This next part opens to when after the warden speaks to the earth benders. When it comes to my pov, it is already nighttime.
((Brianna's P.O.V))
"Is it just me, or does that guy look really stupid with the way his facial hair is?" I asked Nyoko as we were dismissed to an open area after the warden was done with boring speech. Katara completely ignored me while she looked around the area at all the prisoners that have been held captive for around five years. All looked like hopeless zombies with nothing to live for. I couldn't help but pity the poor people.
"Katara? Brianna?" I heard familiar voice called to us. We both turned around and spotted Haru sitting with a group of prisoners on the deck.
"Haru," Katara shouted as she ran towards him and flung his arms around him. I walked over to the two and slapped Haru hard on the back three times.
"There you are! Are you okay?"
"Yeah I'm fine, but what are you doing here?" Haru asked us.
"It's my fault you were captured. I came to rescue you," Katara answered.
"I'm here because I want to make sure she doesn't screw anything up." Katara shot me a glare which I returned with a smug smile.
"So you got yourselves arrested?" Haru asked with disbelief.
"It was the only way to find you," Katara said.
"You two got guts, I'll give you that. Come on, there's someone I want you to meet." Haru motioned the two of us towards a small circle of prisoners eating some nasty looking food. Haru walked over to a man I recognized as his father. "Brianna, Katara, this is my father Tyro. Dad, this is Katara and Brianna." The older man smiled as us as he grabbed two bowls of soup.
"Have some dinner you two." He handed Katara one bowl and the other to me but I just shook my head.
"I'll pass." I said turning down the gross looking food they called dinner. I saw Katara make a face when she looked down at her bowl.
"It's not as bad as it looks," Tyro said trying to make it easier for her to eat it. Katara sat down next to him and tried the soup out. She made another disgusted face making me laugh on the inside. "It's still pretty bad though." I began spacing out when I saw another prisoner come up to Tyro to talk to him about the elderly since I already knew what they were going to say.
"If you don't mind me asking, what's your escape plan?" Katara asked Tyro which brought me back to reality.
"Excuse me?" Tyro asked not completely following what she was saying.
"You know, the plan to get everyone off the rig? What is it, mutiny, sabotage?"
"The plan, the plan is to survive. Wait out this war. Hope that one day some of us can get back home and forget this ever happened," Tyro said in a depressed tone.
"How can you say that? You sound like you've already given up" Katara said not completely understanding that they already had given up a long time ago.
"Katara, I admire your courage and I envy your youth, but people's lives are at stake here. The Warden is a ruthless man, and he won't stand for any rebellion. I'm sorry, but we're powerless."
"We'll see about that," Katara said as she stood up from her spot.
"Katara don't do anything too rash," I advised her but she ignored me again and walked toward a table and started banging a pot with a spoon to get everyone's attention.
"Earth benders, you don't know me, but I know of you. Every child of my water tribe village was rocked to sleep with stories of the brave Earth Kingdom and the courageous earth benders who guard its' borders. Some of you may think that the Fire Nation has made you powerless. Yes, they have taken away your ability to bend, but they can't take away your courage and it is your courage they should truly fear! Because it runs deeper than any mine you've been forced to dig, any ocean that keeps you far from home. It is the strength of your hearts that make you who you are, hearts that will remain unbroken when all rock and stone has eroded away. The time to fight back is now! I can tell you the Avatar has returned! So remember your courage, earth benders, let us fight for our freedom!" I looked around the area and saw that no one was encouraged by her words.
"I don't know this girl," I said as I slowly started backing away from the crowd "and if I did I would tell her that she went over the top with that speech."
((Rebecca's P.O.V))
"Did you enjoy your swim?" Sokka asked me as he helped me up on Appa. I made a small wave of air in my hands and blew myself dry.
"It defiantly was a work out I can tell you that," I said as I was now drying my hair. I heard the sound of footsteps followed by Aang, Katara, and Brianna.
"Your twelve hours are up, where's Haru? We've got to get out of here." Sokka told Katara and Brianna.
"I can't," Katara told her older brother as Aang jumped on Appa.
"We don't have much time, there are guards everywhere. Get on!"
"Katara, what's wrong?" Aang asked her worried since she wasn't moving.
"I'm not leaving. I'm not giving up on these people." Katara told us.
"What do you mean you're not leaving!" Sokka exclaimed.
"We can't abandon these people. There has to be a way to help them." I let out a sigh wondering how much longer Katara would be so hopeful and unrealistic.
"Maybe she's right. What do you say, Sokka?" Aang said agreeing with her.
"I say you're both crazy!" A searchlight then almost catches us but we dodge it just in time. "Last chance we need to leave now!"
"No," Katara said sternly and stubbornly.
