Avatar: Mysteries

[Teяa253]

Okay, instead of making a whole new thread for each chapter, I'm just going to compile them all in one place, kind of like I did with Avatar Fight Club. This could be an implication that I'm going to continue this story, but, like I always say, "I can't promise anything".
Therefore, the next 5 posts will be chapters 1-5 of my old series, so, enjoy it.
~Katara~

[Teяa253]

CHAPTER 1: A REASON TO FIGHT
It was far beyond me now. I knew he hadn’t changed, and now, if I came out of this alive like I planned to, I would be able to rub it in all their faces and say: “I told you so”, particularly to Aang. Right now however, I had my thoughts elsewhere. I was not only angry at him, but also at myself for actually buying it like they did. Not only did it hurt my pride, but it also hurt me, and it was now a threat towards my friends.
“This could mean trouble for Aang,” I shouted at him, “and now, I plan to put an end to your destiny here and now.”
He just laughed.
“Katara,” he said coolly, “I had been hunting the Avatar for several months now. What made you think anything was going to change. I betrayed my own uncle. My feelings of remorse are gone. I may want to help defeat the Fire lord, but do you know why that is?”
I paused, stood up and looked at him. Thankfully, Toph, Sokka and Aang weren’t here to see this. I looked at his sneering, emotionless face again. Here in front of me stood Zuko, Fire Nation Prince. Not only had he betrayed his uncle and his father, but now he was betraying us too? His list of allies had just vanished.

“Foolish Waterbender,” I thought to myself, thinking of my newfound powers and the endless possibilities. “I am Zuko.” I said to myself, and looked across the field of battle towards her: Katara, a master waterbender with a very high danger level, especially when angry. Of course, right at this moment, I could have cared less. I didn’t need her, and I didn’t even need the Avatar. It was time again to start playing on other people. After all, look how it served Azula: she has friends coming from diverse places. Surely such a method of living must be better than this.
“I’m ready when you are,” I shouted to her, and I could tell that this was stirring her up. I basked in the moment, and then hyped my defenses. Indeed it was true that I didn’t use wrath to fuel my firebending, but with the power of the Firebending Masters, I just needed to be lively—and it was proving effective. I watched as Katara get angrier by the second. Yet, for some strange reason which I dared not try and investigate further, she was not striking. Why was this?

I looked at him again, my anger heating up as I saw him leer and grin at me, yet, I couldn’t attack him. “If only I were a firebender,” I thought, “the anger fueled from this moment here and now could give me enough energy to annihilate the whole Earth Kingdom. If He was a one-man army, then I had to be too. I couldn’t ask for help. I knew that not only was I a better waterbender than he was a firebender, but also that water naturally beats fire. Yet, I feared him. It was unexplainable.
Then it happened. His first move entered into reality, striking me across the face. “This was it” I thought, “We fight now and end it.”
As I watched however, Zuko, was not charging at me like a mad animal, but was casually sliding towards me with his stupid dance moves.
“Do you want to dance?” he asked, getting within 6 feet of me, the flames of his right hand, licking mine for a brief second, and I was stunned. It was about time that I put this… boy… back in his place.

I laughed as she came at me with a forceful wrath. I laughed because waterbending was not made to be fueled by anger like firebending could. Sure it was true that firebending could be anger-powered, but it could also be powered from a different source, which I had recently found. Naturally, it took a little training, but that was easy enough. I did it in the evening when the sun was gone. If I could do it while the sun was far away, I could effortlessly master it when the sun was out. I succeeded. Not only did I manage to land another blow upon her dark-skinned face, but also another one to her body, and another, and another. The graceful moves of The Dancing Dragon linked together like the metallic links of a chain. Of course, I would probably end up killing her, unless she did the same to me first. That would then leave me to explain what happened to the others. “It was self-defense,” was my first thought. After all, she was the one who started everything. I had truly wanted to join them, despite how brief that moment was before I saw what I could gain. So, all in all, it was her fault. However, since I had the upper hand, I figured I could gloat a little to provoke little Katara further. After all, an angry opponent performs worse than a calm one.

I knew that he was playing my emotions, but I couldn’t do anything about it. He knew me too well. Thankfully, some Water Tribe techniques I had learned were in the method of defense, for I would have been overwhelmed. It was after a few minutes of fighting though, that I realized that I had stumbled into his trap. Not only was it the peak of the day, but also, he was heating the place up. He was dragging me into his type of fight, and I could not back down. One of us had to die here, and I wanted to make sure, that for my sake, as well as that of Aang and Sokka, that I wasn’t the one who did die. Oh, and of course Toph, but she was still a bit c0cky and independent, so I was less worried about her. It was mostly Sokka that I would miss should I fall, for he would be crushed shortly afterwards. Therefore, I had to fight. I managed to lash him several times across his chest and face, cutting open the sensitive area where his scar was. I grinned menacingly at my triumph to see that I had hit him in a weak point. He began walking over to me with a look of defeat. Maybe he would come and try to apologize to me. That would be the end of him. I don’t care who they are or how much they say they’ve repented. Some people just deserve to die.

I walked closer to her. I saw the waterbender’s body, beaten and bruised from where I had attacked it, but that was not on my mind at the moment. With both my hands clutched against my left eye: the brand given to me by my own father, I realized that this was the final move.

“Surely it was to end here,” I thought as the Fire Nation Prince walked towards me, and suddenly, my world became exceedingly heated, and I lost all feeling in my chest. He had surprise attacked me. I had once again fallen into his trap. This time, however, there would be no payback; no revenge. It was over. I was falling. What seemed like hours later, I was no longer on my feet, but lying face-up, looking at the sun. It gave life, but had helped in the ending of mine. Why was I the one dying? What were Sokka, Aang, and Toph going to do? Why should they suffer for something I did?
I loomed over Katara’s failing body, grinning slightly. “I guess that’s how it goes,” I said, “you put up a spectacular fight. I congratulate you on your bravery. Now, however, I must go and inform the others of how you turned against me and tried to kill me. Farewell, Katara.”
I screamed louder than I ever had in my life. My eyesight was dimming, and my life force diminishing. Zuko, Fire Nation Prince, just laughed at my expense and then calmly walked away. As I laid there dying, I wondered why there wasn’t someone to fix my wounds. Why couldn’t there have been a Katara for me? Aang’s back, Toph’s feet, and even the prospect of Zuko’s scar at one time or another. All my memories were coming back to me. My eyes no longer functioned. I now knew what Toph felt like to an extent. Now I was feeling my waterbending forces depart from my body as I lay there in my own blood, ready for my corpse to rot while Zuko insults me, saying that I, the one who defended them for so long, was the villain. I’m not sure I’ll be able to take all of this, but alas, now, I have no choice. It is over. I am finished.

“Katara is no more.” I said laughing, as I saw Aang, Toph, and Sokka come into view. They hadn’t heard me, but they’d learn the story soon enough—my story of how it went, that is…

~Mai~

[Teяa253]

