A/N: Short fic, chapter 1 about beginning... Someone alerted me that my words were stucktogether like that, so I went back and spaced em' out ... I hope ...
Disclaimer: Don't own Avatar or Aang or Sokka or Katara or Zuko etc ... I will own any OCs, and I'll tell you who/what they are when/if I decide to use them ...
..oo00oo..
Chapter 1: Capture
Aang looked up at Sokka. "Come on!" he called, "You can't be tired already!!"
Sokka looked down at the airbender over his shoulder, glaring. "You, airbender. Me? Normal human being. NORMAL equals no airbending, no flying, no fancy tricks."
Aang swung his hands up behind his head. "I could help-"
"NO! This has to be done by a warrior, without any magic!"
"No it doesn't," came the voice of his sister, "Sokka, it would be so much easier to let Aang help you ..."
Sokka shot his sister a look. "Look, a warrior like me doesn't need any help from an airbender, let alone a girl!" Katara frowned and rose her hand, water flowing around her palm.
Sokka looked up. There they were, the prized fruits of the tree ... just a bit further, and--
Splash
"Wahaaaahahaaa!!"
THOOM.
Sokka blinked at the up-side-down world, wondering if he hadn't broken every bone in his body from the fall.
Katara and Appa were laughing, and Aang was rolling around in the air. Sokka bit his lip and rubbed his dripping back.
"Katara! I was THIS close to getting those pears!"
Aang jumped in the air, a current of air assisting him to the higher branches of the fruit-bearing tree as Katara put her hands on her hips.
"Sokka, I know you feel like it's your job to find food for everyone, but Aang can help, too-"
"Hmph. Fine, I don't care," Sokka grumbled as Aang landed, "it's not like I can argue with two crazy benders."
Katara felt a pang of guilt. It was true... both she and Aang could bend while Sokka was just a normal human. He couldn't bend air or any other of the elements for that matter. He was just Sokka, her comical older brother. She sighed.
"I'm sorry, Sokka. I... "
"Hey, Katara, look!" The party looked to where Aang was pointing and smiled. "I found it!"
Aang landed next to Sokka, handing the grumbling boy a plump pear before jumping over to Katara and Momo and Appa, handing out the rest of the fruit. Aang grinned. "I found it, Katara, I found the Temple of Light!"
Katara offered Aang a warm smile. "Yup. Let's start going. It looks like an hour's walk from here." Sokka grabbed his sister's untouched pear and scrambled up Appa's back, taking a big bite out of it as he reached his usual spot near its rear. "Well, I'm not walking," he called from on top of Appa, "I'm tired from climbing."
Aang frowned. "But Appa's not coming with us-the passage to get there is too narrow."
Sokka's face fell as Katara and Momo giggled at him. The older boy hopped down off Appa's back, tossing his pear core into the bushes.
"Well, let's go! The sooner we get there, the sooner we can get off this island and back into the air."
Katara gave her brother a teasing smile.
"I thought you couldn't wait to get back on land a few hours ago?"
Sokka made an indecipherable noise and stalked off in one direction.
"Sokka? The temple's this way!"
The boy reappeared moments later, stopping to glare at his smiling sister and the Avatar before glowering and stalking off in the correct direction.
"I knew that!"
..oo00oo..
"Wow," Aang said, his voice echoing through the huge temple before them, "this place is HUGE!"
The word 'huge' boomed back at them, Katara and Sokka covering their ears as Aang was blasted back by the echo of his own voice.
"Well," said Sokka a moment later, softly, "let's go inside."
The temple had to be a hundred feet tall, as well as a hundred feet wide and a hundred feet long. It was like a giant dank, dark, hollow cube. Inside, there were two tunnels leading deeper into darkness. They were dimly lit by tiny lamps hanging on the walls. Aang turned to Katara and Sokka. "Which way should we go?"
Katara looked at Sokka and Aang and thought to herself. "Well," she said after a while, "Aang's an airbender, not to mention the Avatar. I'm a water bender, and Sokka's a warrior." Sokka gave a small smile. "But if he runs into a bender like us, he'd be in trouble." The smile fell.
"Katara, I can handle what ever you two can!"
Katara crossed her arms over her chest. "Really?"
"Sokka should go with you, Katara," said Aang with a smile. Katara looked startled. "Why is that, Aang?"
"Because I'm the Avatar-I can handle any kind of warrior. You might get in more trouble than me, and it'd be better if there were two of you."
Katara blinked and then jumped at Aang. "Are you saying that I can't handle myself?!"
Sokka shrank back and watched the two squabble for a while before Katara exploded.
"THAT'S IT!!" She shouted, her own voice echoing back to them like thunder, and Sokka and Aang dove to the ground, hands over their ears. The waterbender glowered at the two boys.
"I can handle myself fine, Aang, you'll see!" She didn't stop to hear Aang try to apologize and stormed off through the right tunnel.
Sokka and Aang looked at each other. "I guess I'm going with you," Aang said.
"I'm NOT going after Katara," said Sokka, crossing his arms.
"But you're her big brother?" said Aang softly, looking up at the teenager with big eyes. Sokka winced. Playing the big brother card was low, Sokka decided. Aang smiled.
"But then again, she did seem a little angry. Let's take this other tunnel-maybe we'll meet up with her at the end of them."
Sokka frowned but Aang didn't give him time to think as he plunged off down the tunnel on the left. Sokka jumped, looking back and forth between the two tunnels before plunging down the one after the Avatar.
"Aaaaang! Wait up!"
..oo00oo..
Appa and Momo groaned, glaring at the spears and fire-benders that surrounded them. A few feet away, a teenager stomped his foot on the ground.
"He's here... I know it. I won't rest until I catch him! This time, I will capture the Avatar!"
..oo00oo..
"Aaaaang! Slow down!"
The monk skidded to a halt, looking around. "Sokka? Where are ya?"
"I ... am ... right here," panted the older boy, grabbing Aang's sleeve and gripping his wrist. He leaned against the wall.
"Are you ok, Sokka? You look tired."
"Well, excuse me if (pant) ... I can't (wheeze)... air-bend myself along with you!"
Aang looked sheepishly at the ground. "Ah, sorry about that. We can walk."
Sokka took a deep breath, but still panted. "Fine. Let's just stop for a while."
..oo00oo..
"Sir! There's a temple up ahead. We think the Avatar may have gone inside."
Yellow eyes narrowed.
"I will capture the Avatar today-follow me!"
..oo00oo..
Katara paused. What's that? she thought, looking ahead at the soft light ahead.
She'd been making her way through the tunnel for some time by the dim light of tiny lamps at intervals along the tunnel walls. Now, a soft white glow presented itself at the end of the tunnel, some meters ahead.
"Maybe ... it's the end of the tunnel!"
She began to run towards the light.
..oo00oo..
"Sir, there are two tunnel-"
"I can see that, idiot!" raged the teenager, glowering down at the soldiers that were accompanying him. They flinched back as fire issued around their prince's fists.
"All right. You four, come with me. The rest of you, go down that tunnel. I want him and his little friends alive."
They nodded and shot down the tunnels.
..oo00oo..
Aang looked up.
"Sokka?"
"Huh?"
The Avatar stood up.
"Do you hear that?"
Sokka got to his feet.
"It's-"
"-fire nation warriors?" guessed Aang.
"Let's not find out," suggested Sokka, grabbing Aang's arm and taking off at a sprint down the tunnel.
They burst out of the tunnel quite suddenly and found a huge cavernous room with a wooden plank walkway leading to a suspended column of dark blue rock. In the center of the rock, there was an important-looking platform holding up a clear crystal. Aang's eyes widened.
"Oooooh ..." Sokka had a bad feeling as Aang wobbled toward the wooden plank bridge.
"Aang," said Sokka uncertainly, "I don't think this bridge will hold!"
"No problem," said Aang. He rose his hands. "I'll send you over first, and then I'll come!"
Sokka blinked before he realized what Aang had proposed, and he shouted in protest before wind pushed him up through the air and over to the platform.
"Ah-HAH!!"
Aang looked behind him with wide eyes to meet the heel of the fire-prince's foot in the chest, and he was sent flying into Sokka. Both boys grunted and were thrown into the crystal sitting behind them.
A flash of light filled the cavern, and Aang gave a yell as he was surrounded by white light, and Sokka clutched the stone to his chest, scooting away from the Avatar. OhmygodOhmygodOhmygod, he thought, Aang's using the powers of the Avatar! I'm gonna be killed!
He flung his arms over his head and the crystal flashed a second time. The light that was surrounding Aang flashed and leaked from his body to hover in the cavern, disembodied, before flinging at the wide-eyed Sokka.
Every person had to cover their eyes until the light cleared. When it did, the men by the yellow-eyed prince crowed around him.
"Prince Zuko, are you all right?"
"I'm fine!! Capture the Avatar and his friend!"
Aang used a gust of air to destroy the bridge that led to the column, and the firebender that had stepped onto it yelled as he fell into the darkness below. Prince Zuko glowered at Aang's hovering form as the monk descended to pick up Sokka, who still clutched the crystal to his chest.
"I will capture you, Avatar! Watch me!"
He stamped his foot on the ground and two of the men dropped to their knees, holding out their arms as Zuko jumped into the air. He used them as a springboard and shot at the dark blue column. Aang jumped out of the way but Zuko grabbed his ankle. Sokka yelled and ducked as Aang threw off the fire prince, the teenager landing next to him. Yellow eyes flashed with an idea and he thrust his hand out and a dagger of fire flared to life in his fist. Aang jumped to the ground as Zuko grabbed Sokka in a headlock and put the dagger dangerously close to the other boy's neck.
"Take one more step and see what happens." Aang stopped and rose his hands.
"Just try to airbend," Zuko challenged, bringing the knife closer to Sokka's neck, "Don't think I won't move faster." The other boy made an effort not to show how hot the fire was, but couldn't help a noise of discomfort as Zuko's grip crushed him.
Aang frowned and then nodded, his hands falling to his sides. "Ok. Just stop hurting Sokka."
Zuko's eyes gleamed. "Finally."
Sokka felt the grip loosen and gave a huge shove. Zuko's eyes widened as he was thrown to the edge of the column. Sokka was slightly surprised at his own actions. "All right, Sokka!" cheered Aang as he flew into the air and prepared to blow Zuko away.
Zuko jumped to his feet as the ground beneath him gave way, and he gasped as he began to fall.
Sokka froze. He knew it was an enemy, he knew it was the person who was trying to get Aang, the Avatar and his friend ...
... but it was still a person.
He flung his arm out even though the other teenager was too far away, and a rumbling filled the cavern. Sokka's eyes widened as a platform of earth flew out of the dark blue column underneath Zuko's feet, catching the other boy.
Aang stopped in the air, Sokka looking down at Zuko, who'd landed on a platform of earth extending from the blue rock in the center of the cavern.
The fire prince stared up at Sokka in shock before growling. "Great! The idiot's an earth-bender!"
An anger blotch appeared on Sokka's forehead.
"I am NOT an IDIOT!" he yelled, the sound reverberating through the entire cave. Aang clamped his hands to his ears as well as Sokka and everyone else but Zuko saw the window of opportunity and vaulted up to where Sokka stood and knocked him out with a punch. The boy fell and Zuko shouted to Aang.
"Come down, no tricks, or I'll take off his head!" The monk descended, allowing the fire warriors on the opposite side of the cavern to bind his hands and blind fold him as Zuko held a dagger of fire over his friend's throat. As Aang was bound and escorted out of the cavern, the scarred prince gave Sokka a kick in the side.
"Hmph. Worthless earthbender." He picked up the boy and slung his body over a shoulder, jumping down to the extended platform of earth and flinging them both back to the entrance of the tunnel. He lit the tunnel with a small flame from his hand as he returned to the outside. The rest of his men were waiting.
"Sir, we found this one in the other tunnel. She put up a fight, but she's unconscious now." Zuko nodded and tossed Sokka's body at a soldier.
"Take them all to my quarters and have my uncle watch them, as for the lemur and bison, leave them both bound and blindfolded. We're going back to the fire nation. I've captured the Avatar."
..oo00oo..
End chapter 1
A/N: uh ... updates might be slow b/c of work on other story and other story ...
A/N2008: Updating and fixing things... for old times' sake. (: