Chapter 25
Tuesday, surprisingly, went off without a hitch. No spies came at them, no mysterious poison darts were shot at them, and, probably best of all, no feeling like they were being watched. No one bothered the Gaang all day, which was a relief. It saved everyone in the group from a headache. But they knew it wasn't going to last. It was Wednesday when things took a bad turn.
Aang was walking down the hallway, on his way to lunch. He had wanted to finish his homework based off of World War II for History class, and had told his friends to go ahead without him, saying he would catch up with them. They had hesitated, not wanting to leave him alone, especially Katara; but then they had left Aang to work in the library. He was a History nerd, and they knew he wanted to get his homework done sooner rather than later. The assignment wasn't due until Friday, but he had wanted to get it done and out of the way to make more time for something important; mainly Katara.
The colorful halls were deserted save for him, the sound of his sneakers echoing around him. Everyone was either at lunch or in their classes, entertaining themselves to keep from being bored while others listened intently to the teachers' lectures. While he was looking through his report yet again to make sure there were no misspelled words or words put together without spaces, his nerves started tingling like they always did when he was being followed, watched, or a combination of both.
He stopped and whirled around, his heart pounding, and came face to face with a girl of fifteen with brown eyes and hair with a blunt bang. He backed away at the same time she did, almost dropping his papers before maintaining his grip on them. The last thing he needed was to make a mess.
The girl looked at him with wide apologetic eyes. "Uh, sorry," she said, rubbing her arm and looking down, the perfect picture of nervousness. "I didn't mean to frighten you. You were alone and I thought you could use some company." Then she looked at him curiously, tilting her head slightly. "What are you doing out here?"
For some reason, his nerves were out of control. When he looked at her, his stomach did weird flip flops; but they were more for warning than anything else. He looked around, straining his ears, trying to find the source of this discomfort. But there was nothing except for the two of them as far as he could tell. He turned back to the girl. "Uh, I was on my way to lunch. I was finishing some homework." He didn't know why, but he felt the need to keep quiet. His instincts told him so.
The girl smiled as what seemed to be realization struck her face. "Oh! That happens to you too, huh? I do the same thing. I was headed to lunch myself. My name's On Ji, by the way."
Aang looked around again as the discomort grew stronger along with alarm bells ringing in his mind before looking back into her brown eyes. "My name's Aang," he introduced himself, not wanting to be rude. But what in the name of Zeus was wrong with him? He mentally slapped himself. Great, now the next thing that would happen was that he would start saying 'gods' instead of 'Spirits'. He was turning into a Greek geek.
He came out of his random thoughts as On Ji said, "Well, maybe since we're both going the same way, would you like to walk there together?"
His stomach clenched painfully, like it was demanding him to decline her offer. The internal bells became louder, almost deafening him. He studied her. She looked innocent enough, and people, even complete strangers, walked to the cafeteria together all the time. There was nothing to worry about. So he took a quick breath to calm down and shrugged, trying for a smile. It didn't feel right. "Sure. We better get going." On Ji nodded and they started walking down the hall. Aang was feeling jittery, and he kept glancing behind his back as if someone was watching them. The halls were empty still, but Aang was having a bad feeling, yet he didn't know why.
When they were halfway to the cafeteria, On Ji stumbled and Aang, on pure instinct, caught her around the waist to steady her. On Ji clung onto his shirt to keep from falling flat on her face. They stayed in that position for a few seconds before she looked up at him with wide eyes. Aang stared at her with worry. "Um… are you okay On-" The next thing he knew, On Ji's lips were on his with a hungry force.
'Something's wrong. Something's wrong!' The thought repeated itself in Katara's worried mind, like an echo in a deep cave. Aang still hasn't shown up, and Katara was getting all the more worried. Her leg bouncing, she looked at the clock yet again. Where was he? There was about twenty minutes left of lunch, and Katara barely ate. Her nerves were frazzled, her heart and soul yearning for their other half.