CHAPTER 2: DESTINY AWAITS

I calmly strode back towards camp, with Aang, Sokka, and Toph coming into view. Needless to say I couldn’t tell them that I had killed Katara. What a lovely welcoming that’d be. The only one I could see not trying to kill me on the spot was Toph, but that was for a different reason. I slowed to a walk, but then something happened that I didn’t expect.
“Zuko,” one of them shouted. It had to be either Aang or Toph. I was looking at the ground so I didn’t see them. I pretended not to hear them.
“I know you can hear me,” said the voice, and this time, it was clear that this was Toph. I had to think of something fast.
“Where were you?” Toph asked me, it was a good thing that she was blind; otherwise she’d notice some of the features of our little scuffle. She seemed to be the one most likely to doubt any tale I could come up with, but I couldn’t explain why I thought that.
“What happened to your face?” Sokka asked me. He was looking at my scar, which was not only a brand, but now a potential route to my downfall. I had to some up with something. Luckily, I inherited a little of the brains from the gene pool that my sister had so much of. I was able to fool them—or so I thought.
“We’ve gotta get out of here,” I said with a sound of true fear. “There are Fire Nation soldiers out there. I’m not sure if Katara got away, but they’re coming.”
“Is she alive?” Aang asked, showing deep concern. Of course, it didn’t surprise me that the Avatar was concerned for his girlfriend, but I had to answer him.
“You all probably heard that scream,” I told them, referring to Katara’s last scream of life when I told her what I would do, “That was the last I saw or heard of her.”
“Do you know anything else?” said Toph inquisitively. This blind girl was really starting to bug me. It was as if she couldn’t see physically, but could peer straight into your emotions and pick out whatever she pleased.
“Never mind that,” she said suddenly, “I’m gonna find out myself.” Before I could make a move, she had disappeared underground. If she found Katara’s body, I was surely in for some serious trouble unless my story saved me. Of course, it was decently thought-out considering the time frame I was given by life to create it. She would obviously be scarred with marks from a firebender, but that would only support my theory that Fire Nation Soldiers were coming.
“Come on Sokka,” I heard Aang say, “we’ve got to get out of here!”
Suddenly, Toph reappeared from underground a little too close to me for my comfort. How had she found Katara’s body so fast?
“Hold it,” said Sokka, gaining suspicions, “Toph, did you see Katara?”
“No,” Toph lied, but I wasn’t aware of her lack of truth, and this lie gave me comfort, “but Zuko’s right. There are Fire Nation soldiers coming. You two go. Zuko and I will take them on.”
After Aang and Sokka departed, I turned to Toph, who gave me a look so ominous that it actually struck me with fear. There was more to this girl than first met the eye.
“You are so finished,” she told me indignantly. I can’t believe that for ANY reason that you would kill Katara!”
I didn’t even try to explain, because Toph was on a roll, and didn’t look like she’d be shutting up any time soon.
“Those marks on Katara’s body are from you.” She snapped, “I felt you lying from the start. I sent Sokka and Aang away so they wouldn’t have to see me kill you. They’ll get the news soon after of your treachery, and I’ll hand deliver it to them.”
I realized that she was trying to stir me up. However, I decided to use the same game I used on Katara. This was going to be too easy.
“If you really wish to fight me,” I said, “then so be it. What I’m telling you is true though.”

What if it was true? What if there was Fire Nation soldiers coming for them? Zuko’s last statement was hard for me to discern. I couldn’t really tell if he was being truthful or lying. However, I pulled him into this, and I was not by any means going to turn down a fight.”
“You got it scar-face,” I told him, thinking of the nickname on the spot. It seemed overused, but I didn’t know anyone with the name, so I just let it fly. “One fight coming up”

To my misfortune, this area was a little less grassy than the other one, so there was much more pure earth for Toph now. Moreover, the sun was no longer at its peak, so this fight would be a little more difficult. I calmly strode towards her, provoking her further by taunting her about Katara.

Zuko’s words about how Katara died were hurtful, but being a 42-0 master at Earth Rumble had taught me many things, one of them being how to properly insult and avoid being insulted. I kept my cool. “So scar-face,” I leered, “Are you just going to rant on to me about how you lied, or are you going to eat some rocks?” I answered my own question. A few quick rocks to the face were aimed right at him and found their mark. The fight had broken out.

I laughed that this silly little blind girl would dare challenge me. I was doing a lot to keep my cool, and thankfully, my training had paid off. Fortunately, I knew her weakness, and had accidentally exploited it before. In one swift, fell move, Toph was sitting down, massaging her now burnt feet.
“Bit off a little more than you could chew now, didn’t you?” I taunted, and I could see the tears of rage accumulate in her eyes.

