do you want?" He yelled, this time his voice came out determined and confident. A lie to his emotions. He felt weak and helpless as he watched his friend falter without breathing. The blade moved slightly closer.
The pirate chuckled loudly, shifting his weight onto his other foot. This apparently allowed Vinca to breath a little bit better, as she immediately sucked in the air, the color returning to her cheeks. He didn't relax the grip or firmness of the dagger, though, but without the pressure to break skin. "Surrender, Avatar. And your little friend here won't be hurt."
Aang stared at her, feeling weak in the knees. Vinca stared back, her eyebrows knitted together in anger. She shook her head slightly, her mouth forming one word. No. She seemed so determined. She's willing to die for me. Aang realized, blinking. He couldn't let her do that. He would…surrender himself. And then find a way to escape. Right? Yes. Breathing in a deep breath, he nodded slightly, stepping forward. "Okay. Just…let her go."
The man was pleased. Aang heard Katara draw in a sharp breath, but he didn't turn to see her. He heard Toph say a quiet "no.", but he didn't acknowledge it. Sokka grunted in disbelief. The pirate nodded to his men, and they came forward with chains, the same evil grin on their face as well. Aang put his arms out, looking down.
"No!" A sudden shriek, and his eyes flickered upwards to her. Her teeth were clenched together. She had somehow broken away from the man's grip. Blood flowed lazily from a cut on her neck, bleeding into her shirt. Everyone froze, the pirate's glancing to each other, unsure of what to do. Vinca stared at him, appearing outraged. "Go-" She began. Her eyes widened and then suddenly rolled back in her head as her fell to the ground, the hilt of the knife sticking from her back.
Aang felt himself drift into another being.
Shit. Ugh. Spirits. Shit. Shit. Shit.
I let out a little moan, rising from unconsiousness for the 5th time that hour, and hopefully the last. I squeezed my eyes even tighter shut, not really wanting to open them. Would I be tied up in chains with the stupid pirates, or flying on Appa? I hoped it was the second one. Begged it was. Prayed it was.
"Vinca?" I heard Katara ask. It sounded far off, distant. It echoed in my ears. Lady luck was looking my way, apparently. "Vinca, open your eyes, please." She encouraged. I sighed. "Vinca." Her voice was stern, and I could almost feel the frown on her face as she hovered over me. "We're worried. Just, please, open your eyes."
I exhaled again, opening my eyes slowly, expecting sunlight to be glaring down on me. But surprisingly, it was only the soft glow of the moon that met my eyes. I opened them all the way, blinking a few times as they adjusted to the dimness. I felt Katara relax beside me, and turned my head slightly to see her knelt down to my side, her blue eyes narrowed in concentration. A bowl of water was beside her.
"What happened?" I asked, moving a hand over my forehead. It was really warm. My voice came out raspy, like I have been yelling for hours on the end. It hurt to speak. I let my eyes wander around to see a small fire to my left a little ways, with Toph and Sokka around it, talking quietly. I ignored the pang of fear of the flames, and suddenly felt panicked. "W-Where's Aang?" Katara's frown deepened as her eyes flickered away. Please don't let him be hurt. Spirits, please. No… I felt my heartbeat become faster, pounding loudly in my chest. "Where is he?" I asked again harshly, rising quickly into a sitting position. A sudden flash of pain shot through my back and I winced, breathing in sharply as I fell back onto my back.
Katara looked back to me, helping me into a less painful position. "Don't move, you're hurt." She told me, shaking her head. "And, Aang's fine…it's just, he…" She seemed distracted. "Don't worry about it right now. Let me heal you."
I relaxed, closing my eyes again as I felt a cooling sensation engulf my body. It focused around the cut on my neck. I knew that I was lucky that the knife didn't cut a vein and kill me. It was stupid for me to run forward like that. I couldn't let Aang do that for me, though. But what happened after that? I knitted my eyebrows together in confusion. I opened my eyes. "Katara…what happened? After Aang surrendered himself?"
She drew the water from the cut and back into the bowl. "Well, you…um, came forward and…yeah." She hesitated. "Then Aang went into the Avatar State. And we escaped."
"Barely!" Sokka snorted from my left.
"Oh. So…everyone's okay?" I asked.
"Yes. Well, except you." Katara blinked, bending a string of water with one hand.
I rolled my eyes, "I'm fine. I only got cut a little bit on my neck. Nothing to worry about. See, I'm perfectly fine!" I pointed to my neck, rising into a sitting position again. I felt the pain returned and flinched backwards, cursing under my breath as I gasped.