Toph, noticing, and feeling, her nervous energy, touched the girl's arm and Katara jumped as if she had been electrified. Despite her blind eyes, Toph had a rare look of concern. "Are you okay, Katara?" she asked softly.
She swallowed the nervous lump in her throat before she could reply. "Yeah. I'm… I'm just worried."
Toph snorted at her. "I can tell. Your leg is still bouncing." It took every ounce of willpower Katara had to stop her bouncing leg. When she did, Toph nodded in satisfaction. "That's better. It was starting to drive me nuts." Despite herself, Katara laughed quietly and Toph smiled. But the worry was just too great and the laughter stopped almost as soon as it had started. Then Toph asked, "What are you worried about?"
Katara took a deep breath and let it out on a sigh. "Aang," she answered softly. "He was supposed to be here by now. We shouldn't have left him. Not with Jet and his spies all over the place. What if someone attacks him and we won't know about it until…" She couldn't finish that sentence, not wanting to think about it. It hurts, and she regrets not staying with him. She should have insisted on staying with Aang, then maybe she wouldn't feel like a wreck.
Toph placed her hand on Katara's shoulder. "I wouldn't worry too much. Twinkle Toes can handle himself. If he can take on six guys at once, then he can fight some scum if they have the nerve to attack him."
Katara looked at the table, thinking through her words. She didn't want to remind Toph that Aang had almost been killed that day because Jet, as she had realized days ago that he was the person who had tried to stab Aang's back, was sneakier than anyone thought. But she had the feeling that Toph knew that already, but she was trying to convince Katara that since they were in school, the team was safer. Maybe they were if they were together, but separated… She didn't finish that thought either. Striving to gain some semblance of confidence, Katara took a deep breath before saying, "Okay. You're right. I just want him here."
"I know," she replied gently. "It won't be much longer, I'm sure."
Katara nodded and glanced at the clock again. It was then that her stomach clenched, making her feel suddenly sick. She supressed a groan by pressing her lips together. Then the emotions hit her like a hurricane: anger, disgust, surprise, sadness. Aang. It has to be him because she knew these emotions were not hers. Her heart hammering with her own fear, she stood up and everyone looked at her. She said, "Um, I'll be right back." And before anyone could say something, she was already moving away, exiting out of the cafeteria into the halls.
Her nerves were spiraling out of control. Feeling a little dizzy, she closed her eyes tightly and placed a hand to her forehead. 'Aang, where are you?' she asked herself, and a felt a whizzing sensation in her mind. The next thing she knew, a scene came into it. Aang was there with someone, a girl not much older than herself, maybe younger. And she was kissing him with ferocity. Katara could feel Aang's emotions more clearly, filling her and cutting into her heart. Disgust was dominant, followed by anger as second. She could see he was trying to push the girl off, but she seemed stronger than she looked.
And she suddenly knew where he was, and the vision disappeared. The next thing she knew, her feet were taking her to him, her heart and soul leading. When she got close enough, Katara could hear the struggle. Popping her head around the corner, she saw Aang finally managing to push the girl off. He dodged when she came to him again while wiping his mouth.
Panting, he demanded, "What are you doing?" He felt sick to his stomach. He doesn't even know this girl, and On Ji certainly doesn't know him.
On Ji snorted, stalking him slowly, causing him to back away from her. "Don't act like you didn't like it," she said softly, seductively while coming closer.
Aang continued backing away until his back hit the wall. For the first time since their meeting, Aang felt panic. Trying to stay calm, he said the only thing that came to his mind. "I have a girlfriend, On Ji; a girlfriend I love very much. There isn't anything between you and me." Katara could hear the honesty in his voice, but she could feel his panic when this On Ji person came closer. She knew he felt uncomfortable as well.
On Ji laughed softly. "You mean Katara? Please; she's nothing compared to me." She ran her hands on his chest, fingering the necklace. "Did she make this for you?"