“You really haven’t changed,” I shouted at him, appearing very upset, “but neither have I!” I gave him an immediate comeback by pinning his feet down, followed by a large jab in the chest from solid rock. A grunt and a gasp told me that my earthbending skills had done their job. I was on my hands and knees now, using my hands to locate the traitor. I could tell though, that he was not through. I walled myself with earth, but what happened next was unexpected. The heat from his attack was so intense that I was now standing in front of a small wall of lava. I quickly jumped back, and began launching rocks at him mindlessly, as quickly as I could. He was wearing me out. I knew that I couldn’t hold out much longer. But for some reason, he seemed to have some remorse. I could feel a change in his emotions. Naturally, I decided to play them, like he had played Katara’s. “Zuko,” I whimpered, “I surrender. You are the greater bender. Katara’s death was not by your hands.”

“Good,” I said in return, “it’s good to see that you finally accepted—“
But I was cut off. I had not noticed that she had earthbended a wall behind me, and now had crushed my gut with another rock. She had lied to me, and now was standing in front of me as I faltered to my knees.
“Great fighters never won by telling the truth,” she said bluntly, and limped off. I had no energy left. I didn’t even yell. I didn’t even try to throw one last vengeful ball of fire at her. I could feel the powers of the firebending masters leaving my worn and ragged soul. I had obviously vastly abused them. Unlike Katara, I was aware of why I was dying. This was my destiny now. What the Avatar did was out of my hands. I still have hopes that he’ll defeat my father, but that’s for another time. My story is through.

I ended up meeting with Aang and Sokka about an hour later, as the sun finally set upon the day—and Zuko’s life. I didn’t dare tell them what happened, so I continued Zuko’s legacy of the Fire Nation soldiers. They bought it for the time. I however, was so tired, that they figured I was probably making things up. I would tell them, but that would have to wait until tomorrow. I DO have priorities, you know…”

~Mai~

[Teяa253]

CHAPTER 3: TRUTH RESPECTS NO ONE
I was constantly tossing and turning on the cold, hard ground. Of course, this was not because the ground was uncomfortable; I slept on the ground nearly every day. I was uneasy. Aang and Sokka not knowing of Katara’s death was a constant annoyance. Aang had lost a good friend and teacher, and Sokka had lost a mother figure and sister. We all had lost a great middle-person though. Katara, although incredibly fun to disagree with, was gone.
Additionally, how could I possibly tell them, Aang in particular, that I had killed Zuko? They were slightly suspicious that I had done something, but they didn’t know what. I tossed and turned some more, but the thought refused to leave. Then, to my misfortune, things went from bad to worse.
“Hey Toph,” Sokka shouted, “What’s the matter? Are you okay?”
I was speechless. I didn’t want to tell them, but I knew it had to be done. However, I needed to stall as long as possible. If I, the indifferent and secluded one, was having this much trouble accepting the deaths of Zuko and Katara, then they would be crushed.
“I... I’m fine,” I said shakily, but Sokka was apparently now aware that something was wrong.
“Are you worried about Katara?” he asked, and this set me loose. I got up and approached him on my hands and knees. This was it. I thought it couldn’t get worse, but it did. “Don’t worry, Toph, Katara will be fine. I just know it.” Were his remarks, and then I could no longer restrain myself. I broke down crying in front of him, into his shoulder.
“Wake up Aang,” I said unsteadily, “he has to know the truth.”
Sokka said nothing at first. “I presume you know exactly what’s going on,” he said,
“Yes,” I confessed, “I know everything.”
Sokka woke up Aang. I couldn’t tell, but he was cool and calm about everything, as if everything was cool and calm.
“There were never any Fire Nation soldiers after us,” I told him,
“WHAT,” Aang exclaimed, suddenly snapping back to his senses, “what do you mean?”
“Katara is dead.” I said flatly, “and I know who killed him. Here’s, I’ll be right back.” I left Sokka’s arms and delved underground. Within a few minutes, I came back with Zuko’s lifeless body. I knew whose it was, but this was all to demonstrate a different objective.
“Toph,” said Sokka, looking confused, “this is Zuko.”
“Is he going to be alright?” Aang asked,
“No,” I replied, feeling the area in his chest where I had slugged him with a rock, “he has suffered internal damage. My rock did its job.”
I looked at Toph with a look of disgust and unbelief on my face. “YOU killed Zuko?” I exclaimed, “what, how… why?”
“It’s so obvious by now,” said Toph calmly, “HE killed Katara!”
“No,” I said, “NO! YOU LIE!!” Toph did not say a word, but disappeared underground right as I grabbed at her. Aang was speechless as well.

“Toph, a traitor,” I exclaimed,
“But what if she’s right?” Aang asked me, “what if Zuko did kill Katara?”
“No,” I replied flatly, “that could never happen. Zuko wouldn’t... would he?”
I was in a state of unknown shock and slight denial. I never really imagined a world without Katara. Such a thing just did not seem possible. Katara was everything to me. I lost my mother one time, and I could not live to see myself lose her again.
Toph returned within minutes. “I only lie when it gives me a benefit,” she said bluntly.
“What is that you’ve got?” I asked, but I already knew what it was. Even in the moonlight, I could see it all too clearly.
“This, Sokka,” said Toph angrily, “is Katara! ZUKO killed her!”
I said nothing. I felt Katara, hoping, praying to any sort of supernatural power, that she was not dead. It seemed like an eternity between the time that I stretched forth my hand to the time it came in contact with her body. She was cold by now. She had been dead for several hours at least. I was frantic. I was in a state of denial. My sister—my mother—dead; There was nothing left for me now.

I felt Sokka frantically dashing around the remains of his sister. As was the norm when my feet were burned, I was on my hands and knees again. It hurt me more, however, to have to witness Sokka slowly falling apart right in front of me. I felt someone approaching, and knew it had to be Aang.
“Zuko’s cold,” he said, “is he really dead?”
“Yes.” I said bluntly, about to cry once again, “I killed him. I had no choice. I told you two to leave the scene so you wouldn’t see us duel. He got me a few times and burned my feet in particular. That’s why I’m on all fours like this.”
“Why would Zuko kill Katara though,” Aang asked me, as if I would know, but then he bent down and felt Zuko’s corpse. From the outside, you couldn’t tell he was dead. Similarly, with the exception of a few burns in places that would not kill a person, Katara looked perfectly okay as well. The damage was internal, I just knew it.

After several long minutes of trying to disprove reality, I gave in. My sister was really and truly gone—gone forever. I suddenly swung my head in the direction of Zuko’s body, and pulled out my sword. I don’t care if he’s already dead, such a horrendous act by such a body could not go without punishment. I lunged forward, but for some reason I could only dream about, Aang stopped me with a wall of rock.

“There’s something wrong,” he said to both of us, and, like Sokka, I was as confused as I would be if I were trying to read a book.
“Zuko had a different objective when he joined us,” Aang told us, “he was on our side very briefly, and then he cracked.” He stopped, and felt Katara as if to verify a thought. His eyes and his arrow were glowing, “Katara went against him, thinking he had betrayed us. He had though, but not for the reason you’d think. He was serving a higher authority than even the Firelord. Zuko was actually fighting in defense.”

“Oh no,” I told him straight up, “I am not going to believe that my sister was the one at fault. I’ll kill both of you if either of you believe that.”
“Sokka,” Aang told me, “neither of them was at fault. Zuko didn’t know what he was doing, and neither did Katara. They were in some sort of trance. Your sister was unnaturally angry right before she died. It was as if some firebending spirit had taken her over as well.”
“How do you know all of this?” I asked, only getting more and more confused by all of this,
“it’s an Avatar thing,” he replied, “so, long story short: Zuko had no idea what he was doing, and he turned on Katara in a surprisingly playful manner. Katara took it playfully until Zuko made a remark that disclosed the truth of the situation. They fought almost unknowingly, and Katara died. Zuko then got into another fight, this time with Toph. Toph, can you recall any events during your fight?”

I paused. I tried recalling anything, but alas, I could not. “All I remember,” I told them, “is that I finished him off with a huge rock to the chest. I can remember nothing. I felt my feet. I didn’t even recall how they had gotten burnt.
“My theory has been proved,” said Aang, “they both were the victims of a higher power of some sort. How though, is still beyond me.”

