They look, but they do not see.
They touch, but they do not feel.
They hear, but they do not listen.
They are hardened against all feeling, because they do not wish to feel.
Inside they cry with the endless tears of their sorrows and their pains.
Anguish fills every empty space in their heart, every crevice in their soul.
The remedy for their never ending pain is found only in the other.
Two lovers, a war divides their people.
And mountains keep them from loving each other.
Katara shifted on her porch as she heard the words. She squinted her eyes to see the couple walking on the path behind her house. It wasn't the first time she'd seen them; the young man was about seventeen, and he and his girlfriend would walk the trails at night and he would read her poetry.
This poem was sad, but beautiful at the same time. The meaning seeped into Katara's body and sent chills up her spine. It may have well been written for her. It reminded her so much of herself. Sometimes she was so detached from the world around her that she thought she might as well be a spirit. She was so cold towards most people, she was pure soldier most of the time. Lately though, that had been changing. Katara found herself smiling and laughing more in the past few days then she had in years. And, as much as she would refuse to admit it, she knew why.
She hated how Zuko seemed as at ease around her as she felt around him. All others respected her as the best there was. But this man, he pushed her harder and stretched her limits. Jet never did that; he flattered her, always saying that she was amazing no matter what she was doing. That's what made Zuko seem so much more real, he didn't seem to be trying very hard to gain her trust. From the beginning Jet had acted like he fit right in, expecting everyones trust without working to earn it.
It hadn't taken Katara long to figure out that he was an Igniis Furiis after he attacked her. The city had been attacked by twenty of the elite assassins two months later. Many lives had been lost; almost every guard who had been on watch that night had been found with a slit throat.
Katara closed her eyes and winced in pain at the memory of that night. It was her first real test of strength since she'd entered the city, and her leadership had caused the loss of so many lives.
Katara sat up straight in her bed when she heard the scream. It was cut short and she jumped up, slipped on her belt that held her dagger and ran out of her apartment. She'd just jumped down from the porch when Toph jumped through her wall, causing a gaping hole.
"Do you know what it is?!" Katara shouted as they both sprinted down the hill.
"There are twenty people that I've never felt before! They're attacking the others!" Katara glared and ran even faster. When they reached the city she saw men dressed in black attacking the screaming citizens. The men were trying to fighting back, but they were caught off guard and were being cut down where they stood.
Katara jumped back away from a knife that suddenly appeared, slashing the air that would have been her stomach. She immediately retaliated, drawing water out of her pouch and threw it at the figure in sharp icicle form. The figure rolled to dodge the attack but before they could stand up completely Katara leaped at them. In less then a second the figure in black was on their knees holding Katara's dagger just in front of their heart. Katara brought her other hand down to push it harder. She watched as the person in black's single arm quivered against her strength.
Why don't you put up your other arm?
She didn't have long to ponder it though. From within the figures cloak they drew a dagger and tried to throw it at her. Katara saw the glint of metal and desperately dove to the side; but too late. The blade had grazed her side. She yelped in pain, she was still recovering from her "accident". Spots formed in her vision and she tried to shake them out.
"Mommy!" A child screamed it from somewhere near her and she forced her vision to clear, seething she turned to the black figure who was slowly approaching, taking in their victory.
No.
Katara pushed her hand in front of her violently, and felt her power snaking through the veins of her victim. And then she knocked them out, temporarily sutting of the oxygen from the brain and then throwing the unconscious body to the side. She turned to seek out the child she heard and found them hiding behind their mother, who stood shielding the child with her body. Katara knew she wouldn't make it to them in time but instead did the same to the threatening figure that loomed over them as she did to her previous attacker. The mother scooped up her child and ran into nearby bushes as she hushed their crying.
She continued this for several minutes, running to the nearest civilian that needed aid and swiftly rendering them unconscious or ending the life of their attacker. But she felt her strength waning. She hadn't used blood bending in over a year; but she was too weak to fight. She turned to see Toph fighting several of the masked creatures.
"Toph! Lock down the prisoners!" In response her friend caged each of them and ran to her.
"There's two left," Toph said panting lightly, "But they've been hiding this whole time, I don't think they're here to fight." Katara brushed off her comment.
"Of course they are, you take the prisoners to the dungeon, I'll handle them." Toph scrunched up her eyebrows.
"Kat, I don't think you should do this alone. You're already tired And there is something different about these two," Toph said it low so that only she could hear it, as if the bodies laying around them would tell.
"Toph, we have injured. You need to get the prisoners to the dungeon so the healers came come on scene." Toph glared at her but pointed to an older building a little ways down the street.
"Top floor," and with that she turned on her heel and walked back towards the spherical cages. Katara turned to look back at the building.
Top floor.
The top floor was a steeple. A perfect hiding place, lots of shadows and the window on the front of the building was a perfect way to monitor anything going on in the streets below. Katara jogged, with a limp in her step, towards the old building before creeping up the steps and opening the door. It creaked loudly and the sad sound echoed through the open room. Katara walked slowly to the back of the room to where the doors of the stairs were, taking out her dagger and freezing an ice one to her other hand. She didn't have enough strength to blood bend any more or she'd hurt herself.
She slipped soundlessly through the door and creeped up the stairs, as swift and soundless as a ghost. When she reached the steeple she took a deep breath before kicking open the door, it made a resounding thud when it connected with the wall. She stared into the room with a glare on her face.
The room was dusty from lack of use, and old pieces of furniture were covered in sheets of fabric. Paint that had peeled from the ceiling now layed in sheaves on the floor. A cold draft whispered through an open window as Katara took one step in, turning fully around to made sure no one hid on the wall. When she reaches the middle of the room she closed her eyes and stood in silence, breathing in the musky fragrance of the abandoned room.
She opened her eyes and turned around to see a tall girl with black bangs and red robes standing before her.
"You," It was so quiet, but so loud in the silence that followed; the girls blank expression never changed, "What are you doing here?" Katara demanded. Instead of answering the girl slightly tilted her gaze upward. Katara heard something drop behind her and instinctively rolled forward, and landed on her knee holding one weapon at each of the girls that now stood before her. The girl that dropped from the ceiling made no move to attack but stood there with a solemn expression. It looked far different on her then the normal silly grin she wore; but she still had her brown hair in a braid and her pink get up on.
"What are you doing here?!" Katara demanded again, their silence making her anxious.
Then, out of the shadows, walked her greatest fear.
"Why, hello little girl." The scratched voice sent shivers up her spine and she made no attempt to hide the fear on her face.
"Yon Ra," her voice shook as she said it; the man smiled cruelly at her.
"Oh, so you remember me do you? That's good! That means you remember that bitingly cold night in the South Pole when I-"
"-No!" Katara screamed standing to her feet and dropping her daggers; she glared death at him, the man who killed her mother. Instead of looking intimidated he smirked at her triumphantly.
"Are you tired, little girl?" His question surprised her and she opened her mouth to answer but her mind went completely blank, "I'll bet you are, why are you even defending these people? What have they ever done for you? You stand ready to fight for them, but how many times did they turn you away before you came here? When you needed help they turned you away, and because of that you lost your precious Avat-"
She cut him off by reaching out her hand, she cut off his oxygen so that he was choking for air, looking desperately at the girls on either side of her. Bu they couldn't help him, and they knew it. He looked into her eyes and Katara saw him for what he was, sad and empty. dropped his gasping form to the floor and raised her hand threateningly. But she didn't harm him, she didn't get the chance. He clutched over his heart and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. He fell onto the floor and Katara watched his breathing stop.
Tears were flowing continuously from her eyes now. Tears of rage and pain and loss. She bended them away and glared at the girls on either side of her. This time she didn't speak, just watched them watch her.
"We were never here." The taller one said with her dull voice. Katara looked at her and into her eyes, they made a silent agreement and Katara nodded slowly. The girl turned around and walked out the door of the room. The smaller girl went to join her but paused just in front of Katara and looked at her. The girl reached her hand towards and and Katara flinched, but she simply rested her hand on her shoulder. Her brown eyes held sympathy and Katara gave a small nod in thanks. And then they were gone.
Only after did Katara discover that every single guard had been slain; first been chi blocked and then their throat was cut. And it was completely her fault. And she'd suffered other losses as well, she was unconscious for a day, not sick just completely unconscious.
Tears were falling steadily from her eyes but she made no move to clear them away. Instead she let the silent sobs wrack her body. She put one hand up to cover her mouth and the other grabbed her elbow. She just stood there, sobbing because of what she'd lost, and everything she could lose. She wasn't unbreakable, she wasn't bulletproof, she wasn't perfect. She was broken.
Edited 12/30/12