Authors Note: I own nothing of Avatar, except for maybe some future concepts for moves/attacks of Firebending that may not exist in the actual Avatar universe/were not shown or mentioned but may have been in the creator's minds. Katya is mine.
Please Read and Review.
A lone girl sat in front of a fire, a sigh escaping her mouth as she thought deeply. The silence around her was unnerving, and she was left in solitude within the forest with her own thoughts the only thing accompanying her. The girl was clad in a worn black and red robe with the obvious Fire Nation insignia on it. Her captors forced those of the colony to wear the robes, since they were property of the Fire Nation.
She opened her eyes, the crimson irises seemed out of place on her, whilst her brown tanned skin seemed out of place in the environment as well as the appearance of the skin itself. It appeared to be rather rugged and rough, and if somebody paid enough attention they would be able to spot very miniscule fragments of dirt clinging to her skin.
It was commonplace for her to be in rough appearance. She had escaped from an Fire Colony mining village several days ago, and she had been unwilling to stop to properly bathe, finding it unnecessary to put herself into potential danger so that she would be properly cleaned, she was used to being covered in dirt for months on end, so what would a few extra days matter.
Her thoughts drifted to her family, in a land far away, and she wondered how long had passed since she had disappeared and ended up in this unknown world. Not really an unknown world, it was a world where you could bend elements, and had been a popular show in her old world. She had appeared in this world when she was thirteen, and that was four years ago.
"You need to stop worrying about them, Katya. It's in the past, you're here now, and need to get used to it." The girl thought to herself, before sighing.
A twig snapping on her right flank snapped her back to reality, as she glanced at her right out of the corner of her eye, acting as if she hadn't noticed, but focusing intensely on listening for anything.
Three figures came stumbling through the bushes several moments later, and she was already on her feet in a defensive stance as she eyed the three figures. They were just children, a few years younger than her, the elder one of the trio was a boy with tanned skin, much like hers, and he wore blue robes, obviously a member of a Water Tribe. The girl looked much like the tanned boy, and she was adorned in the same blue robes, hair loopies flanking her face. The final member of the trio was wearing orange and yellow robes that screamed Airbender. Anybody with any sense would easily be able to piece together who the young boy was, only an idiot wouldn't realise who he was the moment they saw him.
The trio suddenly noticed her, as well as her stance, and immediately went into defensive stances themselves, awaiting her to attack.
"What's the Fire Nation doing all the way out here?" the elder boy spat, obviously disgusted with having to utter the words Fire Nation. A smirk crept onto Katya's face.
"Wouldn't you like to know, Water Tribe." Katya retorted, her gaze then turning to the young boy. "Travelling with the Avatar I see."
Shock instantly rose on the elder boy's face, as well as what appeared to be his sibling. The girl turned to look at the elder boy, before speaking. "Sokka, How does she know?"
"I don't know, Katara." the elder boy, Sokka, responded to his sibling.
"Are you really that dense? How many people do you see walking around in Airbender robes with an Airbender staff?" Katya chuckled. "Only fools would not realise that he's the Avatar."
"Why are you here?" Sokka asked, his eyes narrowing at Katya as he gripped his club tightly.
"Just travelling." Katya stated, hoping to avoid the prying questions, shrugging her shoulders.
"Fire Nation. Just travelling. You know your story doesn't quite work out." Sokka stated, narrowing his eyes at Katya, before sighing. "Though everything seems fine, as she's merely a harmless Fire Nation girl."
Katya's eyes instantly narrowed as she glared daggers at Sokka. She hated being called harmless. It made her feel and seem pitiful, and she did not want anybody's pity. The girl, Katara, seemed to notice Katya's anger, turning to look at Sokka, worry on her face.
"Sokka..." Katara began, but was interrupted by Sokka.
"However, we should capture her, and take her to the authorities nearby." Sokka stated, and at this, Katya's eyes widened in fear. Katara looked at Sokka, shock on her face, before noticing the pure fear evident in Katya's features, and moved to say something to Sokka, who carried on, ignorant to her trying to stop him. "She may know something that would be useful to the war effort, and we can't exactly leave a defenseless girl out here."
Anger flared within Katya, mixing with her fear of being captured by the trio. She did not want to return to the Fire Colony, which was the closest settlement. She was not returning to that place ever again, willingly. With an aggressive motion, she slammed her foot to the ground, flames shooting across the ground, before rising into the air taking the shape of a spiral, and crashing into Sokka, sending him hurtling into the air, and crashing into some bushes. He staggered to his feet, shock and anger on his face as he looked at Katya.
"She's a Firebender!" Sokka shouted, charging forward but was flung away suddenly as a disk of fire slammed into his chest, sending him flying backwards.
Sokka crashed into a tree, slumping to the ground, relatively unharmed apart from being unconscious, and maybe a bruise if he was unlucky. Katya didn't want to physically harm the trio. Anger was visible on Katara's face, though she seemed torn between actually fighting Katya, and querying her on why she was scared of the authorities. However, she quickly made up her mind, opening the top of the water flask, manipulating the water out of the flask, and whipping the water at Katya.
She didn't want to fight the Waterbender, but it seemed she had to, lifting her arms up, bringing a wall of fire to rise in front of her, blocking the water whip, before flinging her arms forward, sending the fire wall hurtling towards Katara, the wall crashing into her, though obviously not with enough power to physically burn her, flinging her through the air as Katya stopped the wall, causing the wall of fire to collapse into nothing, watching as Katara crashed to the ground, and remained on the ground as she was unable to lift herself up. Sokka had already returned to consciousness, but knew he was no match for Katya, and instead rushed to his sister's side as the Avatar stepped inbetween Katya and the duo.
"I don't want to fight you Aang." Katya stated, glancing at the ground, before realising she had mentioned the Airbender's name, and she glanced back up at him, noticing the shocked expression upon his face. She realised her mistake. Nobody had mentioned his name, and she most certainly shouldn't be able to know his name.
"How did you know my name?" Aang asked, confusion on his face.
Suddenly, several Firebenders came bursting out of the bushes behind Katya, bringing her to spin around to face them, entering a defensive stance.
"There's the girl that fell from the sky!" one of the Firebenders shouted, pointing at her.
"You fell from the sky?" Aang asked, his face still contorted in confusion. "Wouldn't that have killed you?"
"I have no time to explain Aang. You need to get out of here, there's too many of them, and Katara and Sokka are in no shape to fight." Katya stated, looking back at Aang, her face gripped in sadness. "I apologise for harming them, now, go!"
She slammed her foot to the ground, sending one of the Firebenders flying backwards in the same manner as she had done to Sokka earlier, as fireballs flew towards her from a one hundred and eighty degree angle in front of her. She heard the hurried movements behind her, smiling as Aang and his companions disappeared into the bushes, having escaped. She raised her hands into the air, bringing a wall of fire to take shape in front of her, the fireballs dissipitating as they hit the fire wall. She sent the wall flying forward, watching as it crashed into one of the Fire Nation soldiers, sending them hurtling backwards, before slamming her foot on the ground, creating a spiral of fire to form in front of her, before doing a kicking motion which sent the fire spiral hurtling towards the nearest Fire Nation soldier, sending him crashing to the ground.
It was then that a figure came running out of the bushes, adorned in what looked to be elegant Fire Nation army, his head appeared to be bald, besides a lone black ponytail on the back of his head, and a very evident, and probably painful burn scar adorned the left side of his face, and his features were contorted with anger, as they always seemed to be, as Katya recollected. She couldn't help but notice how handsome he was, but she quickly shook her head at her thoughts. He was a Fire Nation Prince after all, and she was essentially a slave of the Fire Nation. Though this was the first time she had seen him, or even met him, in person, she knew all about him from the show.
He was her favourite character, and she had always had a slight crush on the Banished Prince of the Fire Nation. She couldn't quite remember his name, and she struggled to recall what his name was, and it was as his gaze narrowed upon her that he remembered his name.
"Zuko..." Katya uttered, before her eyes widened in shock that she had said it out loud instead of thinking it. The Prince's eyes widened too for a moment, obviously confused, before quickly narrowing, returning to their normal expression of anger.
A second figure came rushing out of the bushes, stopping alongside Zuko, and was obviously out of breath as he was bent over, breathing in gulps of air. He rose several moments later, and it was now that Katya recognised him. Zuko's portly uncle, Iroh. She noticed that the old man's gaze was upon her now as the Fire Nation soldiers began to approach her. She slammed her fists, fire swirling around them, into the ground, sending a shockwave through the ground, which knocked all the soldiers off of their feet, apart from Zuko and Iroh, and she noticed the apparent admiration in Iroh's gaze at her power, whilst Zuko's anger had seemed to worsen as he entered a combative stance.
Katya's eyes widened in fear and shock as Zuko sent a fireball flying at her, and she created a wall of fire that absorbed Zuko's fireballs, when suddenly the wall of fire exploded, as Zuko came crashing through, flames surrounding his fists as he launched towards her, and she raised her arms subconsciously, blocking her face, screaming as the flame punch connected with her arms, sending her flying backwards along the floor, a sizzling noise rising through the almost silent air as she howled in pain. Tears streaked down her cheek from the pain from the new burns on her arms.
She was suddenly roughly hauled off the ground by somebody, her head lifting to look at whoever was holding her, before her head slumped back to the ground in defeat. Zuko held her tightly, and she felt as if the back of her neck was being burnt by the mere presence of his hand being there. The other Fire Nation soldiers had already managed to get to their feet, and stood to attention upon seeing Zuko.
"She's just one girl! How did you men struggle against one weak Firebender, who was also a girl?" Zuko snarled.
"S-She's n-not just a normal girl, Prince Zuko, she's the girl that fell from the sky!" one of the Firebenders stuttered out, fear underlying in his face.
"The girl that fell from the sky?" Zuko repeated, staring in confusion at the Firebender who had spoken this insane statement. "Nobody would be able to survive falling from the sky. And there's nowhere around here for her to simply fall from the sky."
Katya raised her head, and a chuckle escaped her, causing Zuko's gaze to snap down to her. "Trust me, ponytail, I'm about as confused as you are about how I managed to survive the fall, and I've had four years to think about wonder how I survived, and I'm still stumped."
"Four years?" Iroh muttered to himself, off to the side from the assortment of Firebender soldiers and Zuko, apparently deep in thought about something.
"Ponytail? Do you even know who you're speaking to little girl?" Zuko snapped, flinging Katya to the ground, and if Katya hadn't succumbed to defeat, she would already be hurling attacks at those around her.
"Oh, trust me, I do. You're the son of Fire Lord Ozai." Katya stated, looking up at Zuko, a smirk on her face.
"It would do you best to respect those of the Royal Family of the Fire Nation." Zuko snarled.
"You're still a part of the Royal Family? I thought you were the great Banished Prince, having been banished for speaking out in a War Council meeting over a General's foolish plan that sacrificed new recruits, and you ended up in an Agni Kai with your father, and refused to fight him since he was your own father? And as such, for bringing shame to your family, you were banished." Katya stated, rambling on about one of the most important things about Zuko's character... no very person.
She then realised she had stated something that nobody should know, noticing the expressions upon the soldier's faces, who appeared to have not known about why Zuko was banished, as well as Zuko's own expression, a mixture of anger,shock and confusion, as he wondered how this random girl knew about the events that were secret, known by only a select few important individuals in the Fire Nation. Iroh stared at Katya, his gaze locked upon her as he was deep in thought.
Zuko shot forward, grabbing Katya by her throat, his face right in front of hers, fear creeping onto her face instantly at the aggressive movement, as well as the close proximity, of Zuko. Katya then noticed his raised right arm, flames swirling around the fist, and instantly closed her eyes, flinching, whimpering in fear as she tried to prepare herself for the strike. Several moments passed before she opened her eyes in confusion, as no strike had occurred. She noticed that Iroh was now stood right next to his nephew, and his hand gripped the raised arm tightly, Zuko looking at Iroh who shook his head, and Zuko released his grip from around Katya's throat.
"Prince Zuko, she is merely a girl, you should not take your anger out upon her." Iroh stated, before looking down at Katya, offering a small smile to her. "I think it best if we return to our ship and bring her with us."
"If I may interrupt General, but she is an escapee from the colony, and we are under orders to return her to the colony." one of the soldiers stated, at which Katya's eyes widened and she scrambled along the floor away from the soldier, but was stopped as her back collided with the legs of Zuko, who looked down at her in anger as her head snapped up to look behind her, her features quivering in fear as she began to shake.
"This girl annoys me, and we have no reason to take her with us on the ship." Zuko stated, anger evident in his voice, as he placed a hand on her shoulder, forcing her onto her feet, and attempting to push her towards the soldiers for them to take her.
"NO!" Katya screamed, an aura of fire circling around her, causing Zuko to pull his hand back so that he wasn't burned.
"Zuko, she is clearly distressed at returning with the soldiers, and it would be less hassle for us for her to come with us." Iroh stated, looking at Katya, whose head turned to look at him.
Silence filled the clearing for several moments, as she entered deep into thought, contemplating what to do. She could try and fight them off, but would obviously fail, since Zuko had already beaten her once, and she was struggling to remain conscious as is. She most certainly didn't want to return with the soldiers. She did not want back in that hell. The only choice for her was to go with the duo.
"I would rather go with you two than go back with them." Katya stated, pointing a thumb at the soldiers.
Zuko sighed, accepting defeat. "Fine."
It was then that Katya suddenly collapsed to the floor, the aura of fire dying down as she slipped out of consciousness, having exerted too much energy. Zuko looked down at Katya's unconscious figure, studying her features, noting that she most certainly did not look like a normal person from the Fire Nation, nor from the Earth Kingdom.
"She most certainly is an interesting specimen." Iroh chuckled, drawing Zuko's gaze for a moment, before his gaze returned to Katya.
Confusion made its way onto his face as he gazed at the girl, wondering why her skin was so tanned when she most clearly wasn't from a Water Tribe. He had never seen a person who was tanned as she was and wasn't from the Water Tribe. He couldn't help but wonder where exactly she had come from. It brought a small smirk to his lips, and he couldn't help but agree with his uncle.
"She most certainly is, this girl from the sky." Zuko stated, the small smirk disappearing before his uncle could notice.