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Chapter 26

Save Her

Things are getting out of hand. It wasn't supposed to happen this way. I have to get to her before the others do. What as Aang thinking? It was Zuko that was supposed to fight Ozai. At least then it would have been someone who had already sworn themselves to protect the people. Now Aang is . . . . I'm not going to let the same thing happen to her. I refuse to let it happen!

Rou's thoughts as he moved passed his increasingly hostile allies were suddenly interrupted with a well-placed strike intended for his solar plexus. Instinctively he side stepped the attack and entered his battle stance. To both his relief and dismay, Rou was now starring down a very stern faced Ty Lee. In an instant he analyzed her wide stance, located her center of gravity, determined her weight distribution and observed the relaxed state of her muscles. Someone had been teaching her.

"Thank goodness I found you," he said unconcerned. "Ty Lee, we have to get you out of here. Come with me and I can sneak you out one of the side exits."

As he reached for her she pushed his wrist outward and tried to strike between his shoulder and chest. He easily deflected the attack, but stared at her with concern.

"Ty Lee, you can't win here," he told her. "Let me protect you. Please."

"No."

Ty Lee's voice was calm and even. He could hear no anger or fear in it. She answered as easily and plainly as if she had been asked if the sky was green.

"You don't understand," Rou pleaded. "All of you will end up like Aang if you fight."

"You're the one who doesn't understand, Rou," Ty Lee replied.

Had he not seen the muscles in her leg tense, Rou might not have expected her to leap at him the way she did. It was simple enough for him to side step the sudden advance, but he could not bring himself to attack her exposed side. In the single moment of hesitation that he provided, Ty Lee attempted to capitalize with a sweep to his legs. Just before Rou's feet left the ground to escape the attack, a glint caught his eye. Reacting solely on his natural reflexes, Rou changed the direction of his escape less than a second before two sharp blades flew past his arm. Returning to his stance he turned his gaze to Mai who stood several paces from the fight. Her arms were at her sides, but her eyes were coldly focused on him.

Clever, he thought. Ty Lee can't compete with me directly, but Mai can run interference. I may have to do something about her in order to get Ty Lee out safely.

"You're not focused," Ty Lee said as her fist grazed his shoulder.

Rou began to counter instinctively before he caught sight of another volley from Mai. At the rate things were going, he was either going to have to put Mai down or wait for her to run out of weapons. Unfortunately, the more time he took the more danger Ty Lee was in. Who knew how long Ozai would be distracted by his son's fight with that loose cannon Zhao.

Getting around Ty Lee without hitting her was proving to be more of a challenge than he had thought. Her movements were quick and nearly flawless. The years of gymnastics paired with whatever training she had received gave her remarkable control over her body's movements. On top of that, whenever Rou did manage to find an opening he was met with more of Mai's hidden weapons. The strategy the two of them had worked out was taxing his precious time. If he did not move quickly it would all be pointless.

Sorry, Ty Lee, he thought. As her next attack slid past his face, Rou landed a gentle blow to the back of her shoulder and another to the base of her hips. Ty Lee staggered for a moment and her body shook as though she had been struck with a Taser. The effect was momentary, but it left her arm and legs numb just long enough for Rou to focus his attention on Mai.

Blade after blade whizzed past his arms and legs. Mai was clearly trying not to hit anything vital which made reaching her that much easier. She raised one of her blades and slashed at him with it, but she was less skilled at hand to hand than Ty Lee was. Rou easily halted her attack and proceeded to incapacitate her in a similar manner as Ty Lee. The shocking sensation that coursed through her arms was much more intense than he had used on Ty Lee, leaving her hands trembling even after he released his grip on her.

"What did you do to me?" Mai demanded as a blade fell from her weakening grip.

"I forced my chi into your body," he replied. "My chi overwhelmed yours and interrupted your ability to control your body."

"Ridiculous," Mai scowled. "There's no such thing as 'chi' or 'auras'."

"Then consider it an over amped application of the electric synapses from the nerves in my body," Rou replied calmly. "Whatever you call it, I have been able to affect other peoples' bodies through direct contact from a young age. You will not be able to interfere further."

