Fight 53: Blood Moon
The waxing moon was hovering in the night sky, almost full. Appa was fast asleep inside a cave, though really just at the entrance. The children had gathered nearby around a campfire underneath a gnarled and twisted tree and were competing to see who could tell the scariest story. And Sokka failed miserably. He was unmistakably more suited for jokes and other fun stories. Then it was Chenlian's turn. She had no interest in such things but they seemed to like them so she decided to get along and do it well.
The firebender didn't believe in ghosts. 'Spirits' were different from what people called 'ghosts'. Spirits were creatures living properly in a different plane, though some could cross over to here and affect this world, it was because they had a connection to it. Similarly, humans with a strong connection to the Spirit World could perform astral projection, and their spirit could live on after the death of their bodies, and only exist in the Spirit World. But the 'ghosts' of humans were just unfulfilled feelings taking shape. They were delusions. The dead didn't come back nor could they hear our wishes. Things we forgot to say, things we couldn't say, we wanted those people, or at least their ghosts to hear it so we dreamed up one. However, she had a knack for captivating others with her voice, and expressions, so when she got truly serious and spun a well-set story the impact was surprisingly strong.
Katara recalled a true Southern Water Tribe story that had happened to their mom. It was so well narrated that she managed to terrify the others - especially her brother – at the exception of the unflappable Chenlian. So the boys gathered around her to try and partake some of her strength. Suddenly, Toph gasped and placed a hand to the ground.
"Wait. Guys, did you hear that? I hear people under the mountain, and they're screaming." She said. Katara and Momo joined the trembling guys and hugged Chenlian too. Sokka soon regained his composure. Nice try. "No, I'm serious, I hear something." She stood up.
"You're probably just jumpy from the ghost stories." Katara reasoned.
"It just stopped."
"All right, now I'm getting scared." Aang admitted.
"Under the mountain... that's rather vague. Where exactly did those screams seem to be coming from? I'll go check it out." Chenlian pried the leeches off her and stood up too.
"Not you too, Chenlian! I thought you had no interest in that! Wait, don't go! Who knows what'll happen to you! Stay with us!" Aang grabbed her. Although she was serious, just like she had sensed Toph was, she didn't bother correcting the guys. If something was happening in the vicinity, she had to make sure it posed no threat to them, and even if it didn't, it would be good to quickly solve things.
"Hello, children." An old woman's voice suddenly greeted the kids, startling them... and causing them to scream and gather behind Toph, Aang having instinctively dragged Chenlian around with him. "Sorry to frighten you. My name is Hama. You children shouldn't be out in the forest by yourselves at night. I have an inn nearby, why don't you come back there for some spiced tea and warm beds?" She offered.
"Yes, please." Sokka answered timidly, reassured that she was really just an old human woman, and not some hag-like monster known to devour travelers and especially kids like them. What more, they've had enough fright and camping out for the time being and something comforting like a good drink and a good bed would be much appreciated.
So Hama took them to her inn and poured them tea. Katara thanked her for letting them stay here tonight and praised her lovely inn.
"Aren't you sweet? You know, you should be careful. People have been disappearing in those woods you were camping in." The old lady warned them. Sokka requested a more detailed explanation. "When the moon turns full, people walk in, and they don't come out." She said ominously before cheerfully offering more tea. She frowned when she noticed all the kids' anxious expression. "Don't worry; you'll all be completely safe here. Why don't I show you to your rooms, and you can get a good night's rest?"
Chenlian kept quiet but something felt off. If that woman knew people had been disappearing around here at night, then what was SHE doing here at this time? Patrolling? Yeah, right... what could an old lady alone do? And where did her confidence come from? She had been worried about children? But judging by the distance, she couldn't have heard them from her inn... She saw the light of their campfire?
Zuko was lying awake on his bed, his arms behind his head, staring at the withered lotus flowers. All the furniture he had previously destroyed had been replaced, but he had forbidden anyone to touch those flowers. They were just withered flowers... just trash... but he just couldn't bring himself to dispose of them. He had dark circles under his eyes and he grew thinner, more haggard every day. He was losing his appetite, even dishes he used to love tasted like ash... even though everyone told him there had been no change with the cook or food. He was also losing sleep, having nightmares. Sometimes, rage would surge and he would destroy things, especially mirrors, or things that reflected him, because he could not stand seeing the him that had let Chenlian die like this. His eyes were growing colder and darker. He had no will for anything. People thought he was just being sick, like all the mental and physical fatigue from those years were just sinking in now that he was finally able to relax, and when it was all gone, he was going to perk right up. And he was also using that to keep people, notably Mai, away from him. He didn't want to see anyone. He had realized that he had really just been using Mai as a substitute. And he just couldn't do that anymore.
Azula suddenly entered his room and sighed that he was still like this. He grumbled that she should knock before entering. She had actually knocked and called, but he just wouldn't answer. She joked that it was morning sickness and he was pregnant before seriously telling him to get a grip and stop wasting away like this. Whatever the sickness was, the best cure was his girlfriend's love, right? Mai was really worried about him. And also he should get rid of those flowers. How long did he intend to keep garbage lying about? Then she left just like she had come.
Zuko understood it was his sister's way of giving him a pep talk, but he couldn't get himself to care. Indeed it was a love sickness. But Mai could never heal him. There was only one cure, and it was because he had lost it that he too was withering like this. He looked again at the flowers. They had withered, but thanks to the summer's hot and dry air, they had kept their shape. He stood up, and after a hesitation, he tried to touch them. However, his fingers had barely brushed them that they crumbled to dust. The day after Chenlian's death, he had tried to see her again, because after all, he couldn't believe it, he didn't want to. But he had been told that her body had already been incinerated. The pod fell down and seeds rolled away. The prince stepped back, balled his guilty hands that could only destroy into fists, fell on his knees, and started crying again. His world had lost all color, shape, sound, flavor or feeling. Everything was just dust and ashes. There was nothing left of her... Then his eyes fell on the lotus seeds... Nothing...?
Sokka was rolling over, unable to fall asleep. Every little noise, even the creaking wood scared him. A squeak made him quickly sit up and draw his sword. Momo (formerly sleeping on the floor at the foot of the bed) chirped and hid under his covers. The boy looked around, but nothing was there, so he sheathed his sword.
"I know Momo, this place is creepy. I don't know if I'm gonna be able to fall asleep." But despite having said that, Hama found him the next morning snoring and drooling and half on the floor. She woke him up. Time to go shopping.
In the town market, the boys were carrying most of the grocery bags. Toph had a large one on her head too, and Chenlian had a woven backpack basket. Hama paid a merchant, and as she and Katara walked away, the old merchant smiled and waved goodbye.
"That Mr. Yao seems to have a thing for you. Maybe we should go back and see if he'll give us some free komodo sausages." Katara suggested.
"You would have me use my feminine charms to take advantage of that poor man?" The innkeeper disapprovingly looked at the girl.
"There's nothing wrong with that." The mahogany haired girl interfered. "It's always hard for women, and especially old women living alone, to get by. You should just take what you can have." She smiled. Katara concurred.
"I think you and I are going to get along swimmingly." Hama's face suddenly broke into a large grin. As they walked by, the group heard a townsman talking to another vendor about a shipment of ash bananas that couldn't come before next week. It was a two-day trip to Hing Wa Island to get them, and he could risk losing another delivery boy in the woods.
"Oh, right, tomorrow's the full moon." The villager recalled.
People disappearing in the woods, weird stuff during full moons... For Sokka, this just reeked of spirit world shenanigans. Aang thought they should take a walk around town to find out what these people had done to the environment to make the spirits mad... so he could 'sew up this little mystery, lickety-split, Avatar-style' as the Water Tribe Warrior knowingly put it.
"Helping people, that's what I do." The Avatar said, all smug. The old lady stopped and told the children to take those things back to the inn. She still had a couple more errands and would be back in a little while.
"This is a mysterious little town you have here..." Sokka noted, staring right into Hama's face.
"Mysterious town for mysterious children." The smiling woman replied cryptically and walked away, leaving the boy confused.
"Are you sure you don't need any help? Maybe you should take one of us-"
"Oh, don't worry, silly. I've been just fine on my own all this time. I think I can endure it some more." She fortunately mistook Chenlian's offer for overprotectiveness towards an old lady but actually, the firebender had just wanted to keep an eye on their suspicious host.
So the children returned to the inn and put the groceries in the kitchen. Sokka admitted finding Hama a little strange, like she knew something, or was hiding something. His sister said it was ridiculous. She was a nice woman who had taken them in and given them a place to stay.
She reminded her of Gran-Gran.
"But what did she mean by that comment, 'mysterious children'?" The 'plan guy' shot back.
"Gee, I don't know. Maybe because she found four strange kids, camping in the woods at night? Isn't that a little mysterious?" The waterbender responded sarcastically. The young man decided to take a look around. He climbed upstairs to explore the floor above. The others followed him. "Sokka! Sokka, what are you doing? You can't just snoop around someone's house." She tried to stop him but he paid no mind. Aang added she could be back home any minute. "Sokka, you're gonna get us all in trouble, and this is just plain rude." Katara insisted nervously. Her brother found a cabinet in the wall and tried to open it. After a time, he managed to yank it open, and several marionettes fell forward, held in place by their strings. They all yelped in surprise. The warrior jumped back and drew his sword at the puppets in fright, his back against the wall and sliding to the floor. The Avatar acknowleged it was pretty creepy. "So... she's got a hobby. There's nothing weird about that. Sokka, you've looked enough. Hama will be back soon." The waterbender closed the doors. Sokka made his way up into the dark attic and tried to open a nearby door, but it was locked. The others joined him.
"Just an ordinary, puppet-loving innkeeper, huh ? Then why does she have a locked door up here?"
"Probably to keep people like you from snooping through her stuff." Katara angrily retorted. "Chenlian, you say something!"
"It's better to ask forgiveness than permission. I'd also like to know more about what kind of old lady would be eccentric enough to wander alone at night into woods where she knew people have disappeared and to take in suspicious kids from same woods." The amber-eyed teen replied. That wasn't what the waterbender had hoped to hear... on the contrary, those words disturbed her even more. She couldn't deny that it was indeed strange for a frail old woman living alone to act like that. But she didn't want to admit or think about it. For some reason, she felt really close to Hama and hated thinking badly of her, or that others could do it.
"We'll see." The suspicious boy peered in through the keyhole. "It's empty except for a little chest." He reported his finding. Toph excitedly evoked the possibility of a treasure; causing Sokka to smile gleefully, and Aang and Katara to frown at her. The swordsman drew his weapon and began to pick the door's lock. He had to see what was in there, although his sister disliked him breaking into a private room. There was a click and the door opened. The monk believed they shouldn't be doing this. Sokka picked the chest but it was locked. He handed it to Toph who shaped her space earth armband into a key and tried opening it. But she was struggling. As time ticked by, Aang grew increasingly nervous, and Katara decided to leave, saying this was crazy... even though, torn between morality and curiosity, she had kept looking over the earthbender's shoulder until then. Her brother didn't care and encouraged Toph. A click was heard, the chest was unlocked. They all gathered around the little chest, including Katara who had run back, won over by curiosity in the end. The lid was slowly lifted until a voice was heard behind them.
"I'll tell you what's in the box." It was Hama who had returned. The children yelled in fear and turned to her. When she approached, they all looked down with guilt and Sokka handed the box to its owner who reached inside and showed the object to the fearful kids. It was a simple blue and white comb made from whale bone. Hama smiled at them cheerfully. Sokka couldn't believe it. All that for an old comb ?!
"Wait! Look better! That's a Water Tribe comb!" Chenlian exclaimed, recognizing the color theme, shape and material... and surprising her friends.
"It's my greatest treasure. It's the last thing I owned from growing up in the Southern Water Tribe." She revealed, shocking the siblings. To think their host would be from the same tribe as them! "I heard you talking around your campfire. I wanted to surprise you. I bought all this food today so I could fix you a big, Water Tribe dinner. Of course, I can't get all the ingredients I need here, but ocean kumquats are a lot like sea prunes, if you stew them long enough." The old woman sounded so very happy, while on the other hand Aang looked so very disgusted.
"I knew I felt a bond with you right away." Katara spoke, confident again.
"And I knew you were keeping a secret, so I guess we're both right." Her brother added. Katara punched him in the arm. "But I'm sorry we were sneaking around."
"Apology accepted. Now let's get cooking." Hama said kindly.
"I'll help you out!" The firebender volunteered. She was curious about Southern Water Tribe cooking, and wanted to apologize too... and actions spoke more than words.
Zuko went to see his uncle in prison to tell him about Chenlian's death. Given his state and the time that had passed, it hadn't even occurred to him that Iroh could have already been told about it by the jailers. But even so, even though it was so difficult for him to face his uncle now, he believed it was something he had to say himself, given everything the three of them had shared for a time. Besides, probably only his uncle could understand the pain and all he was feeling now. However, once the prince was before his uncle, he could only stutter without being able to say it, to acknowledge it.
"Uncle... What do I do? I feel so lost, I don't know what to do, everything has become gray, like the world's just about to crumble like ash, even the food tastes like ash... I can't sleep because if I sleep, I'll dream of her... and wake up only to have her gone again... I miss her... I want to see her, I need to see her... even if I have to scour the world a million times over to find her, even if she hates me and can't forgive me... I must to be with her... I need her... Uncle, I never thought it'd end like this! I never wanted it! I never realized how much she meant to me, or that she was already part of me... Chenlian's the only one I love, uncle! The only one I have ever truly loved! And yet... I..."
"And yet, it was painful for you to be with her, right? You hated having to rely on her just to get by, it made you feel miserable. You hated that she always favored the Avatar. You hated that because of her, you couldn't be with your father. That's why you abandoned her." Originally Iroh had wanted to comfort his nephew, especially since as expected, he had become such a wreck. Right, because Chenlian too had permeated his heart, his existence, her disappearance had torn a gaping hole and left him in shambles. But when he'd recall how torn apart Chenlian had looked, the 'abandon', the 'surrender' in her eyes, like she no longer cared about anything, like the pain had made her grow numb...
"No! That's-! No, well... that's true... but... I... I realized that just having her smile at me made me happy... there might have been painful times but I was happiest when I was with her! I felt the most complete when I had her in my arms!"
"And yet, you kept refusing her extended hand, and you kept breaking her heart, no matter how many times she'd offer it to you. You kept digging for gold, and ignored the purest diamond right at your side. You could never treasure her. It's too late to realize just how precious someone is to you after you've lost them. I wanted you to realize it sooner, I wanted you to choose her... then she wouldn't have had to suffer so much... and neither would you..." And even if he returned to her, surely she was already lost to him... "And still, even now, you want to believe in your father, and you would choose him over her, right?" But Zuko kept quiet and hung his head. He didn't know. It was true his father still had a certain pull over him, and he wanted to hold on. After what he had lost, that was all he had left. And Chenlian had asked him to endure, and keep walking the path he had chosen then. But he had already started to notice that his father might not be the man he thought he was... "But you know, Zuko, it's not just that. You're always talking about your happiness, and what you need... but what about her happiness? What about her aspirations, her dreams, her beliefs? Do not forget that this happened because you could never fully accept everything about her and love her for who she was..." The old man strictly looked at his nephew who raised his head and stared back at him. The darkness in Zuko's eyes had grown a shade darker as he had stepped further into despair.
At night, Aang ran outside to a small barn where Appa and Momo were staying. He tossed a cabbage into the bison's mouth. Momo threw a trantrum so Appa gave him the cabbage. Inside the inn, everyone sat down at the table when the dinner was set. Aang advised Toph to steer clear of the 'sea prunes'. The blind girl thought they were ocean kumquats, though to the Avatar's opinion, they were close enough.
"Who wants five-flavor soup?" The innkeeper offered. The children raised their hands. Hama bended the soup from the pot into everyone's bowls, much to their amazement. She was a waterbender! Katara especially was elated as she had never met another Waterbender from their tribe. "That's because the Fire Nation wiped them all out. I was the last one." She said sadly. Sokka asked how she had ended up out here. "I was stolen from my home. It was over 60 years ago when the raids started... They came again and again, each time, rounding up more of our waterbenders, and taking them captive." It was also during that time that the waterbenders trapped a Fire Nation ship in the ice, the very same ship that Aang explored soon after waking from his long sleep in the iceberg. "We did our best to hold them off, but our numbers dwindled as the raids continued." Until she was the last one standing... "Finally, I too was captured. I was led away in chains... the last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe." Hama hung her head. Katara walked to her and placed comforting hands on her shoulders. The Fire Nation noblewoman lowered her head... in shame. "They put us in terrible prisons here in the Fire Nation. I was the only one who managed to escape."
"How did you get away ? And why did you stay in the Fire Nation ?" Sokka questioned. The old woman apologized. It was too painful to talk about anymore.
"We completely understand. We lost our mother in a raid." Katara sympathized.
"Oh, you poor things." Hama patted her hand.
"I can't tell you what it means to meet you. It's an honor, you're a hero." The blue-eyed girl continued.
"Hama, I'm sorry to impose on you more than this, but I have a request. Katara's the last waterbender of the South Pole, so she's never had anyone to teach her the Southern Style. Could you please take on that role? We can't let that culture disappear." Chenlian pleaded.
"Chenlian, that's-" The young waterbender began. She didn't want to be rude. But Hama interrupted her.
"Of course, that was my intention from the start." She reassured her, and turned to her female compatriot. "I never thought I'd meet another southern waterbender. I'd like to teach you what I know, so you can carry on the Southern Tradition when I'm gone." The old waterbender proposed. Of course, the young one gladly accepted. To learn about her heritage would mean everything to her.
However, the next day, Chenlian took Katara aside to give her a warning. She understood that she was happy to finally meet a fellow waterbender from the South, and of course she should learn as much as possible from her... but she shouldn't trust her too much.
"What are you saying? Even though you've been getting along with her! I get you'd be reluctant to trust others after what you've been through, but you shouldn't close your heart like that. Being so distrustful can't be good."
"It might not be good to be too distrustful, but it's downright dangerous to trust too much. Just think about it. People have been disappearing during full moons, and waterbenders are at their peak during the full moons, and after what she's been through at the hands of the Fire Nation, I think she has reason enough to hate-"
"So you're saying she's the one who's been kidnapping people? How could you accuse such a kind person? And she's been living here for so long, she must have seen how nice the people here are. And how in the world could she have done something like that?"
"I'm just saying there's a possible relation. I'm not asking you to believe me. I'm just asking you to keep your eyes and ears open and your head on your shoulders. Katara, you too know what can happen when you misplace your trust. So you shouldn't forget those lessons, and trust too much."
Then the two waterbenders went off together. The lesson started with a talk about a crucial point: the capacity to adapt. Indeed, benders of their art needed something to bend. They couldn't do anything without it. Growing up at the South Pole, waterbenders were totally at home surrounded by snow and ice and seas. But that wasn't the case wherever they went. Katara agreed. When they had been stranded in the desert, she'd felt like there was almost nothing she could do.
"That's why you have to learn to control water wherever it exists." Hama concluded. The girl mentioned she had used her own sweat for waterbending. "That's very resourceful, Katara. You're thinking like a true master. But did you know you can even pull water out of thin air?" She threw her hand out and created a circle over her head, collecting the moisture in the air. "You've got to keep an open mind, Katara." She froze the water around her fingers that turned into sharp icicles. "There's water in places you never think about." She shot the frozen darts that lodged themselves into a nearby trunk. Katara looked on happily.
Aang looked down at the clear river winding in a lush valley to the coast. They were in a beautiful and peaceful countryside. This gotta be the nicest natural setting in the Fire Nation, and he couldn't see anything that would make a spirit mad around here. Toph suggested the
Moon Spirit had just turned mean. That really angered Sokka who yelled at her that the Moon Spirit was a gentle, loving lady who ruled the sky with compassion and lunar goodness. A traveler walked down the nearby trail. Aang stopped him and asked him about the spirit that had been stealing people. He replied that only one man ever saw it and lived, and that was Old Man Ding.
The two waterbenders were walking through the field of fire lilies dotted with large rocks. There was a forest in the distance, and further away, a mountain. Those beautiful red flowers only bloomed a few weeks a year, but they were one of Hama's favorite thing about living here. And like all plants, and all living things, they were filled with water. Katara remarked she had met a waterbender who lived in a swamp and controlled the vines by bending the water inside. But her teacher showed they could take it even further. Hama waved her hands and drew all the water from the lilies in a circle around, withering them. She completed the circle and choped her hand downward at a tall rock. The water cleanly sliced the rock in pieces.
"That was incredible." Katara voiced her amazement. "It's a shame about the lilies, though." She sadly stared at the now black, dry and shrivelled plants.
"They're just flowers. When you're a waterbender in a strange land, you do what you must to survive. Tonight, I'll teach you the ultimate technique of waterbending. It can only be done during the full moon, when our bending is at its peak." The old woman took the girl by the shoulders. Katara was a bit scared though. Wasn't that dangerous? People had been disappearing around here during the full moon. "Oh, Katara... two master waterbenders beneath a full moon? I don't think we have anything to worry about." They walked away towards the forest. Despite her confident words, the young one looked down, still anxious, as she was reminded of Chenlian's warning... None of them had noticed that the firebender with mahogany hair had been stealthily following and watching them.
Night had fallen. Aang, Sokka, and Toph were walking through town at night. Old Man Ding was sealing the openings of his house with wood planks. He was preparing to hammer a nail against a board when Aang called out to him, distracting him, and causing him to hammer his own thumb. The poor guy let go of his hammer, yelped in pain and cursed.
"Eeh, yeow! Aw, dang blame it! What ?! Can't you see I'm busy?! Got a full moon rising. And why does everyone call me that? I'm not that old." He crouched down to lift up a board, but was too weak. "Aww... well, I'm young at heart." He half confessed. Aang helped him lift the board up to the window. "Not ready to get snapped up by some moon monster, yet, at least."
"We wanted to ask you about that." Sokka spoke as he nailed the board.
"Did you get a good look at the spirit that took you?" The Avatar added.
"Didn't see no spirit. Just felt something come over me, like I was possessed. Forced me to start walking toward the mountain. I tried to fight it, but I couldn't control my own limbs! It just about had me into a cave up there. And I looked up at the moon, for what I thought would be my last glimpse of light. But then, the sun started to rise. And I got control of myself again! I just high-tailed it away from that mountain as quick as I could!" The elderly narrated. Sokka wondered why a spirit would want to take people to a mountain.
"Oh, no!" Toph exclaimed, startling the boys. "I did hear people screaming under the mountain. The missing villagers must still be there." They all stared up at the mountain.
And soon, the blind girl was leading her friends through the forest in direction of the cave. They arrived at the entrance, but they couldn't see anything. So Toph, who didn't need to 'see' the way they did, took Sokka by the hand. They jumped in the darkness. Next they were running in a corridor lit by torches. A metal door blocked they way. The metalbender knocked it down, and they headed further into the cave. They reached a chamber where dozens of men and women of various ages were chained to walls and pillars. Toph used her armband to unlock their shackles. They were saved.
"I didn't know that spirits made prisons like this, who brought you here?" Aang questioned. The prisoners replied it was no spirit but a witch. She seemed like a normal old woman, but she controlled people like some dark puppetmaster.
"Hama!" Sokka exclaimed angrily. "I knew there was something creepy about her!"
"We have to stop Hama!" The monk yelled. Toph told them to go. She would get these people out of here. The boys ran out in a hurry.
"Can you feel the power the full moon brings?" Hama inhaled deeply. She and Katara were in the woods, basking in the light of the full moon. "For generations, it has blessed Waterbenders with its glow, allowing us to do incredible things. I've never felt more I'm about to show you, I discovered in that wretched, Fire Nation prison. The guards were always careful to keep any water away from us. They piped in dry air, and had us suspended away from the ground. Before giving us any water, they would bind our hands and feet so we couldn't bend. Any sign of trouble was met with cruel retribution. And yet, each month, I felt the full moon enriching me with its energy. There had to be something I could do to escape. Then I realized that where there is life, there is water. The rats that scurried across the floor of my cage were nothing more than skins filled with liquid. And I passed years developing the skills that would lead to my escape... Bloodbending. Controlling the water in another body." However, because she had her back to her, the old innkeeper didn't notice Katara staring at her in horror. "Enforcing your own will over theirs... Once I had mastered the rats, I was ready for the men... And during the next full moon, I walked free for the first time in decades. My cell unlocked by the very guards assigned to keep me in. Once you perfect this technique, you can control anything... or anyone..."
"But, to reach inside someone and control them? I don't know if I want that kind of power." Katara spoke uneasily.
"The choice is not yours. The power exists... and it's your duty to use the gifts you've been given to win this war. Katara, they tried to wipe us out, our entire culture... your mother!"
"I know..."
"Then you should understand what I'm talking about. We're the last waterbenders of the Southern Tribe. We have to fight these people whenever we can... wherever they are... with any means necessary!"
"It's you! You're the one who's making people disappear during the full moons!" Katara suddenly realized. Chenlian had been right!
"They threw me in prison to rot, along with my brothers and sisters! They deserve the same. You must carry on my work." The bloodbender declared, overcome with hatred.
"I won't! I won't use bloodbending, and I won't allow you to keep terrorizing this town." The girl defiantly shot back, pointing an accusatory finger at Hama. But then her arms twisted to one side, then the other side, and behind her back. She grabbed her arm and tried to stop it.
"You should have learned the technique before you turned against me." The hateful woman made Katara stand straight up, stiff. "It's impossible to fight your way out of my grip. I control every muscle, every vein in your body." Smiling sadistically, she used bloodbending to twist her former pupil's body around and throw her from side to side and made it twitch and jerk erratically. Katara was forced down to her knees. Tears welled up in her eyes.
"Stop... please..." The teenager begged. Even though she had been so happy to meet another bender from her tribe... even though Hama had been so kind to her and taught her... how could this happen?! But as the woman full of spite cackled cruelly, sinisterly, Katara understood. That woman had been twisted beyond salvation... she had come to enjoy inflicting pain... and had clearly no intention of letting her go back alive. The young waterbender hung her head, tears streaming down her face. But then Hama's attention was diverted by a growing fiery light in the darkness of the woods. And suddenly, a fireball shot towards her, barely letting her enough time to shield herself with water that evaporated, while the fire could not be doused, only weakened slightly, and the impact blew her against a tree. She collapsed on the ground, coughing.
"That's why I told you to be careful. Just because you're from the same tribe doesn't mean everyone is as nice as you. This is how pain and loneliness can twist a person." Chenlian walked over to them. "What more, instead of targeting soldiers or doing something that truly hurt the war effort, she only went after helpless civilians. Talk about hypocrisy and meaninglessness. She clearly just wanted to feel good and superior. She's just a tiny, broken person who bullied the weak, believing that it made her strong. Such a specter of the past only able to spout old malice should be put out of misery. What do you think, Katara? Will you do it? Do you need help?" Chenlian offered. Katara clenched her fists, and the grass around them shrivelled and died. She lifted her eyes full of anger and determination at Hama who was recovering and slowly getting up again. Katara stood up too and took a deep breath.
"No need to help, Chenlian. Thank you for saving me, but as her pupil and fellow Southern waterbender, defeating her is MY job."
"Katara you TRAITOR! You allied yourself with a firebender!" Hama spat, full of venom, glaring hatefully.
"Chenlian is a firebender, and she's my friend, no, she's my sister, much more so than you. I won't allow you to disrespect her. It's your loss for not having seen that there were good people in the Fire Nation too. Chenlian and I are both fighting to end this war. We're fighting for peace and coexistence. And I'll tell you one more thing... you're not the only one who draws power from the moon. My bending is more powerful than yours, Hama. Your technique is useless on me!" Katara bended the water out of the grass around her and flung it at Hama who redirected it back at the girl who regained control over the water and hurled it back again, countering the counter-attack. The aged bender extracted the water from two trees, desintegrating them and creating two large torrents that she threw forward before taking Katara's attack and flinging it back again. The three currents combined into a massive one flying straight at the teenager who completely blocked it, like the liquid had crashed into an invisible wall. Hama stared in shock and fear, but it was really no surprise. She had spent decades in hiding while this last year Katara had gone from one battlefield to another, always fighting and accumulating experience. Chenlian had said it when they first met "Actual fighting is the fastest way to grow stronger". Katara dashed forward and bended the water in the air into two jets, one hitting the side of Hama's head and the other sweeping her feet, spinning her in mid air and knocking her down. The 'witch' slowly rose up.
"Say what you will Katara, but fire and water can never coexist... and this is proof!" The bloodbender attempted to manipulate Chenlian into attacking her comrade. And while she succeeded in moving her at first, she was soon shocked to feel resistance, like a will in that girl's blood, or energy was countering her own! And it was growing! But she had no time to be surprised. For a split second, the firebender's amber eyes seemed to glow gold and she breathed a powerful torrent of flames, forcing the old woman to jump away and undo her control, not leaving her time to counter. Katara took advantage of that moment to wash her away and hurl her against a tree. Hama fell on her knees, breathing hard, and still very confused that her technique had failed against a person against whom it should have definitely worked. How could it be possible! How could that Chenlian have resisted her?! Katara hadn't been in a bending stance, and had seemed surprised too so it couldn't have been her! And it was impossible for a nonbloodbender to escape from her control! So how could it be?! Who was really that firebender, Chenlian?! Sokka and Aang came running.
"We know what you've been doing, Hama!" Sokka yelled.
"Give up, you're outnumbered." Aang demanded, ready to fight too.
"No. You've nicely offset yourselves." Hama replied and took possession of the boys' bodies. She hurled Aang at Chenlian and Sokka at his sister. Chenlian grabbed Aang and immobilized him. Katara dodged her brother, collected more water from the grass that she launched at the other southern bender who desiccated another tree to protect herself with a massive spinning wheel of water that effectively blocked the attack but shattered upon impact. Hama tried to control Chenlian again but she still felt that resistance, and the Fire Nation girl bended an arch of fire at her while still keeping Aang down. The old woman jumped away again, knowing she was no match in raw power against the firebender, and manipulated Sokka to attack Katara with his sword. He warned her and tried to stop himself but couldn't. The young bender took more liquid from the ground and grass and knocked her brother away with it. Then she heard Chenlian scream her name. Katara saw she had pinned Aang against a tree, understood, and acted, fully immobilizing him with ice so Chenlian could be free to move. The young women apologized but he understood. Hama bloodbended Sokka to attack again. Katara pulled out the water from a sapling and flung it at her brother's sword arm. He was sent flying back against a tree. The water froze and pinned him there. "Don't hurt your friends, Katara... and don't let them hurt each other..." The old woman taunted. Suddenly, the boys were violently drawn to each other, Sokka's sword is pointed forward intended to impale Aang. Both screamed in terror.
"No!" The girls cried. Right before the sword pierced the airbender, they stopped, and realized they had control over themselves again. They looked to Hama, who stiffened and twitched with a horrified expression. Everyone turned to Katara... who was in a bloodbending stance... and manipulating Hama. The young waterbender was shocked at first. Then she closed her eyes. There had been no other way to stop her... then she slowly forced the elderly to her knees. Toph and the prisoners arrived and they shackled the innkeeper's hands.
"You're going to be locked away forever." A former captive spoke while two others started leading Hama away.
"My work is done." The elder replied. She had properly transmitted her abominable ability. "Congratulations, Katara. You're a bloodbender." She glanced back at her distressed pupil who began weeping. Hama laughed evilly as she was taken away. Sobbing, Katara dropped to her knees. Chenlian knelt at her side and hugged her friend who threw herself in her arms. The guys placed their hands on Katara's back to comfort her.
Author's note: Right... I thought it was about time to post an update of this story. Chenlian and Katara... when the bonds of the heart are stronger than blood... sisters argue, reconcile, but are always close... :)
By the way, I wonder what could be that will, that resistance that Hama felt when trying to bloodbend Chenlian... ;)
Next chapter will be titled 'Lost in nightmares'.