Aang touched down on the waterlogged ground at the beach house and swiveled his glider closed. A few of the lamps lining the front terrace still fought to stay ablaze amidst the driving rain, but most had long since died out. The house itself appeared lifeless and empty both inside and out, which he thought was odd. The unusual silence felt heavy and almost tangible, permeated only by the steady pelting rain. There was an almost eerie quality to the deserted scene. He walked toward the terrace, scanning the landscape for any sign of human life as he advanced, and ascended the front steps of the terrace.
"Sokka?" he called out. Silence.
"Suki? Toph?" Still no answer. The only sound was the steady drumming of rain on the veranda.
In a swift motion he bent the water from his dripping wet clothing and turned toward the door, about to head inside to search for his friends, when a piece of paper pinned to the door caught his eye. There was writing on it but it was difficult to make out in the dark. He yanked the paper down and brought it closer so that he could read it.
Gone searching for Aang. Be back by morning.
They were all out looking for him? No, that made no sense. It did not sound like the letter was left for him. Someone must have stayed behind…
He looked up from the paper and scanned the surroundings more closely. "Hello?" he called out, straining his eyes to make sure he had not missed someone on his arrival. Just then he heard the sound of sprinting footsteps coming from behind him and growing closer with alarming speed. He spun around quickly, poised to defend himself against an attacker, only to see Zuko racing toward him with a look of urgency on his face, dragging Mai by the hand behind him. The startled expression on Aang's face quickly melted into fury at the sight of the firebender. Upon his return, he had known that confronting Zuko was inevitable and in preparation he had meditated and performed countless calming exercises in order to subdue his outrage for fear that he would lash out in a way he would later regret. But preparing to see Zuko and seeing him now were two very different playing fields. He gritted his teeth, feeling the anger igniting inside of him once again; but something about the urgency in Zuko's face and demeanor stayed his tongue as he arrived at the bottom of the terrace before Aang, thoroughly out of breath.
Aang fought back the urge to tear at the scoundrel for the time being as his curiosity got the better of him. "What's going?" he managed to ask, making no effort to hide the contempt in his voice. "What's wrong?" He would get to the bottom of the issue and then he could rail on Zuko all he wanted.
"I need you – to handcuff – Mai – to the terrace," he panted as he struggled to catch his breath.
Aang could not hide the puzzled look that overwhelmed his face. "What? Why?"
"Just do it! And then I'll tell you."
The odd request made him nervous. Whatever was going on seemed to be more serious than he had first thought. He glanced over at Mai to gauge her reaction. She was scowling at the ground, her gaze fixed downward. Her expression was indignant and defiant, but her posture screamed of guilt and defeat, and she was not putting up a fight, which told him that Zuko had good reason to do what he was asking. This cannot be good, he thought.
"Hurry up!" Zuko hollered impatiently.
Aang sighed nervously as Zuko held Mai's hands against the post of the terrace. With a modest stomp of his foot and flick of his wrists, he bent some mud from the ground to form makeshift handcuffs around the girl's wrists and secured it to the post.
"There!" he huffed sarcastically. "Now tell me what's wrong."
"Where is everyone else? Where's Appa?"
"They're all out looking for me, they left a note. Why?"
"It's Katara – she's been kidnapped!"
"What?!" The news hit him like a swift kick in the stomach. It felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. "How –?"
"Mai thought it would be a good idea to bust my crazy dad out of jail in return for him helping her get payback on Katara and me. Well, now Ozai has Katara and it turns out Mai was the one who ended up getting used." Bitterness dripped from his last few words as he scowled at the girl, who only turned her head further away.
A wave of panic nearly knocked Aang to his feet. He was still furious at Katara, but being in the clutches of Ozai was something he would not wish on his worst enemy. He knew the kinds of evil that man was capable of. His heart began to race as the familiar surge of energy beneath his tattoos started to cloud his senses. A rush of anger shot through his veins as he stormed down the steps of the terrace to stand inches before Zuko.
"This is all your fault!" he roared, pointing menacingly at the firebender.
"My fault?! Are you crazy? Mai is the one you should be blaming!"
"If you hadn't been sleazing around behind our backs and tried to take Katara for yourself none of this would have happened!" A faint glow began to emanate from his tattoos. His avatar state was threatening to take over. The energy was becoming more powerful and he was starting to lose control.
"Agh," Zuko groaned, running his fingers over his head and clutching a fistful of hair. "Aang, listen, we don't have time for this. Katara is in danger. You and I can duke it out later all you like, but right now we have to try to catch up to Ozai. I saw him take her onto a boat below Yinchen Grove. You have a glider. If you hurry, you might be able to catch up to them."
Aang continued to glare daggers at Zuko, but the glowing of his tattoos slowly subsided. He was right. This could wait, but Katara could not.
"Fine. I'll go after them. But not for you, and not because you asked me to." He thought as he slammed open his glider and prepared to lift off before shooting one last threatening glance at Zuko. "This is not over. We'll finish this later."
.:. .:. .:. .:. .:. .:. .:.
"Fine. I'll go after them. But not for you, and not because you asked me to."
His last words echoed through his head as Aang soared beyond the cliffs of Yinchen Grove and over the open sea. The cold raindrops pelted his bare face like tiny pinpricks, his skin tingling all over from the faint stinging. An uncharacteristic cold front had followed the storm to the Fire Nation. Aang had grown accustomed to the country's high temperatures and the unusual chill of the winds cut him through to the core.
I shouldn't even do it for her, he thought. Guilt nagged at his heart the moment he allowed himself to think it. Forgiveness. Forgiveness, he kept chanting to himself between deep breaths, but it felt like an empty word now, devoid of meaning to his wounded heart. Ozai was merciless he knew. There was no telling what his intentions were with Katara, but what was certain was that her life was in danger as long as he held her captive. Yet knowing that was still not enough to suppress the cynical thoughts that were gaining ground within him. After what she had done to him, he was hardly in the mood to just go dashing to her rescue like some pathetic, well-trained puppy dog. Did she really deserve that? She would probably just run back to Zuko once everything was said and done.
A dense fog was spread out over the ocean like an impenetrable veil, making it nearly impossible to see any reasonable distance ahead. Aang was beginning to lose his sense of direction; he might be going in circles for all he knew. If only he had use of his bending while on his glider.
On the other hand, did she really deserve to be dragged to the depths of who-knows-where, falling victim to the likes of Ozai while he sat idly by and knowingly let it happen? He was not so bitter that he was unable to rise above the circumstances when she was in need, was he? After all, he still cared about her… didn't he?
One thing he did know was that Ozai would not have gone through the trouble of capturing Katara if he intended to kill her immediately. That would be rash and reckless, and Ozai prided himself on neither of those attributes. He must have some use for her in whatever malicious plan he was devising, and Aang was certain that would keep her alive for the time being. Perhaps he should just let her fret about it for a little while before he became the hero. Then she would see just how much trouble her selfishness and infidelity had caused and how thankful she should be to have a guy like himself devoted to her. Yes, he was confident in his theory. He would not make her wait long. Just long enough.
Besides, it did not look like he had much of a chance of finding the ship in these conditions. The darkness of night was made darker by the heavy storm clouds. The ship could have taken any number of routes, probably sailing quickly with help from the wind, and between the thick fog and driving rain he could not see more than five feet's distance in any direction. He decided instead to find his way back to the beach house and figure out what to do then. Besides, he had some unfinished business in need of settling with Zuko.
.:. .:. .:. .:. .:. .:. .:.
Aang arrived back at the house as an impatient Zuko rose hastily from the terrace steps and rushed down to meet him before Aang could reach the shelter of the roof.
"Well?" the young Fire Lord asked impatiently.
"I couldn't find them," Aang answered, with a tone Zuko thought sounded less than concerned, almost indifferent. "There was a thick fog, I couldn't see a thing."
"So that's it? You're just giving up? You obviously didn't try hard enough! Go back!"
"Hey!" he shouted defensively. "I did the best I could. How dare you act like you're the only one here who cares for Katara! I'm the one who really loves her. If you cared about her at all, you would never have gotten her involved in what you did!"
"Hey, it's not exactly like I forced her into it. She had an equal part in this too." He knew as the words escaped him that it was probably not the wisest thing to say, but at the moment he did not care.
"Agghh!" Aang roared, spinning around and storming several feet from Zuko. If he looked at the that firebender for one more minute, his avatar state was going to unleash itself in a way that would make his battle with Ozai look like child's play. He was seething with anger, his breathing shallow and rapid, and both Aang and Zuko stood frozen and tense.
After several moments of silence, Zuko finally advanced slowly toward Aang and stopped a safe distance behind him.
"I'm sorry, Aang," he finally spoke. The avatar did not turn around; he did not move at all, but Zuko continued. "I'm sorry about what I did to you. You're my friend, and I betrayed your trust."
Aang remained motionless, unflinching and frozen like a statue, save for the vehement heaving of his chest. "But I really do care about Katara. I love her. I have for a long time. And what happened between us was not a mistake. It was destined to happen eventually; but it should not have happened the way it did. And for that I'm sorry. I know Katara cares about you, but she does have feelings for me and that's something you're going to have to accept sooner or later." Zuko paused to let his words sink in and give Aang a chance to respond. But he was met only with a cold silence. "Aang, please try to understand."
Aang kept his back turned to the firebender and clenched his eyes shut as though to block Zuko's words. He did not want to understand. He was trying very hard not to understand, because understanding meant admitting there was some justification to what had happened. It meant admitting that perhaps he had not been the man that Katara needed.
"Oh, I understand very clearly," Aang finally muttered in a sullen, cynical tone, turning around at last and glaring at Zuko. "I understand that no matter how well you think you know someone, you never really know them at all. I understand that the only person you can ever truly trust is yourself."
"Aang, you're back!" a cheerful voice suddenly rang out, piercing the tension between them. Suki ran up and threw her arms around his neck before he had time to brace himself. Looking over her shoulder he saw Toph and Sokka climbing down from Appa. Toph began making her way over to them while Sokka stayed behind to unload Appa's saddle.
"I was really starting to worry about you," Suki chirped on, but her bubbly countenance soon faded as the somber aura between the two young men dawned on her. She was about to say something in regards, but Toph beat her to the punch.
"You guys seem a just a little on edge," she said in her usual flippant manner as she arrived next to them. "Your heartbeats are going berserk." Toph paused briefly as the negative energy crashed over her, replacing the smirk on her face with a solemn expression. Suddenly her voice took on a more serious tone. "Something bad is going on, isn't?"
In the corner of her eye, a figure Suki had not noticed before caught her attention. Looking over, she was shocked to see Mai with her hands behind her back, bound to the terrace. She glanced back over at Aang and then at Zuko. "Guys, what's going on?" she asked hesitantly.
Zuko took a deep breath and relayed a concise version of the evening's events much to the horror of the two girls. Then, directing his attention back at Aang, he continued, "Our best bet is just to head back to the palace as quickly as possible. I'll put the Fire Nation on high alert and send an urgent letter to the Earth King and the Chiefs of the Water Tribes informing them of Ozai's escape and that he's taken a hostage. They'll issue a warrant and a reward for Ozai's arrest and a mandate for the safe return of Katara, with a reward as well. I will make sure he has no place to go; there will be eyes and ears the world over watching for him."
"Well I'm glad to see you two are on speaking terms again," Sokka said jovially as he sauntered over to the group. All eyes turned toward him as a stunned silence befell the scene. The croak of a solitary turtlefrog echoed in the night, amplified amidst the sudden hush. The confounded expressions on his friends' faces stopped Sokka in his tracks. "What?" he asked nervously. "Hey, why is Mai handcuffed to the terrace? And where is Katara?" Toph groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"We'll tell you on the way," Zuko replied abruptly as he walked toward the bison and gestured for the others to follow. "Come on, get Appa saddled up."
"Ohhh, but I just took it off," Sokka protested in an exaggerated whine.
"Well put it back on. Believe me, Sokka, when I say there's no time to waste."
.:. .:. .:. .:. .:. .:. .:.
Katara struggled to no avail as Ozai dragged her down the small flight of stairs that led below deck. Her screams and protests were muffled by the gag around her mouth and her hands had been bound behind her back with a rope to prevent any further waterbending. Every attempt she made to fend him off was lost against his superior strength. A large whiff of dank, musty air assaulted her lungs, making her cough and wheeze as they descended into the shadowy hull of the ship. They progressed in the same thrashing manner for several feet until they reached an open door to a small room. Without warning, Ozai hurled Katara into the dimly-lit cabin, sending her nearly toppling over from the force. She somehow managed to maintain her footing and whipped back around to see Ozai glaring menacingly at her.
"Let me make something very clear to you right now, water serpent," he growled. "As long as you behave and cause no further trouble, the odds that I will spare your life will be much improved. However, if you ever try anything remotely along the lines of that foolish water attack again, I assure you that no amount of ice spikes or water whips will save you from the punishment I will inflict on you."
He allowed his threatening glare to linger on her a moment longer for emphasis and then closed the door behind him, locking it from the outside. Whether from fear or exhaustion, Katara's legs wavered beneath her and then suddenly gave out as she slumped to her knees. Hopelessness was beginning to set in. She half crawled, half slid across the floor to the nearest wall and rested her head back as the tears she had been suppressing finally burst forth.
A/N:
Shorter chapter this time... heh "shorter." I know the last one was really long. I'm trying to train myself to write leaner and know when to break a ton of things going on into smaller chapters.
As usual, please don't forget to leave a review (what you liked, loved, didn't like, hated, would like to see, could be improved, etc.) – your feedback really means a lot to me and makes me want to continue the story! Thank you to everyone who has already taken the time to do so, I appreciate it so much!
Over and out. Until next time… flameo, Sifu Hotman!