"You won't win, Rou," Ty Lee said.

"Rou felt another glancing blow on the inside of his arm. He reacted by pushing her fist away, but could not counter before she leaped from his range.

"I have to win," he told her. "For your sake, I cannot lose."

Ty Lee began her attack again. Rou managed to wave off the majority of her strikes, interfering with her chi every time there was contact. Every so often he would feel her knuckles press into his flesh, but no impacts that left lasting damage. Cumulatively, however, could pose a problem if this pattern continued.

"Please, Ty Lee," Rou begged as he pushed another attack aside. "I don't want to have to hurt you."

"Stop saying that!" she yelled. To Rou's surprise there were tears forming in her eyes. "You've already hurt me! You doubted me! You made me love a coward like you!"

"Coward?" he roared. "I'm doing all of this to save you!"

"You're a coward!" Ty Lee continued. "And you're using me as an excuse! I know I could never beat the Fire Lord, but I'm still strong enough and brave enough to stand up and do what's right!"

"You would be a martyr for something no one else would be willing to fight for? That's just foolishness!"

"That doesn't make it any less right," Ty Lee replied. "Take a look around you. Does this really look like something 'no one else' is willing to fight for? I'm here. Mai's here. Azula and the others are here! If it's important to me or my friends then it will always be worth fighting for!"

The determination in her eyes was wavering. She was losing the will to fight him. She was trying to make him see things her way. It began to feel as though the she was judging him. Rou had never deluded himself into thinking that Ty Lee would truly understand his decision, but here she stood before him condemning him for it. The feeling was almost too much to bear.

"Whatever it takes," he said, steeling himself for what he was about to do. "I will keep you safe."

Rou moved faster than Ty Lee could react. With intimate precision and control, he slammed his open palm into his beloved's stomach with the intent to paralyze her entire body. With her unable to fight back eh could easily spirit her away from the place. Ty Lee doubled over his arm and he whispered her one more apology.

"Save it."

Ty Lee's words caught him completely unawares. Not what she had said, but that she had been able to speak at all. Rou felt a fist of knuckles strike hi exposed and unprepared core followed by both shoulders. By the time he realized that he could not move his arms, Ty Lee had stepped around him and struck his side in two rapid successions. Rou fell to the ground unable to move.

"It's not possible! How? What have you done to me?"

"Your talent isn't as unique as you probably think," Ty Lee answered. "From the first time I told him about it, my dad knew what you were doing. He's been teaching me how to counter it."

"Impossible. No one could learn to manipulate their chi that quickly."

"I didn't. You don't need chi to be able to stop someone else's flow. Throughout our fight I struck all of the chi flow points in your arms, making it impossible for you to channel any through them to your hands. After that, all I had to do was hit the right pressure points."

"Then every time I thought I blocked the brunt of your attacks . . ."

"You don't need to be strong to defeat someone stronger than you. People like you who are born with talent never seem to realize that we normal people have the heart and determination to surpass you. I will never do what you're trying to make me do. I will never turn a blind eye to someone like Ozai who think that just because they're strong that they're better than everyone else. And I will never stop trying to protect my friends."

A satisfied smirk etched itself onto Azula's features as she watched Rou fall. Smugly, she turned to Long Feng and gloated.

"It appears as though your promising young lackey has just been defeated by my weak little gymnast."

"A trifle matter," Long Feng replied with folded hands. "His judgment had been impaired by foolish sentimentality from the outset of our plans."

"So you say, but your voice betrays you. I can hear the uncertainty."

"Before claiming victory, why not take a look at your other friends," Long Feng smiled.

Azula's search was met with the sight of Katara standing between Suki and the old woman. Hama, if Azula remembered correctly. Hama's nails were dripping fresh blood and there was a large gash in Katara's arm where she had apparently failed to defend herself. No. It was more likely where she had defended Suki considering their stances.

"I highly doubt that some old witch will be able to hold up to the stamina of two young fighters."

"She doesn't need that much time to kill them," Long Feng replied darkly.

A/N: Lo, Kasamari lives. I apologize for the hiatus. Next chapter: Katara and Suki versus the witch Hama. Can they overcome the witch's spell?