Aang ducked under her arms and moved away, clasping the necklace in a protective manner. Anger surged through him. "Don't touch it!" he nearly yelled, glaring at her. "No one is allowed to except for-" Then her words sank in, and felt his face pale and turn cold. "H-how did you know about Katara?" he whispered with wide eyes.
On Ji shrugged. "Does it matter? She's worthless. Not worth anything." Then she thought for a second. "Well… let's just say, I have ways of knowing."
He stared at her as realization came to him. Aang couldn't breathe or move as she came closer, very slowly like a lion stalking a gazelle. She touched his chest again, over his pounding heart, and said lowly, "Come on; you know you want me."
He backed away from her again as raw black anger and hatred swamped him. Now he knew what was going on; Jet sent On Ji to cause Aang and Katara to break up. If it wasn't for the fact that he was in love with Katara, the scheme might have worked. His instincts had told him to stay away from her; but he had basically ignored them, and now On Ji was trying to seduce him into the trap.
Aang shook his head when she started toward him. "No!" he said with force. She stopped abruptly and stared at him as he continued. "I don't like you, love you, or want you. No one can take Katara's place. She's not just my girlfriend; she's my best friend, the only one who truly understands me and what I've been through."
Aang's voice had softened as love warmed him, melting Katara as well. She really didn't deserve him; he was too perfect, no matter what he claims. That was when Katara decided to come out, revealing herself. On Ji's back was to her, but Aang saw her, and felt a huge surge of relief. She flashed him a quick smile before glaring at On Ji's back as she walked up to her. She tapped the girl on her shoulder and she whirled around in surprise. Katara crossed her arms. "And what do you think you're doing trying to steal my boyfriend?" she asked calmly, her eyes raging like a storm ridden ocean. She had snuck into Aang's mind when he had realized why the girl was here, although Katara had suspected it when she saw the vision.
Despite being at least five inches shorter than her, On Ji lifted her chin to glare at her. "It's none of you're business. Besides, he came onto me. So you should be asking him why he was cheating on you."
Aang tensed, staring at her before glancing at Katara. She looked at him, feeling his stare. He was silently telling her that On Ji was lying, that he would never do that to her. She meant too much to him, and Aang loved her with everything he was. But Katara didn't need to hear it. She had seen the whole thing play out. Katara already knew On Ji was lying.
Without responding, Katara turned back to On Ji with a blank face. "I want you to leave, and to stay away from us. And tell Jet that he can't break our bond with our friends." She gestured for Aang to follow her, and he practically ran to her side before they turned their backs on the stunned girl. On Ji stayed as she was for a few seconds before pulling out a small blade, almost four inches long, out of her jeans pocket. They knew, and Jet had told her if they found out her purpose, she was to kill Katara.
Lifting the knife, On Ji creeped toward them at a quick but quiet pace. Aang felt his heart racing as he heard almost inaudible footsteps coming towards them. Oddly enough, Katara sensed the threat a second or two before he did, for she whirled around and grabbed the knife hand that had lifted to strike. He turned to see a shocked On Ji staring at his infuriated girlfriend. Katara's dark glare even made him scared. If he was the spy, he would have ran like the Devil was after him.
Katara looked straight into On Ji's eyes. "Big mistake," she said quietly before twisting around behind her, bringing the hand knife behind her back. On Ji had no choice but to drop it with a yelp of pain. It clattered to the floor, glinting dangerously. Katara swung her around and threw her away. On Ji stumbled before regaining her balance. She took a stance after Katara did. The only bad thing about this hallway was, in Katara's case anyway, there were no cameras around. It was completely bare save for the elemental colors and different posters. No wonder On Ji made this spot her attacking point.
The spy made the first move. She ran toward Katara and threw a right fist at her face. Katara dodged by ducking while sweeping her leg against On Ji's, causing the girl to fall. But she rolled away and was up a second later. Aang was about to jump in when Katara anticipated it and said 'No Aang. This is my fight.' He frowned but stepped back to his spot to continue watching.
On Ji came at her again with a Karate Chop to the head, which Katara blocked with her forearm. They kept the sequence up: On Ji attacking, Katara dodging without getting hit. She remembered what Aang had told them at practice which seemed so long ago: 'Ba Gua is about being evasive; wait for your opponent to weaken themselves before striking back." She was doing exactly that: letting her opponent tire herself.
Some time later, Katara could tell that On Ji was getting more tired with every punch and kick she threw, and anger was starting to show on her flushed face, making her more sloppy with her attacks. When Katara knew On Ji was too tired, she made her move. When the younger girl threw another sloppy punch, Katara dodged, balanced herself, then spun on her left foot, raising the other one, and kicked On Ji's shoulder, knocking her down. It was the same kick she had done to Aang.
She felt a twinge of guilt before it was gone like a blown out candle. On Ji, who was wincing and trying to hide it without any success, looked up when a shadow fell over her, and saw Katara standing over her with a blank face. "Leave," Katara said quietly, and it was then that On Ji became more frightened than ever before in her life. That one quiet word sounded more threatening than a yell, and she scrambled to her feet, backed away from the couple, then spun around and half ran, half limped away. She turned a corner and was gone from sight.
Katara waited to make sure she was gone before taking a deep breath and turning around to see Aang staring at her in amazement. His face then became a relief filled one as he came over to embrace her. Nothing mattered except for the girl in his arms. She hugged him back, smelling his earthy scent, melting into him as always. But then he tensed and let go of her as sadness crept into him. Katara looked almost hurt, and he felt a pang of guilt.
He took a breath and asked, "How much did you see? How did you know where I was?"
She thought about her words carefully. She can feel him bracing himself. Taking a breath, Katara answered, "I had the feeling that something was wrong. I was extremely worried because you hadn't shown up yet. I felt guilty that I didn't try to persuade you to let me stay. It was gnawing at me. After Toph tried to reasure me that you can handle yourself, I suddenly felt sick, and I left. I knew you were in trouble then."
Aang took a deep breath to steady himself. Then asked, "How did you know?"
Katara looked him in the eyes. "Through a vision. I saw you and On Ji kissing."
He winced. She might as well have shot him. Looking at her pleadingly, he said, "Katara, I swear I didn't start that. She came onto me. She seemed friendly, but my instincts told me otherwise. I should have listened to them and stayed away from her. You have to believe me Katara, I didn't cheat on you. I love you too much to do that to you. Jet sent her to break us up. I swear I tried pushing her off but-" He was interrupted by a pair of lips on his, and this time he gave in willingly. Katara's kiss caused his nervous energy to evaporate into nothingness. They wrapped their arms around one another, bringing each other close.
After an eternity, Katara pulled away smiling. Aang stared at her with half lidded, love struck eyes, causing her to giggle. Her hands went to his cheeks and she stroked them. "Don't worry," she said softly, eyes on his. "I already knew what you felt. I heard your confession." She smiled wider at him when he looked confused. "You're my best friend too. And in the vision, I saw you were trying to fight her off. I don't get jealous that quickly."
They laughed quietly for a few moments, keeping each other close. Aang moved a piece of her hair out of her face. "I love you," he murmured.
Katara chuckled. "I love you too." Aang moved his lips close to hers and she moved her head back with a mischievous smile. "Trying to kiss me again? What; you want to wipe the memory of On Ji's lips on yours?"
Aang groaned, leaning his forehead on hers. "You have no idea how much I want that memory gone."
She laughed before bringing her face closer to his. "Well then; I'll be happy to erase it." Aang grinned and kissed her deeply, loving how they fit together, body and soul. Having Katara here made everything better, less complicated. He was so lucky to have her. She was just so beautiful; inside and out. He didn't deserve her, yet he couldn't live without her by his side. Katara felt the same way; thinking Aang was like a god from the Mythology book and she just a mere mortal he had fallen in love with.
They broke apart with sparkling eyes, slightly out of breath. Then Katara said, "We should get to the lunch room. Maybe we can get you something really quick to eat."
Right on cue, Aang's stomach growled. He rubbed it as they laughed. "Sounds good! Watching you fight has made me more hungry." Katara snorted as Aang grabbed her hand and they started back the way Katara had come from. "By the way," he added, grinning stupidly, "nice job back there. I give you an A+!"
She laughed again, shaking her head. "Well," she choked out, "thank you, Master."
He bowed his head. "You're quite welcome, Pupil." Laughing, they went into the cafeteria, forgetting about the blade on the floor.
Later on, before the end of school, On Ji had reported back to Jet at the hideout, telling him about her encounter with Aang in the main building's lobby. The more she talked, the angrier he seemed to get. By the time she was done, Jet was pacing like an agitated animal in its cage. On Ji was feeling nervous because she knew what would happen next. People who had disappointed Jet's father in any assignment was never heard from again, and since he was Edwardo's son, he might do the same thing to On Ji. That made her shaky, but she hid it rather well.
He stopped behind the desk, his straight back turned to her. She can see the hands clasped together there. "You didn't fulfill the mission," he stated quietly. That was when On Ji knew Jet was beyond angry. His quiet voice held power, and that power pulsed with rage. His jaw clenched, and he took a deep breath to loosen it. "Montauk figured out what you were doing, and Yatsunoma discovered the same reason later."
On Ji swallowed hard, but the lump wouldn't go away. She tried to speak. "I… I followed w-what you had… ordered. But-but they were too smart."
Jet stayed where he was, as if he hadn't heard her, and continued. "You didn't kill or wound her like you were told, On Ji. Why didn't you? Why did you fail?"
The girl was near tears when she answered. " Sh-she was t-too quick for m-me. S-she stopped me be-before I c-could stab h-her."
Suddenly Jet whirled around and slammed a hand to the desk with a curse. He stared at her with rage boiling in his already overheated blood. "You couldn't even do this simple assignment!" he yelled, making her flinch and step back. She had seen his anger before; but this was on a whole new level of mad. He ran his other hand through his hair in agitation. "I gave you the simple task to break the couple up, and what do you do? You forget to check around to be sure you and Aang were alone. The guy who had recorded the kissing scene was on his way to the cafeteria, but soon learned that Katara had gone almost as soon as you kissed Montauk." Another spy had followed Aang and On Ji with a small video camera. The plan had been to show the recording to Katara to get her to break up with her boyfriend. It was the oldest trick in the book. But it would have worked had things turned out the way they had wanted it.
On Ji tried to reply. "But I did try to get the plan moving. If Yatsunoma hadn't arrived, I would have-"
Stinging pain flared up in her cheek and she fell to the floor, the breath rushing out of her lungs, leaving her disoriented. Jet had walked around the desk and had slapped her hard enough to leave a mark. His dark eyes looked black as midnight with no moon or stars when they stared at her. "That's all you ever think about: yourself. You never thought about the company or its needs. You were supposed to be the best seducer here; yet you couldn't even get Aang to fall for you. If you weren't so valuable to me…" He let the thought trail off. But he knew wouldn't follow on that threat. He was just stressed out. And he didn't mean to hit On Ji; he just needed to release some of his anger. Now he was regretting it. Looking at her red cheek and fear ridden eyes, his own eyes softened just a little as he walked over to her. On Ji flinched as he lifted her off of the ground to her feet; then winced when he gently touched the red hand print that was forming. She tried to gulp down her tears, but she whimpered as they came out anyway. Jet was going to kill her; she just knew it. There had been too many mistakes regarding the killing of the Gaang. His dad was a killer, and Edwardo would have shot her between the eyes before she could even try to defend herself.
But he surprised her by gently kissing her bruising cheek and softly saying, "I'm sorry, On Ji. My temper got the better of me. I didn't mean to hit you. But Montauk is driving my sanity away. He should have died that day with his parents."
He stared into her brown eyes, his warming a little more. A rush of relief flooded through her. On Ji understood where Jet was coming from. She had lost her mother due to a driving accident. Her father had left them when she had been only two years old. Jet was practically the only family she had.
The truth: she liked him quite a bit, despite the fact that he had hit her. But he apologies later for it, like he was doing now. It's not his fault he ended up like this. Jet's Mom had died from cancer; his father was sent to prison. He had no other family, and the guy has very few people he can trust. On Ji felt honored because he trusted her most. He had told her things that no one has ever known, nor will they ever.
She bit her lip and thought for second. Stress relief; that's what he needed. And she knew the perfect way to do so. "It's okay, Jet," she said softly, bring her perfect body closer to his sculpted one. "You're tired and stressed. I don't blame you. But you need to relax." As she spoke, her hands ran over his chest, and she could feel his heart starting to pound. Maybe he wasn't a total machine after all. She brought her semi full lips close to his ear. "I can help with that; would it make you feel better?" She bit his lobe, earning a groan from him.
He grabbed her straight, long, luscious brown hair in his fist and brought her face to his. The way he was looking at her made her shiver and grip his shirt tighter. His gaze was smoldering her, melting On Ji into a puddle. "What did you have in mind?" he whispered.
She brought her lower body to his, feeling his need. Laughing softly when he moaned low in his throat she said, "I think you know." Then she kissed him, licking his lower lip, which he opened immediately. Jet held her body close, loving the feel of her pressed against his body. He wasn't sure what he felt for her, but he knew it was more than lust. She made him feel more human, something he had almost forgotten about. Whatever the feeling was, it was deep. Maybe when all of this is over, he'll know then.
On Ji knew that, even when Katara and her were fighting, she would not have been able to take the sixteen year olds life. One of the reasons being that Smellerbee had gotten to her. On Ji had never been comfortable with what she was doing, but Jet had convinced her to stay. The next thing they knew, the two of them became close, like best friends. Then Jet had taken her out to dinner, and they became somewhat like a couple. He had kissed her, unable to help himself for some reason. Maybe it was from guilt because he had learned about her fun side, her bubbly side that had touched him.
When he had first kissed her that night, something tugged at his heart. He had shrugged it off, but he had kissed her again a few days later after a lunch date, and the foreign tug came again. Now, standing here kissing her again after being together for a few months, the emotion tugged again, demanding attention.
Jet shoved her against the wall, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, both of them clinging to each other. He trailed his lips down her neck and throat, her moaning all the time. He broke away to look into her hot gaze, matching his own. "Let's do this somewhere more privately," he whispered huskily as some foreign emotion he couldn't describe took over again. He felt he was, oddly, on clouds. He felt that emotion, along with tenderness, creep into his cold heart, warming it, blazing it to life. What was happening to him? He asked himself that as On Ji nodded, jumped down as he backed away, and they both headed upstairs to his private room. Maybe he really did have some feelings left inside him. For the first time in a long time, Jet felt hope.
Yes; even Jet has some warmth. Do you guys know what it happening to him? It doesn't take a genious to figure it out. Sorry if I made On Ji seem like a whore, but she's not. She only talks like one when information was needed. And sorry for the pairing, but I didn't want to make Ty Lee like that. She's too perky. Anyway, I enjoyed writing this, and oh my gods, On Ji in converted to good too? Go Smellerbee! Lol. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Told you there would he some action. Keep reading please and leave comments. They keep me going; that and the fun for writing. And again; ooh my gods! Over 100 reviews! You guys are so awesome; I love you all! Please keep them coming! Much appreciate it!