I stopped. Aang knew a deadly amount of information on the subject, even though he had not been there. How was this? I had so many questions, and was so uneasy. For some reason, something drove me to sleep next to my sister’s corpse, so I did. To my utmost surprise, it felt so... inviting. I watched as Toph retreated to her spot of ground, and Aang went his own way. Any further thoughts on the subject would have to wait until tomorrow. I was asleep in seconds.

As I retired, I couldn’t help but think that there was a little more to Aang’s knowledge than just an avatar thing. However, the fact that I suddenly forgot how I killed Zuko disturbed me. It actually disturbed me so much that I fell asleep, awaiting tomorrow’s mysteries…

~Mai~

[Teяa253]

CHAPTER 4: MYSTERIES UNSOLVED
I woke up the next morning before either of the other two. Katara’s body was warm since I had been against it, and since it was the middle of summer, everything was warm anyways. Aang was still sleeping peacefully nestled in the warm fur of his bison, and Toph was a little farther off like she usually liked to be. A few feet from Katara’s remains were those of Zuko, who I still could not accept as a friend, dead or alive. It was only the will of Aang that kept me from cutting him up right now. I said there, not looking at the body of Zuko or my sister, but up at the pale red sunrise. It was a remarkable sight, and I only wished that Katara could see it. Oh, and Toph as well, since she had never seen a sunrise—or anything for that matter—in her entire life. It was roughly another half an hour before either of the other two woke up. Aang got up as if it were another day, with a seeming disregard for the bodies of Zuko and Katara, both of which were still motionless, despite everything. Somehow though, when I examined them in daylight, they looked different. They both had a serene expression on their faces and looked as if they were asleep. Of course, evidence around them could prove them wrong, but it gave me a hint of relief to view them as merely sleeping. I turned to Aang and asked him why he was so calm,
“Oh,” he said, his eyes still showing slight evidence that they had been recently glowing, “last night I was taken again to the spirit world. It was cool. I saw a mysterious fire Nation girl that said she could bring people back to life. She asked if I needed her services, and I said no. She then chanted a few words and suddenly, the bodies of Zuko and Katara were in front of her. Then she began ‘body-bending’ them, to use the term. She would move her arms, and they would repeat her movements. I took the hint, and then confessed that I needed her service. She told me to meet her in a city on the edge of the Fire Nation. Sokka, there my yet still be a way to revive your sister.”
“And,” I said, “Do you plan to bring along what’s left of Zuko too?”
Aang nodded. One thing I didn’t understand was that the three of us all referred to Zuko and Katara as “remains” or “what’s left”. However, externally, they were perfectly intact.
“Let’s wake up Toph,” said Aang, but I backed up.
“Waking up Toph,” I told him, “is like waking up a swarm of starving winged lemurs. She’ll go crazy on us.”
“Suit yourself,” said Aang in a tone that was not like him, “the longer we wait, the less of a chance they have of being saved.
These words seemed to hit me. I looked over at my sister, and then even over at Zuko. I began to feel sympathy for Zuko, as if something impressed me that he really was innocent. Nonetheless, I had to wake up Toph is what Aang was saying was true.