Katara helped me lay back down. "No, you're not. The pirate that was holding you threw the knife at your back. Luckily, it didn't go all the way in or hit a nerve. I've healed it a little bit…" She bit her lower lip.
"Okay. Then why aren't we flying towards Ba Sing Se?"
"I wanted to wait until you were awake until we moved you. I'm guessing we'll leave in the morning?" She glanced towards Sokka, "Or whenever Aang comes…" She looked down. "Hopefully he comes soon. You're cut…it's infected. We don't have any bandages."
I looked up quickly, "Where is Aang at?"
Katara dropped the water back into the bowl. "He's at the edge of the clearing. He has been meditating for hours. I've tried to talk to him…we all have…but he won't respond. I don't know what's wrong." Her voice shook slightly as she exhaled, shaking her head. "Here, let me help you sit up. Time for another healing session on your back."
I let her move me, and let my mind go numb as thoughts buzzed through it.
I force myself to awake. It is dawn, as the sun peeks through the trees, refreshing me even though I'm dead-tired. I rub my eyes as I encourage myself awake. Exhaling softly, I glance around the edges of the clearing. A single silhouette stands out against the soft sunlight. His back is hunched slightly, his head in his hands. I pulled myself to my feet, shakily rocking back, but steadying myself eventually. Clenching my teeth together, I ignore the screaming pain in my back and hobble over. I lower myself beside him, pulling my knees up to my chest, hugging them.
We sat in silence before he speaks.
"V-Vinca…I-I-I'm sorry." He stammers into his hands, not looking up. His body shakes, and I turn to him, placing a hand on his shoulders. His shaking stops. Aang looks up at me. His lips are in a frown, his eyes distraught.
"It's fine, Aang." I murmur, offering a small smile. What was he beating himself up about? That'd I have got hurt? It wasn't worth it. I felt my smile falter as he broke our gaze, closing his eyes.
Aang looked sharply up, shrugging my hand off suddenly, turning his whole body away, his face in his hands again. "It's not 'fine'. Don't act like everything's okay!" He yelled, his voice cracking. I moved for that I was face-to-face with him. He wouldn't meet my eyes, he kept them downcast.
"Stop it! I can't stand for you to…be this way!" I growled, moving my hand in a dismissive way, shaking my head. "Whatever you're mad about, it's ok-ay. Just…stop." I said in a softer tone, forcing him to meet my eyes. "Please."
His hands fell from his face in defeat. Aang let out a sigh, his eyes resting on mine, "You got hurt because of me, Vinca. I should've done something. Anything." He insisted, his fingers running through the grass underneath of them. I watched them absent-mindedly.
Snorting, I rested my back against a tree, looking up. The trees fluttered softly in the wind. Cat-birds meowed and chirped in branches around us. Adverting my eyes, I looked past Aang to where Appa was, the fire down to it's embers, the others still asleep. Momo was poking at something on the ground. Finally, I let my eyes travel back to Aang. "It was my fault. I shouldn't have let him capture me. I shouldn't have let them capture us." I protested, my voice quiet. I didn't feel like arguing with him any longer.
"No-"
"Yes. Please. Stop. Let's just forget it." I sighed.
"Okay. Forgetting." He smiled, and I laughed. "I am sorry, though."
I coughed, raising an eyebrow, "Forget it, Aang!"
He laughed, "Consider it forgot!" He paused, looking at me with curious, worried eyes, "But…are you okay? How…bad…is it?"
I shrugged, looking away. "It isn't bad at all." I lied, feeling a pang of guilt. It was for his own good. My own good. "Katara said I'll be as good as new in a few days!" I didn't mention the said infection, or the fact that is hurt with every breath.
Aang exhaled softly, relaxing. "That's good. Really good. I thought it would be worse." His smile returned, even wider, his eyes glinting in the sun. I felt my heart swell.
I returned the smile, "Yeah." I swallowed, motioning towards the others, who were beginning to wake up. Sokka stood up, scratching his head as he chugged water. "I think we are leaving this morning."
Aang leapt to his feet swiftly with a gust of wind, landing gracefully on his feet. He stuck out a hand for me, and I gently took it, and he helped me to my feet. I felt a blush creep onto my cheeks with the sudden contact, and ducked my head in an attempt to hide it. "Race you to Appa!" He yelled, laughing as he took off.
I took a deep breath, following him, the pain stabbing me in the back. But the only thing that mattered was that Aang was back.
I just want to give a shoutout to Mastermind416! Thank you so much. You have been a real big help! (: