clearsunrise
Pupil Sokka
Waterbending Admiral of the Zutarian Army
Posts: 5,462
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Post by clearsunrise on Mar 26, 2007 22:45:17 GMT -5
Ok I really don't like triple posting, but since people seem to be reading, I'll give you guys the next chapter. If you have any ideas on how I can work on my descriptions, which happens to be my weakness, can you tell me please? I do have chapter 10 ready and waiting. I like it more than this chapter. Anyway, here's chapter 9.
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Live for Love Chapter 9 The Reluctant Teacher
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Seeing everyone’s eyes on her, Mai looked away, keeping a bored expression to hide her uneasiness. She moved her wrists as she had done frequently since Katara had chained them in ice.
“She’s some extra baggage they picked up,” Sokka said, pointing to Jet, Katara, and Zuko.
How dare he call her baggage!? If she only had her weapons. She turned her eyes to Jet. She narrowed her eyes, blaming Jet for her not being able to stab that annoying water brat’s eyes out.
“We couldn’t exactly leave her there, Sokka,” Katara said, “She would’ve come after us.”
“Did you ever think about just knocking her out?”
Seeing a fight brewing, Iroh said, tiredly, “It does not matter how she came to be with us, only that she is. Instead of arguing over the past, we should decide what our next move will be.”
“ “Our” next move?” Sokka asked.
“Well, I do have to return the favor,” Iroh responded, grinning unassumingly.
“We’re heading no--,”Aang began.
“Aang, how many times do I have to tell you not to tell random people where we’re going!?” Sokka asked with disbelief.
“I don’t do that.”
“Oh, really? How about that time…”
“Sokka, you’re not helping,” Katara said, exasperated. Aang let a smile pass his face at Katara seeming to take his side.
“Besides, we can trust the tea-lover at least,” Toph put in.
“I feel hurt that you don’t trust me as well,” Jet said, grinning.
“What is wrong with a nice, warm cup of jas—ugh!!,” Iroh began, but cut off with a grimace as he felt a slight tug on his braided hair.
Turning, he saw the girl smiling. As she was smiling, she began to swing his braid back and forth.
“Well now, what is you name, little one?” Iroh asked.
As the girl continued to smile, Sokka said, “Don’t bother trying to get her to talk. She won’t say a word.”
“Well, we cannot call her “the little girl” the whole way,” Iroh said.
The girl wandered away from Iroh, being distracted by a flower that grew not to far away. Iroh looked at the girl thoughtfully. As he was in thought, his eyes turned to the flowers she was picking. As she finished picking a couple, she brought them over to him. Looking at them, he noticed they were lotus blossoms. After a few moments, his eyes lit up.
“I’ve got it,” he said to the girl, “How do you like the name “Lotus”?”
The girl looked deep in thought for a moment. Then, a smile slowly appeared on her face, as she nodded.
“Great, now that the kid has a name, let’s get back to our planning,” Sokka said, “I think we should split up.”
“You’re not just saying that to get away from them, are you, Sokka?” Katara asked.
“No. Look, wherever Appa flies is probably where Azula will go,” Sokka reasoned, “We can’t lead her to the temple.”
“Well, who’ll go where?” Aang asked.
Pointing towards Mai, Sokka said, “It’d be too dangerous to bring her along on Appa, so since she already knows where we’re going, she’ll have to go to the temple.”
“I guess I’ll take her then,” Jet said.
Zuko looked on, unsure of what temple they meant. They all seemed to think it was safe. He couldn’t let his uncle be captured again. If this temple would be out of Azula’s path, Zuko wanted his uncle there. That way he wouldn’t worry as much.
“Uncle…will you go to the temple as well?”
Iroh looked at his nephew; “I still have to repay them for their help, Zuko.”
“You don’t have to, Mister Iroh.”
Laughing, Iroh said, “Just call me Iroh, Katara. And according to our customs, I have to repay you. It is an honor thing.”
Katara nodded, understandingly. She remembered Zuko saying something about honor a few months ago. She guessed it was important to the Fire Nation. Although, she wasn’t so sure trying to take over the world was particularly honorable.
“Well…” Aang began, hesitantly, “I have to master the four elements before the end of the summer, and I do need to learn firebending from someone…”
Zuko’s eyes flashed, as he stood in anger, “No! Absolutely not.”
“Zuko, sit down,” Iroh said, sternly, surprising the rest of the group.
As they continued their discussion, Kuei had remained silent. As he listened, he came to a decision. He would go to the temple and be with the people of Ba Sing Se. This way if they needed him he would be there, and maybe this time he would be able to help them. As he reached his own decision, he tuned back into the conversation around him.
“Uncle, how can you even consider teaching him firebending!?” Zuko yelled, clearly having more to say, but his anger stopped him from forming the words.
“Calm down, Angry Boy,” Toph said, “You’ll give yourself a heart attack.”
“He doesn’t seem to be in the mood for jokes, Toph,” Jet warned.
“Am I supposed to be scared?”
Seeing smoke come out of Zuko’s clenched mouth, Katara said, “ Okay, Toph, leave him alone.”
“Sure, Sweetness.”
Iroh, finally answering, said, “I would be honored to teach you firebending,” at this Zuko let out a loud “What!?” as Iroh continued, “but I am not sure I could fly around on your bison.”
Aang looked downcast, “Oh…right.”
“However, my nephew might be able to.”
This was met with many exclamations from both Sokka and Zuko. Luckily, Lotus was slightly out of hearing range.
Talking over them, Katara said, “So, Zuko comes with us, and you’ll go to the temple, right, Iroh?”
She had a grin on her face a mile wide as she said this due to the fact that it would irritate her brother and Zuko both to no end.
“Sounds good to me,” Iroh grinned, “I’ve always wanted to see the air temple.”
“Now, wait just a minute,” Zuko yelled, “There’s no way I’m ever teaching that brat firebending!” ------------------------------
End of chap. I was wondering if you guys think my descriptions have gotten any better. I've been trying to work on them.
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Post by waterfire (I am back!!!) on Mar 26, 2007 23:07:38 GMT -5
I love the story but its better then the last time(even though I read this today) but karma for you.
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clearsunrise
Pupil Sokka
Waterbending Admiral of the Zutarian Army
Posts: 5,462
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Post by clearsunrise on Mar 28, 2007 14:22:35 GMT -5
Thanks for the review, waterfire . Ok after this chapter, I'll be all caught up here. FFN is having a few problems, so I decided to go ahead with chapter 10 here too. Anyway, here's chapter 10. If you have time, please tell me what you think . ---------------------------------------- Live for Love Chapter 10 A Missed Hit Azula was angry. Although, the people around her would consider that an understatement after the first dozen fireballs and insults thrown their way. She couldn’t believe how incompetent these idiots were. They couldn’t even stop two earthbending brats from getting away. She conveniently forgot that she was also there, and one of those “earthbending brats” was the Avatar. The morons should’ve been able to keep order while she was busy elsewhere. Seeing his Dai Li agents too scared to approach her, Long Feng thought it was an opportune time to give her some information that might calm her. He didn’t need any more injuries. Moving cautiously, he approached the irritated princess. “Highness, I have some information that may interest you,” he began. Turning angrily towards him, Azula snapped, “Well, what is it?” Seeing that she wouldn’t be shooting fireballs at him for at least five seconds, Long Feng continued, “The blind earthbender who travels with the Avatar…she is a member of the Bei Fong family.” Narrowing her eyes, Azula hissed, “And why would that interest me?” “The Bei Fong family is highly respected and have much power. If you would…declare them traitors, the girl would most likely come running to save them.” Azula looked thoughtful for a moment, then her eyes gleamed evilly, “You may still have some use yet.” Before Long Feng could answer, a soldier burst into the room. Seeing the princess’s expression at being interrupted, the soldier quivered. “P-Princess, the Avatar’s bison has been spotted heading south.” Her eyes shrank to slits, “The Avatar let his bison be seen?” “Y-Yes, Highness.” “I didn’t think he would be so careless,” Long Feng said, voice filled with disdain at the apparent unthinking action. “He wouldn’t,” Azula said, “He’s trying to distract me from something.” Azula strode over to a map that was hanging on the wall. She studied it carefully. Spotting something, she asked, “Isn’t that the mountain range the Northern Air Temple is in?” Long Feng, having moved in front of the map as well, answered, “Yes, Highness.” Azula’s eyes lit with understanding, as a plan began to form in her mind. She smirked as the pieces fell into place. “He wants me to follow him,” she whispered. Long Feng and the soldier looked at her curiously. Speaking louder, she continued, “He’s trying to lead me away from the people who escaped,” her grin turned more evil, if that was possible, as she continued, “I never did like doing what people expect.” Snapping her attention to Long Feng, she said, “Send the Dai Li south after the Avatar,” turning to the soldier, she said, “Send out a message to all of the Earth Kingdom. Tell them the Bei Fongs are now an enemy of the state.” The soldier scurried away as Long Feng asked, “And what do you plan to do, Highness?” She chuckled as she said, “We are going to follow the refugees. Inform Ty Lee that she will accompany us and send word to the war balloons.” Her expression would have frightened even the bravest of people, as she finished, “It’s time to take out that eyesore of a temple.” --------------------------------------------- Her village had been quiet and peaceful since Lee left. The Fire Nation seemed to have lessened attacks on the part of the Earth Kingdom her village was located. She guessed they were focusing their attention on Ba Sing Se now. Word traveled slowly to her part of the world. Lee. The boy who stole her father’s ostrich-horse. She wasn’t sure what she would do or say if she ever saw him again. All she knew was that it would take more than an apology for her to forgive him. If he was even willing to give said apology. He had taken her and her mother’s kindness and thrown it back in their faces. She wasn’t sure she would ever forgive him. Her days now consisted again of healing people who needed it. She couldn’t help but feel something was missing. Like she should be doing more. “Song. Come quickly. I need your help.” “Coming,” she said, as she hurried over. As she arrived, she saw rebel earthbenders dragging something behind them. As she looked, she saw that that “something” was a “someone” on a makeshift stretcher. It was a boy with long, brown hair. He seemed to have many injuries on his unconscious form. A highly worried, almost frantic, old man pleaded, “Please help my son. Please help Haru.” ------------------------------ Xia had been traveling all night. Needless to say, she was exhausted. They had made the decision to travel night and day to cut the time needed to make it to Ba Sing Se. They each would rest when they weren’t in human form and walk when they were. It was almost the dusk of the morning and her time to rest. She wasn’t sure how much farther she could make it. Resting in non-human form wasn’t as good as resting when they were actually in their bodies. “Hey, Sunshine, how much farther is it to Ba Sing Se?” she asked, tiredly. ‘How should I know? It’s your country.’She smirked, “So, you’re not going to tell me not to call you “Sunshine”?” ‘No matter how many times I tell you, you’ll still call me that, so why would I bother?’She giggled, “Wow, Sunshine, you’re finally learning something.” She felt his irritation as she trounced through the trees around her. She would be perfectly happy never seeing a tree again with all the leaves and twigs that had decided she might make a fine tree. As she walked, she didn’t pay much attention, so when the fireball came towards her all she could do was shield herself with her arms and close her eyes. Through her eyelids, she saw bright lights. Opening her eyes, slowly and cautiously, she looked around. She noticed a group of people with shocked expressions. Looking down, she noticed she didn’t have a single burn. “How did you do that?” she asked, mystified. The group around her grew confused and looked as if she had three eyes and a horn growing out of her head, as Shai Ming answered, ‘I have no idea…I just didn’t want it to hit you.’Blushing, she said, “Oh, that’s ni-,” she paused, then narrowed her eyes, “so wait a minute. Every other time someone tried to burn me to a crisp you didn’t care!?” ‘Uh…’The group looked even more confused as the girl in blue struck the firebender’s shoulder and shouted, “You just shot fire at an insane person!” A boy, also in blue, groaned, “If Karma really does run everything, we’re so doomed.” “And now look what you did. They think I’m crazy!” ‘Now you know how I feel. Besides, it’s not like you tried to ever help me.’“You know how I feel about earthbending,” she said, indignantly. The morning dusk slowly settled in as Shai Ming took human form. Dusk was the only time they were human at the same time. As they continued their “discussion”, the young boy with arrow tattoos said, “I think it’s a bit more complicated than that,” as all of their jaws dropped.
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clearsunrise
Pupil Sokka
Waterbending Admiral of the Zutarian Army
Posts: 5,462
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Post by clearsunrise on Apr 14, 2007 23:29:38 GMT -5
Hey guys. Well, first off you guys can thank taiyo for this chapter being so long. Second, I'm posting chapter 11 here first because FFN is having problems again, so if I made any mistakes in typing i won't have seen it. So basically you guys get the semi-unedited one this time. I've had my beta and spellcheck and my own eyes look it over, but I can't pick up everything. If you see any mistakes, please let me know . Anyway, here's chapter 11. Hope you like it. -------- Live for Love Chapter 11 Letters and Curses Hours before the FallThe Earth King lounged back on his cushiony seat; Bosco curled up beside him. Taking care of and protecting Ba Sing Se’s cultural heritage could take a lot out of him. At least he had Long Feng to assist him when he needed it. Long Feng always seemed to give the best advice. Sighing, the King glanced around his large room. He had moved the cushions from his beautifully draped bed to the floor by a tall window, wanting to soak up the morning sunlight when it decided to shine through. He hadn’t been able to sleep, having an ominous feeling. He had mentioned this to Long Feng, who told him he had probably overworked himself and needed rest. He had tried for hours to follow Long Feng’s advice to no avail. Sighing, he decided to go speak with his trustworthy advisor. He got up slowly from his comfortable position. Stretching, he turned to the bear, signaling for him to follow. When all Bosco did was stare, yawn, and roll back over, the Earth King decided to leave him there for the moment. Walking by the door leading to the furry creature’s room, he opened it just in case his dear bear wanted to go in. Walking down the hall, the Earth King paid no heed as the servants bowed low as he walked past, and they moved out of the king’s path. Following the long halls, well lit by torches, he made his way to Long Feng’s office. The Earth King slowly went in, looking around. Seeing his advisor absent, the king decided to await his return. He approached the desk, wanting to take a seat, when he noticed an open scroll. Curiosity getting the best of him, he walked around the desk and began to read it. A small gasp escaped his mouth, as he read the contents, ‘A letter to the Avatar? What in the…’ Before he could finish his thoughts, he heard voices from the hall. Now, not wanting to be seen the king looked around frantically for a place to hide. Not finding anything else, he hid under the desk, the front of which blocked any eyes from spotting him. Hearing the door open, the king unconsciously began to hold his breath, as he listened to the new occupants of the room. “Everything is going as planned,” he heard a female voice, which seemed rather hyper, “You have nothing to worry about.” “And that naïve idiot they call “the Earth King” doesn’t suspect a thing,” said idiot’s eyes widened in shock at hearing Long Feng’s voice. “Don’t worry,” the female piped, “in just about an hour your “utopia” will have nothing to fear from the Fire Nation.” “I’m glad to hear that.” “Well, I’ve passed along the message, so I’ll be going now,” the unknown voice said, “my aura could use a little more pink in it.” “I’ll escort you out,” the door opened, as Long Feng and the peppy girl left the room. Sitting in shock for a moment, the king tried to digest this information he had just heard. Slowly, he crawled out from beneath the desk. Not knowing what to do, the king made his way quietly back to his room and Bosco, picking up the scroll as he left. As he reached his room, he went in. He closed the door, and still unsure, he began to pace. This was too much to take in all at once. Why would Ba Sing Se fear the Fire Nation? Why was Long Feng talking to the mysterious girl? What did she mean by “utopia”? Halting in his pacing, the king decided to go and find someone to give this information to. But whom could he trust? Thinking hard for a moment, the king decided to tell someone on the outer wall. They would know what was going on outside. Now, the only question was how did he get there unnoticed? Not wanting to waste anymore time, he decided to stay in the shadows as much as possible. He crept down the halls stealthily, or as much as he could with a bear tagging along, ducking behind corners when a guard came by. Being so careful was forcing him to waste time as he noticed it getting slowly lighter outside as he came to the exit. As he went outside, he decided to speed up as much as he could to increase his already slim chances of reaching the walls in time. With Bosco trotting along behind, he made it to the Upper Ring, as a part of his mind took note of how the guards didn’t seem to be at their posts. Ignoring this thought, the king hurried through the almost deserted streets, most people being asleep at this hour. Just after he had made it to the Lower Ring, he heard the alarm being raised. He knew then that he was too late. As he stood there in shock, doors of the surrounding houses flew open as frightened people came out, a few at a time. Coming out of his shock, he noticed that the horn had been cut short, and people were shoving past him in panic. After a few moments, he was finally able to awaken his brain and convince it to tell his feet to move. He followed the rush of people as they made their way towards the exit, a group of teens ushering them out. In his haste, he passed by a lost girl. Turning back, he saw as a teen girl went to her lifting her up. Seeing the girl safe, Kuei left the city with Ba Sing Se’s people. ------------------------------- The decision had been made on how to split up the group. Some more disgruntled about the way it was split than others. Kuei had been thinking back to the fall of the city. Every time he would remember, his eyes would turn cloudy and lose their focus. Having forgotten about the scroll until now, he knew he would have to give it to the Avatar before they split up. Walking over, he decided to talk to the boy privately, so the young earthbender wouldn’t catch him in a small lie about the king giving it to him. “Aang,” he began his request, “I need to speak with you, please.” “Sure,” Aang said, slightly confused as he followed Kuei away from the group. When Kuei felt they were far enough away, he turned to Aang. He pulled the scroll out from where he had hidden it. “On the day of the Fall, the Earth King found this,” he said, getting straight to the point, “He entrusted it to me.” Aang took it, confused and not understanding right away. Seeing this, Kuei decided to elaborate. “It’s a letter that Long Feng was keeping from you.” Hearing that name, Kuei noticed anger flit across the boy’s face. Giving his thanks, Aang and Kuei returned to the group. ------------------------- It was a restless night for the young travelers. After setting up camp, the group had fallen into a nervous silence. They had sent Jet, Iroh, Lotus, and their prisoner, Mai, north. Two to keep out of danger, one to guard them, although Iroh didn’t need much help, and one to keep from putting on a flying bison where she could knock any of them off. The rest had gone south, one of the group causing Sokka to pout. Zuko seemed to separate himself as Toph used to. He seemed to be distancing himself as much as possible. Toph could feel his nervousness at being surrounded by people he once, and still might, called enemies. She knew the only reason he had gone along with Aang’s crazy idea as because of his uncle. Knowing how tired her friends were, she thought she should break the iciness that surrounded her by saying, “Man, I’m beat. What do you guys say we get some rest before we get going?” Sokka, being Sokka, said, “How can we possibly sleep with him around?” pointing at Zuko. Yawning, Katara said, “Well, Sokka, why don’t you stay up and watch him, while we’re sleeping?” while getting up and moving to her sleeping bag. “Wait, why do I have to?” “You’re the one who doesn’t want to leave him unwatched, Snoozles,” Toph said, leaving the campfire for her own rock tent. “Good night, Sokka,” Aang said, leaving as well. “Now, wait just a…” he began, before he noticed his protests fell on deaf ears. Zuko, annoyed, moved to the opposite side of the campfire and went to sleep. --------------------------------- It was beginning to turn into morning, when Toph woke up to unknown footsteps. Worried, she brought down her tent. She quietly went around to each of her traveling companions, waking them up. Sleepily, Katara rubbed her eyes, “What’s wrong, Toph?” “Someone’s coming,” Toph pointed to where she felt the footsteps. The group turned towards to where she indicated and waited, all of them tense. They stood quietly and patiently in their fighting stances as they heard someone crashing through the woods. The bushes in view shook as a figure burst out of the brush. Zuko impulsively shot a fireball toward the figure as soon as they stepped out. As the fire got closer, they saw, as the stranger’s eyes grew wide in shock and fear as they ducked and threw their arms up to shield themselves. Quite suddenly, a small burst of flames shot out from around the person, seeming to come out of nowhere because it was obvious it hadn’t come from the cowering ball. The group, in shock, watched as the figure, which they could now tell was a girl, slowly brought her arms down. Looking at the girl as her green eyes held confusion, they saw twigs and leaves sticking out from every possible spot, mostly in her brown hair that seemed to be coming out of it’s looped ponytail. Her skin seemed pale as if she didn’t get much sun, and she seemed to be an average height, then again she was still curled up. Hearing the girl speak, as her eyes seemed to be looking nowhere, “How did you do that?” The first thing that crossed all of their minds was that the girl must have been living under a rock not to know what bending was. They tilted their heads, confused, when she blushed, “Oh, that’s ni-,” she paused, slowly looking angry, as her eyes narrowed, “so wait a minute, every other time someone tried to burn me to a crisp you didn’t care?!” The group’s faces scrunched in confusion as the girl proceeded to talk to herself. Katara turned to Zuko, angry, as she slapped his shoulder, nudging him forward, and shouted, “You just shot fire at and insane person!” Sokka groaned, as if in pain, “If Karma really does run everything, we’re so doomed.” Hearing the girl again, shouting, “And now look what you did. They think I’m crazy!” They watched as a small sign of fear flashed through her eyes for a moment before she said, “You know how I feel about earthbending.” As dusk began to settle, the Gaang began to worry about their own sanity. Just as they were, another figure slowly came into view, this time a boy. As more of him could be seen, they noticed his black hair and his brown eyes, filled with annoyance at the girl in front of him. He was slightly taller than she was, and unlike the pale girl, he had a healthy tan. As they continued to watch the pair argue, Aang said, “I think it’s a bit more complicated than that.” In a daze, the group came to a decision. It was official…they had all lost their minds. ------------------------------------------- After the two sudden guests had ended their argument, the girl apparently winning, the sun was already shining, and the girl had seemed to disappear into thin air, leaving the boy to explain the situation. Knowing they were in for a long story, they all decided to sit down. Sokka seemed to sit as far away from the new face as possible. “So,” Aang began, awkwardly, “what just happened?” Shai Ming didn’t know if he should trust this group. Then again, he was very skeptical of people. ‘Just tell them already, Sunshine.’Looking annoyed, he said, “Why do I always end up with the hard part?” ‘You think only being human at night is easy? I haven’t seen the color during a sunrise in forever. It’s always black and white.’“Yeah, yeah,” Shai Ming said, not wanting to hear it again. “Yo, are you gonna answer or not?” Toph asked, impatiently. Focusing again, Shai Ming said, “We made some spirit angry, got cursed, and now we’re trying to break it.” ‘You’re storytelling ability is astounding.’Hearing the dry sarcasm, Shai Ming yelled, “Will you shut up already?!” as Katara said, “How did you get the curse?” With a surprised look, Katara glanced away. ‘Now, look what you did, Sunshine.’“What I…”Shai Ming began, but seeing Katara’s embarrassed face, he sighed and said, “Sorry, I was talking to Xia.” “You know most people would think you were crazy giving the voices in your head names,” Sokka said in his sarcastic voice. “Sokka,” Katara said, in a warning voice, before she continued, “How did you get this curse, and do you know how to break it?” “You’re entirely too curious,” Shai Ming said, sighing as he finished, “Fine, I’ll tell you.” The Gaang and Zuko gave their full attention as soon as they were comfortable. Shai Ming then began his long story. ------------------------------------ It had been a long day, with having another skirmish with the Earth Kingdom, and taking over more villages, he was completely exhausted. Still having guard duty though, he patrolled the town. It was extremely quiet, and boring the young, new soldier to tears. He wished there was something, anything, to keep him busy.
As he was walking the streets, he saw a young girl, who looked not much younger than he, walk up a small path leading through the trees. Curious, and looking for anything to do, he decided to follow her, staying back so as not to be seen.
As he walked behind her on the path, ducking behind trees when she looked back, he noticed that the tall trees cast shadows along the path, and flowers grew alongside. The path itself seemed to be well-traveled-on dirt.
Nearing the end of it, the trees seemed to separate as they formed into a clearing. In the clearing, he watched as the girl walked up to what looked to be a small shrine to a spirit. Wanting a closer look, and completely forgetting that he was trying to remain hidden, he walked towards the girl. As he was walking, he stepped on a small twig. The girl spun around in surprise as a cracking sound came from the twig.
Her eyes focused on him after a moment. Anger flashed through her green eyes as she saw that he was a soldier from the opposing army.
“What are you doing here?” she said, her anger plainly heard in her voice.
“I…um,” he said, nervously, “curious?” he finished with a question in his voice.
“You were following me, weren’t you?” she accused, more angry than before.
Irritated by her tone, he said, “Look, girl, you were ordered not to leave the village.”
“Like I’d take orders from you!” she yelled.
He watched as she stomped her foot, shaking the ground beneath them. Fear flashed through her eyes for a brief moment.
“So,” he said, “you’re an earthbender. This should be fun,” as he got into his fighting stance.
With a hint of nervousness, she followed. Making the first move, he shot fire from his fist. Seeing this, she dodged, to avoid it rather than use bending.
“What’s the matter?” he taunted, “Scared?”
Seeing her anger light her eyes again, he barely had time to move away as a not-very-well-controlled boulder shot at him. As the boulder flew past him, it ran straight into the shrine, which had somehow gotten behind him. A look of fear and shock washed over both of their faces.--------------------------------------- The group’s eyes were all wide. “So basically,” Katara began, “you managed to anger the spirit of the shrine?” “Yeah,” Shai Ming said, glancing away. ‘You mean we’re stuck like this because you were bored!’Eyes twitching, Shai Ming said, “Would you please stop screaming in my ear,” confusion on his face, “…head…” and finally shaking his head, “whatever. Besides, you’re the one who threw the rock.” Before Sokka could make another joke, Aang asked, “So how do you break it?” Looking towards the boy, he said, “Well, the fortuneteller lady said we can’t talk about that with anyone. Something about angering the spirit more.” “Fortuneteller lady?” “Yeah…Aunt Wu or whatever.” “Well then,” Katara began, after hearing the familiar name; “we’ll just have to help you then.” Zuko looked at her in slight disbelief; “Do you take in every stray you come across?” Toph smirked, “Of course she does. She’s Sweetness.” Aang spoke up, “Well, I agree with Katara. We should help them.” “Thanks, Aang,” Katara smiled. When she looked away, he grinned with adoration shining in his eyes. “Well, I don’t agree,” Sokka pouted. “That’s cause you’re always so grumpy, Snoozles.”
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Post by taiyo *on limited hiatus* on Apr 15, 2007 1:09:13 GMT -5
That was great, Clear! *karmas* One of your best ones. *reads intro* heh heh. I plea the fifth. xD
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Post by night on Apr 15, 2007 20:34:10 GMT -5
It's so good, Clear! =D
*teh karmaness*
BTW, that was your 100th. Congrats! :D
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clearsunrise
Pupil Sokka
Waterbending Admiral of the Zutarian Army
Posts: 5,462
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Post by clearsunrise on Jul 28, 2007 9:37:36 GMT -5
thanks night and taiyo^_^. it's been brought to my attention that i forgot to update the next couple chaps. on here. sorry. hope you guys can forgive me. anyway here's the next chap.
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Live for Love Chapter 12 The Road to Defeat
Azula's orders had been taken care of surprisingly fast. She smirked as she thought of how nervous she made these people. Nervous enough for them to be ready as fast as possible for fear of her wrath. Maybe they weren't so useless after all.
"So, Azula, what's the plan?" a hyper voice questioned.
Azula's expression grew into an evil, cunning smirk as she explained, "We're going to attack full force while slowly feinting a retreat," Her grin grew wider and her eyes sparkled in glee, "Once we disperse the enemy far enough, I'll send the signal, and the heavens will rain fire."
Ty Lee looked frightened for a split second, but covered it up with a bright smile,"Sounds like fun."
Long Feng, who had been traveling beside them, asked,"What about your friend?"
Azula's eyes narrowed as she glared, "What about her?"
Long Feng, looking slightly nervous, asked, surprised, "Do you have no plans to get her out?"
Eyes narrowed to slits, Azula said, "Are you questioning my orders?" Long Feng glanced away under the heat of her glare, as she finished, "Don't outlive your usefulness."
Turning away, Azula called a soldier over, whispered in his ear, and watched as he hurried away.
Long Feng breathed a sigh of relief as her attention was turned away. Looking over, he saw Ty Lee's eyes hold an unsure expression.
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The sun glared down brightly overhead. Though it was spring, there was a coolness to the air. Loose rocks were strewn across the rough terrain. The travelers, being locked in Ba Sing Se for so long, tired easily, causing them to move at a turtle's pace. This irritated the more athletic members, who wanted to get to safety as quickly as possible.
Mai grew more agitated each day, mostly with herself. She kept going over and over in her mind how she could have possibly been taken prisoner. She glared from the corner of her eye at the idiot who had caused this. It was all his fault.
Her attention being wrapped up in her thoughts, she failed to notice the rubble under her feet. Her ankle twisted as she slipped. With her hands bound, she had no way to halt her fall. Closing her eyes, expecting the impact, her tumble was halted by a pair of arms wrapping around her.
Opening her eyes, she turned to see her savior. Seeing who it was, her eyes shot imaginary daggers at him, as she pulled away. Steaming, she stomped ahead.
Jet, looking shocked, watched the angry girl storm away. He was just glad she wasn't a firedbender. If she had her daggers, he was sure he would have resembled a pin cushion.
Kuei, having seen the exchange, walked beside the freedom fighter, and said, "She doesn't like you much, does she?"
Jet turned to him, his expression deadpanned. Shaking his head, he followed after their prisoner. Confused at the boy's expression, Kuei scratched his head before continuing on.
Iroh had hung back with the girl, now named Lotus, as she took in the sights around her. Her amazed eyes were making it obvious that she hadn't been to the mountains. She probably hadn't been much of anywhere.
Noticing that he was lagging behind, Lotus walked up to him and grabbed his hand. Dragging the old man along, she looked up at him and smiled. Feeling her stumble, Iroh picked the young girl up and placed her on his shoulders. Seeing her grinning face, Iroh, checking to make sure she was secure, joined the rest of the group.
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Haru's eyes opened slowly. Not being ready for sunlight, he groaned and was forced to shut them again in pain. Memories of the battle came back to him quickly. Sitting up quickly, pain shot through him, and a dizziness made him feel queasy.
Hearing movement, he turned, tense. Looking around, he saw a girl, her brown hair in a long braid. Her brown eyes held a gentle caring in them.
"So, you're finally awake," she said, smiling.
Haru looked around himself, confused, "Where am I?"
Seeing his confusion, she said, "You're in my village. My name is Song."
Remembering the battle again, Haru panicked, "What happened to everyone else? Where's my father?"
Her eyes softened, as she let out a soft laugh, "Calm down. Whoever isn't in here healing is outside waiting on you, including your father," Grinning, she continued,"He's been a little pesky, and we had to force him to get some sleep."
Gradually calming down, Haru nodded.
"Now, lay back down and rest while I go inform your father that you're awake," she said, as she put her hands on his shoulders, forcing him down.
Seeing him safely resting, Song left to tell her patient's father that he was conscious.
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They had been flying all day. Appa seemed to have been flying slower, considering the group had gotten bigger. Luckily for the flying bison, the two newest ones only took up the space of one during flight with only one being in human form. They had just landed and were getting ready to set up their camp.
Sokka had asked Shai Ming to help him gather the food, and Toph had dragged Aang off for more training.
Zuko stood, unsure of what to do. He still felt out of place, and he found himself wishing for his uncle to be there. The only ones who didn't glare at him when they thought he wasn't paying attention were the blind girl, Toph, and the girl who was only around at night, Xia. Even that firebender looked unhappy with him. He was nervous to know what they'd do if he even looked at them wrong. The Avatar didn't glare at him much unless the water girl was focused on telling Zuko what to do, rather than paying attention to the bald kid's newest trick.
Speaking of the water girl, Katara had noticed Zuko seeming to be just standing around. Walking over, she said, "Why don't you get the campfire going?"
Zuko looked at her, silently. Then, he turned toward the pile of wood and used his firebending on it.
Momo, who had been bouncing around in front of the now-burning pile, squeaked in terror at the sudden blast and ran to Katara. Scurrying up her body, he made it to her shoulders and hid behind her braid. Katara reached up to pet the frightened animal before she turned on Zuko angrily.
"Watch what you're doing! You could've hurt him!"
Looking sheepish for a second, Zuko hid his embarrassment and concern for the furry lemur, by saying, "You're the one who told me to start the campfire."
Sokka and Shai Ming had returned to camp and heard Katara yelling. As dusk settled in and Xia came into view, they weren't surprised to find a soaking wet Zuko, and Katara comforting a scared lemur.
"You're getting better," Toph's voice could be heard as she and Aang returned, "You just need a little more prac--"
"Did we miss something?" Aang asked, as the camp came into view.
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Their dinner had just been served. They ate quietly, as they worried about their daughter. She was a stubborn one, and they had found that out the hard way.
As they ate, they were interrupted by a banging on the door. As a servant went to the door, they waited nervously. Hearing a commotion, they rose to their feet, as soldiers filled their home.
Seeing this, Toph's father shouted angrily, "What is this? What's going on here? I demand to know the meaning of this intrusion?"
The soldier who seemed to be their leader said,"By order of her highness, Princess Azula, you are under arrest for crimes against the state."
The Bei Fongs were led away in shock.
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Post by Empy on Jul 28, 2007 10:47:16 GMT -5
Oh that was great Clear! I think the characterization was really good and I want to read more! Can't wait for the next update! The only thing I sometimes have issue with is word choice from time to time. For example, "Hyper voice" didn't seem to be the right term in my opinion. I understood the meaning but I think there could have been other words that were better suited. Other than that, I thought it was wonderful.
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clearsunrise
Pupil Sokka
Waterbending Admiral of the Zutarian Army
Posts: 5,462
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Post by clearsunrise on Jul 28, 2007 17:49:01 GMT -5
thanks for the advice, empy^_^. i'll try to work on that. and now i'll give you the next chap. like i promised. it was a looonnngg day today^^;;
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Live for Love Chapter 13 The Pebble
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He had stared at the stain on the ceiling for what seemed like forever. He could probably describe it in detail for the rest of his life. He hated being stuck in that stupid hospital bed. He wanted to be outside at least earthbending, if not back in the battle. They needed him out there.
The last time he had tried to walk, Song had come in just as he had fallen right beside the bed. Surprisingly, the girl hadn't yelled at him. She had calmly helped him back up and had firmly told him to stay in the bed until he was healed.
He didn't like the helpless feeling he had gotten when she had to help him stand. He wasn't used to it.
Continuing to stare at the ceiling, he noted for the hundredth or so time that it was brown and an obvious water stain. He decided to mention that they should fix the roof before the next rainfall. As he stared, the stain seemed to disappear. Blinking, he stared in confusion as the stain reappeared.
"I need some fresh air," he said, as he started moving.
He grunted as pain shot through him. The pain did not stop his plan though. If he stayed in bed much longer, he was sure he'd go crazy.
He slowly made his way to his feet, the floor feeling comfortable beneath him. Haltingly, he stumbled towards the door, as he broke out in a sweat.
Reaching the door, he pushed, having to put his whole weight into it. Finally getting it to open, he stumbled out into the warm spring day. Shielding his eyes, he looked around the small village, as he panted from the exertion.
"Haru?" he heard a voice question.
Turning towards it, he saw Song, and said between breaths, "See?...I can walk."
Song smiled before her expression turned to shocked horror. His last thoughts before the darkness overtook him was, 'Why is she getting bigger?'
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She was irritated. The old man was too happy. That idiot with the glasses was too dense, and if straw boy came near her again, she'd kill him, daggers or not. She didn't even want to know where he found new straw for each day. The only one that didn't annoy her was the girl, and that was mostly because she didn't talk. When she got loose of her binds, she was going to take every bit of her anger out on them. Straw boy was definitely first.
Lotus saw the angry expression on Mai's face. Not understanding how she could be mad, she tugged on Iroh's sleeve. As he looked down, she pointed at the pouting older girl, her confusion written all over her face.
Iroh looked at Mai, then his eyes turned back to Lotus, his expression softening, he said, "She just misses her friends."
Tilting her head, then looking over at the person in question, she came to a decision. She would become her friend. Maybe then the dagger wielder would feel better. Nodding as she came to this decision, she made her way over.
Seeing this, Kuei asked, "What's she doing?"
Keeping his eyes on Lotus, Iroh said, "I think she's trying to make Mai feel better."
Blinking, Kuei questioned, "Are you sure that's safe?"
"Not exactly."
Jet, overhearing this conversation, turned concerned eyes towards the girls. Before he could make his way over, Iroh put his hand on his shoulder.
"Let us see what happens."
Looking anxious, Jet nodded and kept a watchful eye on the two.
Mai watched as the girl they called Lotus made her way over. She saw a bright smile on the young face. As Lotus reached her, she brought her hands up to Mai's face.
Mai stared at the girl confused as she moved her face into a crooked smile.
With shocked expressions, Iroh, Kuei, and Jet looked on.
Kuei turned to Iroh, "I bet you ten copper pieces she can't get that girl to smile on her own."
Remembering his nephew's story of how he had met the child, Iroh said, with a grin, "I will take you up on that."
Looking at the two men with disgust, Jet made his way over. As he reached them, he took hold of Lotus's wrist and pulled her back.
"You shouldn't do that," he told her, in a loud voice.
Lotus's eyes turned up to his. He watched as they filled with tears and her expression became an angry pout.
Nervous and flustered, Jet stuttered, "Wait, wait. Don't...don't cry."
"Pay up," Kuei grinned, as Jet tried to calm the upset child. Iroh, annoyed, handed over the copper pieces.
Watching all this, Mai stared in masked confusion. Her eyes fell on Lotus, and her bored eyes softened slightly and a ghost of a smile passed across her face.
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She did not feel pink. Since she had been traveling with Azula, her aura had been the complete opposite of pink. The only reason she could take it was because Mai had been there.
Now, the Avatar and his friends had taken Mai, and she had been left to put up with Azula alone. Azula had no plans to free her either. Her aura was most definitely not pink. Of course, she couldn't tell Azula this. She didn't think she would enjoy having lightening shot at her. She would have to hide what she thought. She just hoped her friend was okay.
Looking towards Long Feng, she almost felt sorry for him. He really shouldn't have questioned Azula. There was nothing she could do about it now though.
"Ty Lee. Let's go," Azula barked.
Shaken from her thoughts, Ty Lee said, in as hyper a voice as she could muster, "Coming, Azula," Running up beside her, she finished, "So how much longer till we get there?"
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It was getting late in the day when they walked into town. They had run out of supplies, and since this town was larger than most, it was easy to hide in. Sokka thought it best to throw off anyone following them now that they had led them away from the refugees. They had all been tense waiting on an attack.
Xia and Shai Ming had stayed behind with Appa and Momo, while everyone else went for supplies.
"Okay, that's everything," Katara said, as she paid for their food, "Let's get back."
"Finally. My feet are killing me," Toph said, tired.
"You're the one who walks around barefoot," Sokka responded, sarcastically.
"I can't see with shoes on, Snoozles."
"Okay, no fighting," Katara said, "We're supposed to be hiding remember?"
"Yeah, yeah."
Aang listened to this exchange as he looked around him. Looking behind him, he saw Zuko walking apart from them. Aang wished Zuko would at least try to fit in. It would make things a lot easier for everyone. Deciding to talk to him, Aang stopped walking and waited for the firebender to catch up.
Seeing this, Zuko stopped, looked at him, and went around him, continuing his forward progress. He became slightly annoyed when the boy fell into step beside him.
"Soo...how are you?" Aang asked, trying to make conversation.
"Fine," Zuko said, straight-faced.
Seeing that failing to start a talk, Aang tried again, saying, "When do you think you can teach me firebending?"
"Eventually," Zuko said, some of his irritation showing through.
Aang was quiet for a moment, then, "When..."
"Does this conversation have a point?" Zuko snapped, turning angry eyes towards him.
Aang, looking hurt, said, "No...sorry."
Zuko looked annoyed, then stormed ahead.
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Shai Ming leaned against a tall tree in the forest they were using to hide the flying bison, Appa. Appa seemed wary of the firebenders whenever he was alone with Shai Ming or Zuko, so Shai Ming tried to give the large animal space. He wasn't in the mood to be squashed.
'Well, we found him. Now, what?'
"We do what the spirit wants us to do," Shai Ming said.
To anyone walking by it would look as if he was talking to himself.
'That might take awhile.'
Silently agreeing, he closed his eyes.
'Hey, Shai...'
"What happened to "Sunshine"?" he said, bored.
'Would you rather I...'
"Nevermind. Just get to the point," he cut her off.
'You know that bending you did...you know...in the transitional phase? Do...do you think I'd be able to do it?'
Shai Ming let out a snort of laughter, as he responded, "How can you do that? You can't even bend a peb...OWW!!"
He rubbed his head as he felt pain shoot through it. As his vision came back into focus, he watched as Xia stormed off and the rest of the group returned. He watched her go, confused.
"We really need to stop missing everything," Toph said, with a slight pout.
"What hit me?" Shai Ming asked, still rubbing his head.
Katara looked behind him and said, "A pebble."
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Post by Empy on Jul 28, 2007 19:23:23 GMT -5
Awesome as always Clear! *karma*
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clearsunrise
Pupil Sokka
Waterbending Admiral of the Zutarian Army
Posts: 5,462
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Post by clearsunrise on Aug 3, 2007 10:31:44 GMT -5
Thanks, Empy^_^. Here's chapter 14. It's a bit longer than the rest so I hope it fits in the post^^;;.
Live for Love Chapter 14 Morale...? ---------------------------------
They should have been moving an hour ago. At the rate the were making a decision on which way to go, they might just as well spend the night where they were. Aang and Katara had stopped trying to get them to compromise or make a decision. Now, along with Toph and Shai Ming, they were all leaned back against Appa watching Sokka and Zuko argue about who knew better which of the three paths they should follow. Sokka saying left, while Zuko said right. Momo looked up every now and then from his spot on Toph's shoulder as she reached up to give him food.
Aang looked to Katara, his head resting on his hands as he leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, "Should we try to stop them again?"
Katara looked at the ones in question, sighing, she said, "Remember what happened when we tried that an hour ago?"
Aang remembered. They almost got hit by a flying boomerang and fireball. Although, that might have been because of Toph's comment about them arguing like a married couple.
Aang nodded and turned back to watch the pointless argument. Well, on the bright side, he was sitting next to Katara.
"Look, water brat, I've gone by this area before. I think I know which way to go better than you do," Zuko said, irritation coating his words.
"Oh really? Last time you said that, we ended up running into a bunch of guys trying to kill us!"
Aang looked at Katara as she said something she obviously couldn't hold in, "You mean like the time we 'followed your instincts'?"
Sokka turned red as the people around him snickered. Before he could say anything, Shai Ming distracted him as he stood. The rest of the group watched silently as he walked towards the two younger teens. Zuko and Sokka tensed, ready in case he decided to join in. To their confusion, Shai Ming walked right by, heading down the path that lead straight. Frozen in place, they watched as he went along.
"Where are you going?" Aang asked.
Shai Ming answered without looking back, "Xia said to go this way. She's good with directions, and her father taught her how to get around this area."
"Why is that way better than mine?" Sokka pouted, his voice cracking slightly, obviously not wanting give in.
"She said it leads to a cliff," Hearing Zuko snort, he looked back with a veiled glare, "Don't laugh. Your way leads to a very dangerous river."
Sokka laughed, as Zuko clamped his mouth shut.
Toph asked, "So what took her so long to say anything?"
Looking down with slight embarrassment, he said, "She didn't want to talk to me, but you guys were giving her a headache. Now, can we go? She won't talk to me until I get you to listen."
Letting out a small giggle, Katara picked up her bag and went in the direction the invisible girl had given. Seeing Katara do this, Aang went along behind her followed closely by Appa and Toph with Momo still on her shoulder.
Zuko and Sokka looked at each other, annoyed, turned away, and pouted as they reluctantly followed them.
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That girl was irritating. She had been giving all of them the silent treatment from the beginning. The only one she fully acknowledged was Lotus. The two seemed to get along fine. Probably because neither said a word. He hated being ignored. It was...irritating beyond belief. Not to mention a nice blow to his ego.
The girl in question was walking just ahead of him, stoic as ever. He had seen flashes of temper in her eyes and knew she was close to cracking. He was going to get this girl to talk. With new determination, Jet made his way up to Mai, his straw taking a beating from his clenched teeth.
"Are you ever gonna say anything?" he asked, annoyed.
Turning her head slightly towards Jet, Mai continued moving, still not saying a word.
The straw in Jet's mouth was promptly torn in half and part fell to the ground, as Jet's hands balled into fists in frustration. What was with that girl? Sure, she'd been captured, and it was partly his doing, but the least she could do was insult him. Stubborn little...
"It might help if you did not show so much anger when you are talking," Iroh said, wisely, causing Jet to jump slightly in surprise as he noticed the older man.
"He's right, you know," Kuei said.
Narrowing his eyes, he said, "What would you know about it?'
As he was about to storm ahead, he felt a small hand on his arm. Turning towards Lotus, he said, "I suppose you have some advice for me, too."
Lotus looked up and pointed to the smile on her face. Jet looked confused until Iroh said, "I believe she is telling you to smile."
Kuei, Iroh, and Lotus grinned at Jet's annoyed face. They had been walking all day along with the rest of the refugees, so it was nice to be able to joke around. They wouldn't be able to take many breaks today considering how close they seemed to be.
While they were walking, Kuei said, quietly, to Iroh, "So...would you like to make another wager?"
Iroh grinned brightly.
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Song had decided he should be able to walk a little bit by now. She knew the exercise would do him good. That and he was chomping at the bits to get out of bed. She was in the process of showing Haru the village. It wasn't that impressive, but his eyes shown with curiosity anyway. She figured it was because anything would be interesting after being stuck in a sick bed. He greeted the people she introduced him to politely, and although she could tell he was becoming tired, he didn't complain.
"The people here seem really nice," Haru said, quietly, trying to start a conversation.
"Yeah," she said, warmly, "We all look out for each other."
"It's beautiful, too," Haru continued, "It's very calming to see. I guess that's why the healers do so well."
"Like it heals the mind, too, right?" Song finished.
Haru grinned a little, "Yeah," Looking around, he continued, "I wouldn't mind coming back here after the war's over."
"So..." Song asked, hesitantly, "You're going back to war?"
Haru looked at her, surprised, "Of course. We need all the help we can get."
Looking down for a minute, Song said, "Oh...right," Perking back up, she smiled as she pointed, "There's my home," Hesitating, she continued, "Did you want to meet my mom? I think your father's there, too."
"Sure," Haru said, as they finished the tour.
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They had finally run into Teo. He had come down from the temple's mountain to lead them the rest of the way. The long trek up the mountains was slowly coming to an end.
Kuei looked up and saw relief in their eyes when the air temple came into view. They'd finally have a place to rest for a little while. He wished for this to give the people a little bit of their hope back. He knew it would take more than this before they gained anything more than that.
His eyes grew wide as the temple came into view. He couldn't believe how beautiful it looked. He couldn't understand why anyone would want to destroy such a wondrous sight.
Before he could stare too long, he felt people pushing by him in order to get inside to rest. He jolted forward so as not to be in the way.
As he walked inside the temple gates, his jaw dropped. There were people everywhere. Most were sitting on the ground resting or helping with what looked to be cooking and cleaning. He didn't know how the temple's residents would be able to house and feed everyone.
As he walked by, the conversations around him weren't very uplifting and made him more angry with himself.
"So how long are we going to be safe here?" said one woman.
"Probably not too long," responded the woman next to her.
"It's all that stupid king's fault. He's probably nice and safe, hiding."
Kuei flinched at the last comment as his hands clenched. He knew he was hiding, but he was only as safe as everyone else was. He felt even more like a coward for hiding his identity.
He would help these people if it was the last thing he did. They didn't deserve to suffer for his mistakes.
Seeing Iroh waving him over to where the rest of the ones they traveled with were, he made his way over.
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Night had settled, and the camp was set up. The food was on it's last stages of cooking. The night animals were wandering around as the insects were chittering.
Around the campfire, everyone was quiet, still not completely comfortable with the newest additions or being the additions.
Breaking the silence, Katara turned to Aang, and asked, "Oh, I've been meaning to ask. What did Kuei want before we split up."
Aang, remembering the letter, dug it out of his bag, and said, "He gave me this letter," Handing it to her, he continued, "It's from someone named Guru Pathik. He says he can teach me how to control the Avatar state."
Katara's eyes lit up, "Really? That's great. Where is he?"
"The Eastern Air Temple. He said I should go alone," Aang looked down. He didn't want to leave Kat--everyone.
"Well, I guess when we get to the next village, you can take Appa to the temple," Katara said, "How's that?"
"Sure," Aang said, smiling. As she turned away though, his eyes showed a slight sadness.
Katara turned to Xia. The other girl seemed quiet most of the time while she was in human form. She seemed a little nervous around people. Katara guessed it was from not being able to talk to many people since the curse was put on her. She grinned slightly as she thought of how the older girl had no problem picking on Shai Ming.
"So, your dad taught you directions and how to get around?" Katara asked, curiously, "Is he a mapmaker or something?"
Xia, who had been listening to Shai Ming complain, slowly focused on Katara as she listened to the question. Hearing it, she turned to the right, at the trees near camp.
" 'Was'," she said, sadly, "He was 'or something'."
Katara looked slightly flustered, as the rest looked to Xia in surprise.
"Oh...umm...I..." Katara stammered.
Not wanting to hear any "I'm sorry"'s, Xia looked to the fire and said, "Foods burning."
Hearing this caused quite the commotion. Katara jumped towards the food, Toph chuckled, Zuko rolled his eyes, and Aang protected Momo and Appa, while Sokka wailed about the loss of his poor food.
'You could just tell them, you know? You already trust them.'
"I know," Xia said, softly, "I'm just not ready to talk about it."
Not hearing a response, Xia turned back to the frantic group and smiled. They were definitely an interesting ragtag group to travel with.
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clearsunrise
Pupil Sokka
Waterbending Admiral of the Zutarian Army
Posts: 5,462
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Post by clearsunrise on Aug 8, 2007 11:00:20 GMT -5
Live for Love
Chapter 15
Wavering Emotions
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Haru was almost healed enough to walk through the village alone. Song knew that soon after that he would be leaving. Going back to the war, and possibly dying. She had grown fond of the earthbender, and she didn't want him to leave. She knew she couldn't ask him to stay. Helping out with the war effort and being on the front lines was something he needed. Like she needed to heal. She couldn't ask him to give that up.
She didn't know what she'd do if someone asked her to give up her healing. She knew she would feel like she was losing a part of herself. She didn't want to be the cause of Haru feeling that. She knew he had had to hide part of himself when his father was a captive of the Fire Nation. She couldn't put him through that again.
This was the first time that Haru had questioned his decision to join the war since he began fighting. He didn't know where this feeling was coming from or why it had decided to come now. All he knew was that he didn't want to leave this village. To leave Song.
He had grown comfortable and had been happy over the time he'd been here. This village and the healer who had helped him had slowly become a part of him. While leaving the war zone was something he couldn't do, he knew that he would be leaving something important behind when he left. He didn't know what, but he knew part of him would regret it if he was to never come back. He wanted more than anything to live through this war, so he'd be able to come back.
Neither one of them could voice their thoughts no matter how hard they tried. They cowered right before it passed through their lips every time. They knew they should say something before it was too late, but neither could find the words.
These thoughts also made them nervous and on edge around each other, afraid to let something slip. This was why they had been wandering around the village together, each looking anywhere but at the other.
When their eyes did meet, they turned away quickly, a blush staining their cheeks. They were both at the end of their respective ropes, filled with jittering nerves.
Finally, having enough, Song knew she needed to say something before they both snapped. She opened her mouth to do just that, but before she was able to utter the first word, she heard murmuring slowly becoming louder from the entrance of the village. Haru, obviously hearing it too, turned towards the commotion along with her. Both sets of eyes bulged, jaws dropping, at the sight before them.
"Lee?" Song said, surprised, as Haru said, "Katara?" with as much surprise.
Confused, they looked at each other. Each slightly nervous as to what these new people meant to the other.
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Life in the temple was hard, Kuei decided. After walking for so long, he thought they'd finally get to rest. Sadly for him, he was given chores along with the rest of the residents. He wasn't used to the manual labor. He had become out of breath after the first twenty minutes or so. Sweat poured off his body, as he began to grow even more respect for the people he had once ruled over. Even more so now than before, he knew he didn't deserve to rule such strong people when he was so weak.
He had been taking a break, leaning against one of the walls that surrounded the temple. He had almost caught his breath, when he saw Iroh heading towards him. A tired smile washing over his face, Kuei waved to the older man.
As Iroh made it close enough to be heard, he said, "You look like you are tired. How are you feeling?"
Having been able to breath regularly again, Kuei said, "Tired, but it feels good to be able to help out."
Iroh grinned, "Yes, that is very rewarding," Curious, Iroh continued, "So, you did not do much manual labor when you were in Ba Sing Se?"
Kuei glanced to the side, then looked back, saying, "No, not really. I helped the Earth King."
Nodding in understanding, Iroh hid a knowing smile, as he said, "Well, you are doing a wonderful job."
The tired smile on his face again, Kuei said, gratefully, "Thanks."
Looking past Iroh, Kuei noticed the young freedom fighter, Jet, approaching with a concerned look on his face. Turning towards Kuei's focal point, Iroh saw the expression and asked, worriedly, "Is there anything wrong?"
Jet looked at the two gambling buddies and asked, "Have you seen Lotus?"
Blinking, Iroh said, "No, not recently."
Kuei asked, "Have you checked with Mai? Lotus has become attached to the girl."
Jet looked confused as he said, "Mai?"
Iroh chuckled, "The girl who would like nothing more than to gouge your eyes out."
Realization showed on Jet's face, as slight anger flashed through his eyes. Iroh and Kuei watched as he stormed away.
"Are you sure we should've told him that?" Kuei asked.
"Probably not."
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Mai stared at the smiling seven-year-old in front of her. She didn't understand why she wanted to be around her. The girl was weird. Why would she want to befriend someone from an enemy nation? Mai did not understand children.
As Mai stared, Lotus moved forward slowly, her hands behind her back. Mai become more uneasy with each step. What was the child thinking?
As Lotus reached her, she slowly brought her hands from behind her back and brought forth what looked like a toy. Mai looked between the young girl and the toy in confusion.
Finally she asked, "Did you want me to play with you or something?"
Lotus's smile grew brighter as she nodded. Seeing her smile, Mai's uneasiness lifted slightly and a small softness flashed through her eyes. Motioning the girl forward, the two began to play.
This was the scene Jet walked in on. Glaring at the two guards for letting Lotus go into a possibly dangerous situation, Jet walked over to the two. Feeling a presence behind them, and a not too happy one at that, Mai and Lotus looked back with completely opposite expressions. Lotus smiling, and Mai with a barely covered scowl.
Jet looked at the one happy to see him, and said, "Why don't you go play with Iroh? He seems to miss you."
Lotus nodded her head, stood, and just as she was about to leave, she turned towards Mai. Reaching over, the silent child put her arms around the stoic teen in a hug. Confused at first, Mai's eyes showed a slight softness again, as she patted the girl on the back awkwardly. Letting Mai go, Lotus bounced out of the room to find her other friend. Maybe he'd show her another trick with that pretty light.
Jet and Mai watched her as she left. When she was out of sight, Jet turned towards Mai, scowled, and walked towards the door.
"You know she'll find this place, don't you?"
Jet stopped, surprised that the girl was actually talking.
Without turning back, he said, "Maybe," then he asked, "But what will you do if she does? Will you really let something happen to Lotus?"
When he didn't hear a response, Jet walked the rest of the way out.
Being alone again, Mai let her eyes drift to the window. Looking out, she saw Iroh and the man they called Kuei talking. As she continued watching, she saw Lotus run up to them. She saw as Lotus smiled and clapped at Iroh's display of firebending. Seeing the girl's face light up, Mai couldn't help but think of Jet's words.
What would she do?
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Azula wished these mountains weren't so steep. It would have made this journey much easier. She wouldn't ask Long Feng to earthbend it yet considering it would spoil the surprise of the attack. Her eyes gleamed at the thought of destroying that worthless temple. Not only would it destroy whatever hope these pitiful Earth Kingdom citizens still clung to, it would also bring an end to one of the reminders of the fallen Air Nomads. She couldn't wait for that to happen. Maybe when this war was over, she could tear down the rest of them as well.
"Hey, Azula?"
Azula turned towards the ex-circus performer, and asked, "What is it, Ty Lee?"
"Are we almost there, yet?" Ty Lee asked, obviously bored with the constant walking.
"It should be coming up soon," Azula said, annoyed with being taken away from her thoughts.
Seeing that Ty Lee didn't have any more questions, Azula turned away.
Even if her plan didn't work, she knew that Mai would attack from the inside. Then again, why would her plan fail? If Mai wasn't fast enough to get out of the temple, then Azula didn't need her.
As her army came to the end of the path leading to the temple, Azula's eyes widened in disbelief. There before her was the temple in ruins. Smoke snaking it's way to the sky. Any buildings that were left were burning. Walls crumbled to the ground. Bodies lying on the ground. Some crying in pain. It was a complete massacre. The temple was completely destroyed.
Closing her eyes, she shook her head. As she opened them again she saw the temple still standing proudly in the midday sun. Walls still intact, and the only smoke coming from what was probably cooking fires.
Had she had a vision? Was what she saw meant to be the future? She slowly began to grow a sadistic grin as she thought of her vision. Turning, she began to give her orders and watched as people moved to carry them out.
"This is my destiny," she whispered.
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clearsunrise
Pupil Sokka
Waterbending Admiral of the Zutarian Army
Posts: 5,462
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Post by clearsunrise on Aug 10, 2007 22:31:54 GMT -5
Hope everyone liked that last chapter. I'm very proud of it. And now here's chapter 16. Hope you enjoy it. I had fun with it because action scenes are something that I'm really new at.
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Live for Love Chapter 16 Destiny
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This was awkward. Shai Ming looked between the four in this situation, only one seeming to be oblivious to the tension in the air as the other three focused on random points in the small village. The waterbender, Katara, smiled at the sight of a long-haired teenage boy who was standing beside a girl with her hair in a braid.
"Haru!" she shouted, as she ran to hug the now named boy who looked startled to see her.
"Hey, Katara," Haru said, with a slight hint of pain in his voice, as he returned her hug.
Shai Ming looked between the other faces. The girl with the braid looked slightly hurt, and the young Avatar, Aang, had a jealous look in his eyes. The ex-prince, Zuko, showed a slight nervousness at the sight of the still unnamed girl.
'Do you think she's the one we have to...'
"Maybe," Shai Ming whispered, cutting her off.
'Do you like not letting me finish?'
Hearing the annoyance in her voice, Shai Ming grinned, "Yes."
"Lee?" Shai Ming heard a hesitant voice say.
'Who's Lee?'
Shai Ming shrugged, then grew confused as Zuko answered, "Song."
Zuko couldn't seem to meet this Song's eyes. They all watched as Song walked up to Zuko, stared at him, then brought her hand up and slapped him. Then, Song turned around, braid flipping through the air, and stormed off.
Sokka smirked, as Toph asked what the slap was. Katara, Haru, and Aang's jaws dropped. Shai Ming hid his own grin. Zuko's eyes were turned towards the ground.
Getting over her shock, Katara asked, confused, "Lee?"
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It was pure chaos. Earth and fire flying everywhere. He was not read for this. His first battle. All around him his comrades shot fire or were hit by earth. His eyes were wide, as the adrenaline rushing through him caused him to be on complete alert.
He shot fireballs in every direction that he saw the enemy. From the corner of his eye he saw a boulder barreling straight towards him. As quickly as he could, he leaped out of the path of the boulder as he tumbled forward. Looking back, he watched as the boulder slammed into an enemy soldier.
Shocked, he stared at the broken body. As he kneeled on one knee, one of his comrades pushed him out of the way of another enemy attack.
"Pay attention," the other Fire Nation soldier shouted, before he ran off to take on a new opponent.
Standing, he looked around him and watched as a boulder broke apart ramming into someone nearby, small chunks hitting his arms, leaving bruises as he flinched. Turning in another direction, he saw a group of earthbenders forming an enormous boulder, ready to throw it at the Fire Princess. Seeing this, he shot the largest fireball he could muster as a few more firebenders around him had the same idea.
Smoke covered the area around the earthbenders as the fire mad contact. As the smoke cleared, they were nowhere to be seen.
The Fire Princess paused briefly at the explosion before she shot lightening at an oncoming enemy. He looked as the fallen enemy's chest smoked from the attack. Hearing the Princess call for a retreat and the message being passed along, he shot fire as he moved backwards.
Seeing the messenger she had sent, he watched as Princess Azula made a familiar motion right before she shot lightening straight into the sky.
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Why were girls so stubborn? Here he was trying to get them to safety, and one refused to leave as the other clung to her not wanting to leave without her.
Jet scowled as Mai stared at him wondering why he thought she would leave.
"Look, you stubborn bi--," Glancing down at Lotus, he said, "girl, Lotus isn't leaving without you, so you're coming."
Why had he let Iroh and Kuei go ahead of him? It would've made this much easier. They at least knew how to talk to...what was her name again?
"Why would I leave if my allies are the ones attacking?" she asked, in a bored tone, as he saw anger fill her eyes.
Jet barked, "Do you really think they'll let Lotus go? Can you really put her in danger?" Trying to calm down, he finished, "Besides, it's completely obvious your "allies" couldn't care less about what happens to you."
"Why do you care about me anyway?" Mai asked with narrowed eyes.
Jet's eyes sparked in newly-ignited anger, as he shouted, "I only care about the girl hanging onto you. Now, get off your butt, and let's go!"
Neither noticed that said girl had tears in her eyes because of the fighting.
Before Mai could make a retort, the were all distracted by a shadow filling the room. Curious, Jet went to the window. Looking forward, he saw the endless fighting. Looking up, his eyes almost fell out of socket at the sight before him.
Slowly, the combatants lessened their attacks as a large shadow covered the ground. Looking up, the earthbenders, who had begun to grow confident as they pushed the Fire Nation soldiers back, were filled with dread as their hearts sunk.
Floating through the air was the Mechanist's own invention. War balloons wearing a Fire Nation symbol.
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clearsunrise
Pupil Sokka
Waterbending Admiral of the Zutarian Army
Posts: 5,462
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Post by clearsunrise on Aug 27, 2007 5:16:04 GMT -5
Oops...I forgot to post the chapter here. Hehe..sorry I was a little distracted. Anyway, here's chapter 17. Hope ya like it.
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Live for Love Chapter 17 Aftermath ------------------------------------------------------
Hakoda had received news from his scouts about a week before. The news of Ba Sing Se falling. The people seemed to be heading north. Making the decision to go to their aid, Hakoda ordered his fleet to the norther tip of the Earth Kingdom.
They had finally arrived after sailing all week avoiding the Fire Nation. Hakoda watched over his fellow tribesmen as they prepared to head south to meet up with the people of Ba Sing Se.
His scouts had also brought news that his children, Sokka and Katara, had helped more civilians escape. His heart had swelled with pride at this. He hoped Sokka and Katara were with the group heading north. He longed to see them.
"Sir," one of the warriors said, "all preparations are complete."
Hakoda nodded, and said, "Let's get moving then."
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Azula's eyes gleamed in victory as she took in the destruction around her. The once-great temple was in ruins. Walls now turned to rubble. Small fires left from the battle sprouted her and there. Her soldiers had spent all day cleaning up the dead and wounded.
When they had found that crazy old man's inventions and blueprints, Azula ordered them to take anything useful. She couldn't wait to hear news of her father's reaction to her recent victories. First, Ba Sing Se, and now, the Northern Air Temple. Maybe next, she should destroy the ice ball they call a city in the far north. Even Zhao couldn't bring that one down.
Hearing footsteps, Azula turned to her left, and her eyes fell on Long Feng.
"It's interesting seeing what that firebending of yours can do, your Highness," Long Feng said.
Azula looked at the man. Over the past few weeks, she had grown steadily more bored and irritated with him. His earthbending in the recent battle hadn't impressed her, and he had questioned her orders.
Looking thoughtful for a moment, Azula smirked as she came to a decision.
"Why thank you, Long Feng," she said, clearly hiding something, "It's always refreshing to hear praise."
Taking in her tone, Long Feng continued, with caution, "You're welcome, Princess."
Turning, Azula said, an evil smirk gracing her face, "You know...I don't believe I praised you at all for that...brilliant idea you used at Lake Laogai."
Long Feng's eyes widened in fear as the Princess turned back to him.
"Why don't you return there and see how it's going," Her eyes filled with wicked mischief as she finished, "I'm sure the Earth King would welcome you."
Understanding dawning in his eyes, Long Feng prepared to fight as Azula's soldiers surrounded him.
Ty Lee, seeing the recent events, stayed back a distance away. Seeing Azula heading her way, she tried to smile as she watched Long Feng struggle in vain.
"Let's go, Ty Lee," Azula said, as she walked by.
Azula looked back in glee, as she continued, "It's always more fun when they fight back, isn't it?" -----------------------------------------------------------------
Zuko's ears were ringing. Who knew the waterbender could give a lecture that long, while screeching, and still not lose her voice? On the other hand, his hearing might not be so lucky. Sure, he stole the stupid ostrich-horse, but why did his ears have to suffer this much? It's not like he stole candy from a baby.
After Song had stormed off, Zuko had, haltingly, told his traveling companions the story. Toph had snorted in laughter and said that he deserved the slap then. The water brat with the boomerang had a smug look on his face that had irritated Zuko. A look that made the idiot look like he knew everything. The firebender with the voice in his head had simply rolled his eyes, and the Avatar hadn't been too happy.
The waterbender, though, had called him every name under the sun for what seemed like hours and stormed off.
Currently, Zuko had decided to hide at least long enough to where he didn't hear ringing in his ears. His hiding place was at the base of a tree near the healer's hut. It was quiet and shaded, and he felt he could relax for at least a little while.
"Lee..."
Maybe he spoke too soon. His eyes, having been closed, opened as he slowly focused his vision on the healer.
"What?" he asked, quietly.
Song, looking like she would rather be anywhere else, said, "I was wondering how your uncle, Mushi, was doing."
Not wanting to talk about his uncle, Zuko said, shortly, "He's fine."
Song, finally slightly miffed, said, "Don't think that I've forgiven you for it," Crossing her arms, she continued, "I was only worried about Mushi."
Zuko, growing tired of the discussion already, shrugged, closed his eyes, and settled back into a comfortable position. If the girl had been that waterbender, he knew he would be dripping wet by now. Luckily, for him, she wasn't.
He heard the girl huff, then stalk back to wherever she had come from. He assumed it was the healer's hut.
As he sat there, he slowly drifted into the realm of dreams. ----------------------------------------------------
Katara paced back and forth angrily. The nerve of that idiot firebender. Stealing someones ostrich-horse. The least he could do was apologize to the girl for it. He had probably abandoned the poor animal somewhere.
The water around the fuming bender rippled with her anger. Some of the containers shaking so hard they were close to breaking.
"Katara, are you okay?"
Startled our of her anger, Katara turned towards the voice. Seeing that it was Haru, she breathed slowly to calm down from her anger and from being startled.
"Yes, I'm fine, Haru," Katara smiled.
"That's good," he smiled back. His eyes traveled to her necklace, as he said, "You found it."
Looking down, Katara touched said necklace, as she said, "Aang got it back for me."
Haru nodded, then glanced away. They both grew quiet, not knowing what else to say.
"How's your father?" Katara asked, growing anxious with the silence.
"He's doing well," Haru said, "He only had minor injuries from what I hear."
Seeing her confused look, he continued, "We were in a big battle," Glancing away, embarrassed, he continued, "I was unconscious when they brought me here."
Worried, she asked, "Are you alright?"
His smile showing again, he said, "Yes. Song is a very good healer."
Hearing something like admiration in his voice, Katara asked, "You think very highly of Song, don't you?"
Haru nodded, the he said, "Come on. I'm sure my father would like to see you again." Katara allowed herself to be lead away. All the while thinking about the admiration that she had heard in his voice. Had it only been admiration...or something more? -----------------------------------------------------------
Toph had decided to drag Aang away for an earthbending lesson. Considering he would be leaving soon, she wanted to get in at least one more lesson before then.
Today, she had apparently decided sparring would be fun. Aang was in the process of dodging her relentless attacks. She had slowly become more irritated as she felt his absentmindedness in his attacks.
After she hit him for the tenth time, she barked, "Alright, Twinkletoes, that's enough for today. It's no fun if you don't try, ya know?"
Aang blinked, as he said, sheepishly, "Sorry, Toph. I guess my mind is somewhere else."
She snorted, "That's obvious," Sighing, she said, "You know, if you didn't want to go to that guru guy, you could've said something to her. You agree with her entirely too easy."
Aang protested, "It's not that I don't wanna go. I just..."
"Don't want to leave Sweetness for that long," Toph finished for him.
Aang blushed, "Well..."
Rolling her eyes, Toph said, "Look, Aang, she'll still be here when you get back. Just focus on what you need to do, so you can get back sooner."
Smiling, Aang said, gratefully, "Thanks, Toph."
"No problem," Feeling uncomfortable, Toph said, "Now, let's get back to training."
"Su--WHOA!!" Aang ducked, as Toph began her assault, "Wanna wait till I'm ready!?"
"You think the Fire Lord will wait for you?" Toph barked, "Move it, Twinkletoes!" -----------------------------------------------------------------------
Mai couldn't believe she had actually left the temple with these people. Granted, Straw Boy had thrown her over his shoulder, which made her anger with him double, as he grabbed Lotus's hand and ran to catch up with the rest. He should be immensely grateful that she was still bound. If there was a way to kill with straw, she'd find it and use it on that idiot. He wouldn't like it so much then.
Not only that, but this endless walking was annoying. First to the temple, and now away from it. You'd think these people would think of a better past-time.
Glaring at the people around her, she saw the dense guy with glasses happily talking to his precious bear. Lotus was riding on Iroh's shoulders again. Her anger softened slightly as she saw the girl's happy smile.
Then, she saw Straw Boy. And, wouldn't ya know it, he had found more straw. She really didn't want to know where it came from.
The rest of the people around her looked like their hope was almost completely gone. Idiots. Like they had a chance to begin with.
Thinking about why they were like this, Mai remembered the attack on the temple. As soon as she heard that the war balloons were attacking, she knew Azula had had no plans to get her out of there. Maybe being less bored wasn't worth helping her...
Mai's thoughts had distracted her so much, she failed to notice the halt as she walked right into Straw Boy's back. He looked back at her, glaring, then turned back to the sight before him.
Mai's eyes widened slightly in surprise as she saw what seemed to be the Water Tribe's small force at the bottom of the hill they had topped while she was deep in thought.
Slowly, the tribesmen, who almost looked ready to leave, turned toward the refugees. She saw as one rushed over to another and pointed towards them. She realized that this was their leader as he made his way towards them.
"I am Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe," he said, "Don't worry. You're safe now."
She saw the people around her grow less weary and a small glimmer of their hope returned.
"Come," Hakoda motioned towards the Water Tribe ships, "We have enough room for everybody."
Slowly, one by one, the refugees made their way over.
Kuei, Iroh with Lotus, and Jet stayed behind to greet the leader. Jet motioned for his two friends that he had reunited with at the temple forward with the refugees. Bosco tailed along behind them, smelling the food that the Water Tribe had begun preparing.
Kuei said, gratefully, "Thank you."
Hakoda nodded, then turned towards Iroh and Mai, "But why are there people from the Fire Nation traveling with you?"
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clearsunrise
Pupil Sokka
Waterbending Admiral of the Zutarian Army
Posts: 5,462
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Post by clearsunrise on Sept 6, 2007 1:23:19 GMT -5
Live for Love
Chapter 18
Departure
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It was time for him to leave. Appa stood beside Aang waiting patiently as the young boy said goodbye to his friends for a time. Aang had decided to leave Momo in the village. The lemur seemed to need a break from all the flying. Katara, Sokka, and Toph were seeing him off. The rest were most likely sleeping as it was barely past sunrise.
"So, you're really leaving then, Twinkletoes?" Toph asked.
"Yeah," Aang answered, "I need to learn how to control the Avatar State."
Katara walked up to him and put her arms around him as she said, "Be careful, Aang."
Aang, hugging her back, said, "I will."
Sokka, getting uncomfortable, said, "Alright, enough with the mushiness. The quicker he goes, the quicker he'll get back."
Silently agreeing, Aang used his airbending to float onto Appa, as he said, "Yip yip."
Sokka and Katara watched Appa fly away, as Toph grew bored, and said, "I'm going back to sleep. You guys watch the sky as long as you want."
They grinned as they followed the blind girl inside.
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They had spent hours explaining to Hakoda what had transpired in the last few weeks. The Water Tribe leader had listened attentively. When they made mention of Sokka and Katara, Hakoda had stopped them to ask how the two teenagers were doing. As they had come to the end of their story, Hakoda nodded gravely and had told them to rest and prepare to set out the next morning in case Azula sent some of her army after them.
The sun had risen, and the ship and passengers were ready to go. Most of the group was just glad they didn't have to walk for awhile.
Jet leaned against the ship's railing as Long shot and Smellerbee came to join him.
"Is something wrong, Jet?" Smellerbee asked, Longshot beside her with a concerned look.
Jet sighed, annoyed at his own confusion, and said, "I don't know why I bothered saving that girl."
Blinking, Smellerbee questioned, "You mean Lotus?"
"No," Jet answered, "the other one."
Smellerbee looked confused, then her eyes filled with understanding, "Oh, you mean Mai."
"Is that her name?" Jet asked.
Looking at his face, they could tell he was serious. They looked at each other and, after a moment, they couldn't hold in their laughter.
Jet looked at his two friends, slowly becoming irritated, "What's so funny?"
Between chuckles, Smellerbee asked, "You've been traveling with her since you left Ba Sing Se, and you still can't remember her name?"
Jet huffed indignantly and walked away as Smellerbee and Longshot held their stomachs as they laughed.
This was the scene that Kuei, Iroh, Teo, and Lotus found as they walked by.
As they stared, Kuei asked, "Should we get them some help?"
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Katara walked through the door, the smell of medicine in the air. The beds were almost filled with patients. She guessed they were more of the people from the battle Haru had mentioned. She saw the healer, Song, looking after someone in the far corner.
Making her way over, Katara was about to bring attention to herself, when Song turned around. Jumping slightly, Song smiled.
"Hey," Katara smiled in return, "We didn't get properly introduced. I'm Katara."
Song nodded, and said, "And I'm Song," Growing a more serious expression, she asked, "How do you know Lee?"
Katara paused, not knowing if she should correct her or not. Finally, she said, "We ran into each other awhile back and decided to travel together."
"I see," Song turned her head to the side for a moment, then said, "Oh, I'm sorry. Did you need something? I didn't mean to be rude.
Katara eased a little and said, "I was wondering if you needed help."
"Sure," Song brightened, "Do you know healing techniques then?"
"I can heal using waterbending," Katara responded.
Song's eyes lit up, "That's great," Pointing to one of the patients, "Can you start there, please?"
Katara nodded and made her way over as Song asked for water to be brought to her. As she waited, Katara turned back to Song.
"How do you know Haru, by the way?" she asked, curiously.
Song paused for a second, blushed slightly, and with a slight stutter, said, "Oh, I just took care of him when he was brought here."
Hearing her lie in her voice, Katara would have continued the conversation had not the water arrived. Distracted, she began to take care of her first patient of the day.
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Mai was in a slightly better mood now that they weren't walking constantly. She did not, however, like being locked up in this stupid room. It was more boring than being at home.
She was lying down, staring at the ceiling. Her thoughts still on the Northern Air Temple. Azula hadn't even bothered trying to get her out. She wasn't too happy with the Princess.
Hearing a knock, Mai turned as the door opened. A guard came in carrying food. They had taken her bonds off when they had put her in this room since they were in the middle of the ocean.
The guard put the tray beside her than silently left. Mai looked at the contents of her bowl, and her nose scrunched up. Why would they actually eat that? She was not going to. There was no way they would convince her to eat sea prunes.
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Song wouldn't tell him what happened. Why this "Lee" person seemed to make her so angry. It had been nagging at him since they had shown up. He had decided to ask Lee what had happened.
Haru had been wandering the village looking for Lee. Song had said something about finding him near a tree though she hadn't said which one. Still healing, he was getting tired quickly. He was about to rest for a bit when he saw the person he was looking for sleeping beneath the tree nearest the healer's hut.
Walking over, he said, "Hey," Getting no response, he said, louder, "Hey, Lee."
Getting irritated as all Lee did was roll over, Haru looked around him for a way to wake him up. His eyes landed on a bucket near a well. Walking over, he saw that it was already filled with water. Grinning, Haru picked up the bucket and brought it back to the unconscious teen.
As Lee leaped in the air, water splashing his face, Haru watched with an amused smirk.
As Lee rubbed his eyes to rid them of water, he shouted, "You stupid waterbend--," As his vision cleared, he finished, confused, "Who are you?"
His face growing serious, Haru said, "I'm Katara and Song's friend, Haru."
Growing a little weary, Lee said, "What do you want?"
"I want to know what you did to Song for her to act like that," he responded.
With an irritated face, Lee said, "It's none of your business," as he began to walk away from Haru.
Haru reached out and grabbed his arm. Lee's eyes turned to slits as he looked towards the earthbender, sharply.
"Let go," he said, his voice filled with anger.
"Not until you answer me," Haru answered, just as angry.
Growing tired of the irritating earthbender, Lee roughly shook his arm off and drew his sword.
This was when Song and Katara noticed the dispute. Taking in the scene, Katara rushed over and stood between them, facing Zuko.
"What do you think you're doing?" Katara shouted at the already furious firebender.
Knowing it would be useless to say who was at fault to the waterbender, Zuko glared, put his sword away, and stalked off, barely holding in his firebending around the villagers.
Katara glared after him, then turned to Haru, "I'm sorry, Haru. He's got a bad temper sometimes..."
Cutting her off, Haru said, sheepishly, "It was my fault actually, Katara."
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Night had fallen on New Ozai. The people had emptied the streets as the soldiers patrolled. It had been relatively calm since Azula had left with Mai and Ty Lee.
The governor worried about his daughter constantly. Currently, he was waiting for news of her mission.
Hearing a knock, he said, "Come in."
As the door opened, he saw the messenger he had been waiting for walk in.
Sighing in relief, he asked, "What news is there of my daughter?"
Seeing the messenger look away, he knew the news couldn't be good.
"Your daughter, Mai...the Princess Azula attacked the Northern Air Temple," Looking up, he finished, gravely, "and she knew your daughter was in there."
Grief filled his eyes, as he asked, "Did they find..."
"No, sir," the messenger reassured him, "they believe the people of the temple took her out of harm's way."
The governor slowly took his seat and signaled the soldier away. Bowing, he left the room.
As he sat, taking in this new information, he heard the side door open as his wife entered.
"The Princess left our Mai to be killed?" she whispered, "Does Fire Lord Ozai have no control over that girl?" Return to Top
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