"I hate when you get like this," Sokka said as he breathed out a heavy sigh. Another headlight almost hits us but once again we dodged it. "Come on, we better hide." he told Aang and I. We both nodded our heads as be jumped off of Appa. Aang then ordered Appa to fly away until we called him again. We then followed Sokka to an area surrounded by piles of wooden boxes which hid us from danger.
"We don't have much time. What are we gonna do?" Sokka asked frantically.
"I wish I knew how to make a hurricane," Aang said completely seriously. Katara and Sokka just looked at him like he was crazy while Brianna and I tried to hold in our laughter. "The Warden would run away and we'd steal his keys!"
"Wouldn't he just take his keys with him?" Sokka said being realistic.
"I'm just tossing ideas around," Aang said in his defense.
"I tired talking the earth benders into fighting back, but it didn't work, if there was just a way to help them help themselves." Katara said as she began thinking harder.
"For that they'd need some kind of earth or some rock something they can bend." Sokka said thinking of possible ways to lift up their spirits.
"But this entire place is made of metal." Katara said as she touched the metal floor.
"The ship might be but there is something in here that could help," I told her.
"She's right! Look at the smoke. I bet they're burning coal" Aang said as he pointed at the black smoke coming from the chimneys "in other words, earth."
((OOOO))
"Tell me why are we all the way over here and not with Katara and Sokka?" Brianna asked me not completely clear why we were hiding behind a long row of cabinets.
"We can't help anyone if we're surrounded. It'd be too hard to protect both Katara and Sokka and take all those fire benders. It's better to stay hidden and then attack from behind."
"So a sneak attack," Brianna said summarizing what I had just said.
"Yes, even though it's a cheap way to fight. Then again taking earth benders away from earth is pretty cheap too." I saw one of the soldiers spot Sokka and Katara. "Brianna, be on your guard. They just spotted Sokka."
"There's the intruder!" the soldier shouted. No sooner did he say that, all the other soldiers surrounded Sokka and Katara in a small circle all armed with spears.
"Stay back, I'm warning you!" Sokka warned as he pulled out his boomerang.
"Yeah a boomerang, so threatening," I muttered under my breath.
"Should we go out now?" Brianna asked worried for their safety.
"Not yet," I whispered. "Once they let out any signs of an attack we go."
"Katara stop! You can't win this fight!" I heard Tyro yell out. After that I couldn't hear anything anyone else was saying because we were too far. Suddenly I felt the ground under us start to shake as a stream of coal sprang out from the shaft surrounding the ground with the black earth. Aang then came out after covered in ash making him cough.
"Here's your chance, earth benders!" Katara took one of the chunks of coal from the ground and lifted it up. "Take it! Your fate is in your own hands!" All the prisoners seemed to fear the coal and started to back away. Only Haru took a step forward but was stopped by his father. I heard laughter coming from the warden.
"Foolish girl, you thought a few inspirational words and some coal would change these people? Look at these blank, hopeless faces. Their spirits were broken a long time ago. Oh? But you still believe in them? How sweet. They're a waste of your energy, little girl. You've failed."
"Can we attack now?" Brianna asked anxious to kick that guy's ass. I spotted Haru earth bend a piece of coal at the warden. I saw him get into a fire bending position.
"Now we can, go!" We both ran towards the crowd as we summoned our weapons. Just as Haru was going to be blasted by the warden's fire I blocked it with my staff. "Hey, what's wrong with you guys? Katara has risked everything to bring you all back to your village. She's provided you a weapon and you're not going to take it? I don't know how things work around here but where I come from we have a saying. The window of opportunity doesn't close until you've given up completely." I took a fighting stance. "I'd rather fight than just wait around here for someone else to come save me. You've been waiting for five years. Do you really need someone to tell you all this?"
"You girl will be silence!" The warden then fired another fire ball only this time it was directed towards me. Before I could jump away a wall of coal blocked the attack. I turned around and saw Haru's father had protected me from the attack. "Show no mercy!" I heard the warden scream out before he and his soldiers shot a string of fire at Tyro. Tyro, Haru, and a group of earth benders worked together to make a larger force shield of coal.
"For the Earth Kingdom, attack!" Tyro screamed out as he slammed his hands on the floor. I couldn't help but smile at the scene of earth benders fighting against the Fire Nation soldiers, hope had been brought back to them.
"Hey Brianna, should we give them a hand?" I asked her.
"Yeah, what do you have in mind?" she asked wondering what kind of battle plan I had come up with. I motioned her to come closer to me as I whispered my plan to her.
"Remember after you breathe enough fire up into the sky get out and protect the others. Use a force field if you need to."
"Got it," Brianna said excitedly. We both got into position, waiting to make sure there were no earth benders near. Brianna looked at me and waited for a cue to start breathing fire. When the area looked secure I motioned my hand for Brianna to began her attack. She smiled, completely thrilled, then inhaled as much air into her mouth as her could. She lifted her head towards the sky and blew out a huge breathe of fire.
"Guess that's my cue," I muttered to myself as I started running around Brianna in a small circle. Each time I make a complete circle I would pick up more and more speed causing the air to form a tunnel. The flames from Brianna's attack were getting sucked into my current which had now become a large tornedo. Eventually the whole thing became a giant fire funnel. "Brianna, go now!" I cried out to her when I realized how large the tornedo had gotten. I saw Brianna jump though the flames and exit out of the tornedo and ran back off to help the villagers. When I saw that Brianna had gathered all the prisoners together, I knew that it was safe to release the swirling flames of destruction.
I took a deep breath knowing that it was going to be hard getting most of the guards in one shot, but all I had do was cross my fingers and hope my timing was good enough. I let out a battle cry as began I picked up more speed, making the tornedo even more dangerous in size and speed. I took a small step outside of the wind tunnel, took my staff then used all my strength to fling the tornedo towards the row of Fire Nation ships. I saw that most of the ships had either capsized or sunk into the ocean. I felt my legs give in and I stumbled to the deck.
"Are you okay?" Brianna asked as she ran to my side. I nodded my head as I started panting.
"Whoa that was amazing!" I heard Aang shout out as he ran towards us. "Do you mind if I use that sometime?" he asked me.
"Only after you master fire bending," I said knowing that he might not be able to handle the heat inside the hurricane. "By the way Brianna, are you okay? You didn't get burned did you?"
"Surprisingly no, and I know I touched the fire when I jumped out."
"Hmm, maybe you can't get burned. I mean you are fire after all." Brianna's eyes shot open as she revealed a large smile.
"Sweet," Brianna exclaimed.
"Oh no Rebecca, you're burned." Aang said pointing to my wounded hands.
"Oh it's fine Aang," I said as I tried to cover them with my sleeves.
"No it's not, here let me see them" Aang said as he grabbed my hands.
"Aang, it's ok really," I said pulling my hands away from him. Just as I did my hands started to glow a faint blue color. When I saw it died down, my burns completely disappeared. "What theā¦"
"Cool, Rebecca, I think you can heal yourself!" Brianna exclaimed.
"Yeah I guess I can but, umm shouldn't we be fighting off the soldiers instead of just standing here and talking?" I asked the two of them.
"Oh right," they both said at the same time. I let out a small sigh as they ran off ready to help the others in battle. I scratched the back of my head as I watched them running together like it was some kind of game.
"I've got my work cut out for me with those two."
((Brianna's P.O.V))
"I want to thank you for saving me, for saving us." Haru told us.
"All it took was a little coal," Katara said embarrassed.
"It wasn't the coal, Katara, it was you." Haru said making her even more embarrassed. "You and Rebecca, you're words helped us."
"Thank you for helping me find my courage, Katara of the water tribe. My family and everyone here owes you much," Tyro said to her.
"So, I guess you're going home now?" Katara said realizing the trouble was over.
"Yes, to take back my village," he then raised his hand for a more dramatic effect as he shouted to the other prisoners on the ships. "To take back all of our villages! The Fire Nation will regret the day they set foot on our land!"
"Come with us," Haru told Katara making it feel more like a heart breaking love scene.
"I can't, your mission is to take back your home. Ours is to get Aang to the North Pole" Katara said finally acknowledging our presence.
"That's him isn't it, the Avatar," Haru said. As he looked down at Aang who was playing with Momo, sitting on Appa's head while Rebecca watched him a couple feet away. "Katara, thank you for bringing my father back to me. I never thought I'd see him again. I only wish there was some way..."
"I know," Katara said as she touched her neck then realizing something was missing. "My mother's necklace, it's gone!" She said frantically. I couldn't help but put on an evil smile knowing that this was the first Zuko and Katara scene that introduced them to me as a couple. Little did I know that I would stop shipping one of my first pairings and start loving a new couple which included my best friend.
((Zuko's P.O.V))
I finally heard news of the Avatar's activities at a Fire Nation Ship Yard that was holding local earth benders. Somehow the earth benders got out, my guess was they had a little help from the Avatar. While walking around the ship yard I spotted something interesting on the ground. It was that water bender girl's necklace. I knew that this was going to help track the Avatar. I finally found something that could make my search easier.
"Once I capture the Avatar all I'll have to do is get rid of his little friends, the Water Nation peasants and those mysterious girls." An image of that one girl with the long black hair appeared in my mind. The short flashback of our first encounter replayed in my mind making something in my chest ache again. I clenched my fist above the pain and wondered if there was something wrong with my body. I looked out towards the ocean as the sun started to set, the feeling still burning in my chest.
For those that didn't understand Brianna's last few sentences she was talking about shipping couples. Shipping, apparently, means to support a certain couple. At least that's how she defined it.