I had been having the most remarkable dream. I was in a world of color and light, and of exquisite detail. I didn’t know how to describe it. There was so much to locate, except that I didn’t need to locate things, because they were right in front of me. Perhaps this is what everyone else calls “seeing”. Whatever it was, it’s alright, but certainly not as exciting as everyone makes it out to be. Perhaps the most interesting part though was that I turned and ‘saw’ (as they cal it) an extremely bright light coming from an eclipse. Once I did, my eyes grew dark again and my world returned to normal. However, I was suddenly rudely interrupted by Sokka. The only reason I didn’t go spastic on him was because I had a little sympathy for him because he had lost his sister.
“What is it?” I asked, and he gave me the entire rundown of what Aang had said. Something about twinkle toes recently was making me wonder, but that was for another time.
“Does this mean we’re flying again?” I asked, and he nodded.
I was surprised at Toph’s response, “Good,” she said, “because truth be told, “my feet are killing me.” She paused, and massaged the burns on her feet. “Oh, and by the way, being blind isn’t too bad. You guys totally overrate eyesight.”
“What do you mean?” Sokka asked as he loaded their things and the remains of Zuko and Katara onto Appa’s back, “never mind,” I told him casually, and hoisted myself onto the beast’s back. Appa’s soft fur felt good against my ailing feet. I was next to Katara, and I knew that she still had her vessel of spirit water. I knew that with a little of that, it’d all be over, but for some reason, Katara’s body seemed like some sort of relic that I was forbidden to touch. Of course, I didn’t give squat about rules, but it was as if some supernatural force was preventing me from touching it. Oh well, I’m not a waterbender anyways.

Aang was unusually quiet, but we all were as of recently. There was no Zuko for us to talk to, nor was there a Katara for Toph to argue with. It was oddly quiet, with the exceptional grunts every so often from Appa. Aang was especially quiet. The last thing I had heard from him was his traditional “yip, yip!” directed towards Appa.
It was a while before we finally landed. We were outside of what looked like a huge Fire Nation city.
“Follow me,” said Aang mysteriously, his eyes flashing slightly, and we did. Toph was holding us back, so I volunteered to carry him. I didn’t tell her, but she blushed at my offer. I had other things on my mind though, so I kept quiet.
Aang led us to the town square, where I could see a vast crowd of people watching and applauding something.
“Do you want to see what’s going on up there?” Toph asked, and Aang and I said we did.

I jumped out of Sokka’s arms and then stomped the ground. It bended to my will, and a large number of people stumbled. I grinned, jumped suddenly back into Sokka’s arms as he carried me to the front of the crowd. I wasn’t sure exactly what they were seeing, but they seemed to be impressed by a young firebending prodigy who seemed to have a name other than Azula.
It was amazing. There was a Firebender, no older than 14, in front of us, performing incredible feats of firebending. She was like a cross between Ty Lee, Mai, and Azula. She had the ninja skills of Mai, the acrobatics of Ty Lee, and the firebending prowess of Azula.
“And now,” an announcer boomed from who-knows-where, “our hero, Lady Sanaki, will prove to her audience, that she is indeed blind, as she claims to be.
I gawked and dropped Toph. Ignoring her complaints, I looked at the girl in front of us. She had been performing intricate firebending moves with her hands, and then she had suddenly flipped over and began doing the same moves with her feet, which, like Toph’s, were bare. It wasn’t often that you saw a barefoot firebender, and prodigies were even rarer.
“Hmm,” the girl, obviously named Sanaki muttered, scanning the crowds. Her eyes passed over me, and they were a milky white, even more so than Toph’s were. She had her hand out, as if she was trying to firebend something, which she obviously wasn’t. I knew what firebending looked like—to an extent.

“You,” she said, pointing at me, “I challenge you to a duel.” I didn’t know that she was pointing at me until someone pushed me forward.
“Aren’t you the deluded one,” she snapped coolly at me, but I had a comeback for such a remark.
“I can tell you’re blind,” I replied, “since you can’t even tell that I too am blind!” I laughed, but obediently followed Sanaki into the square. I heard the announcer say that we would each be granted 10 minutes of preparation time before the duel. This was Sanaki’s request, and I was about to make fun of her for it. However, I stopped.
“You’re with the avatar, right?” she asked, and I didn’t respond.
“I take it as a yes.” She told me, “so anyways, here’s the plan: we duel. If you beat me, I’ll heal your friends—the firebender and the waterbender. If you lose, I get to keep whatever’s left of them.”
I had little regard for this, so I accepted. I don’t care who this ‘Sanaki’ is, but if she thinks she’s all that, she needs to be put into her place—below me at best. I laughed 10 minutes later as I stepped onto the battlefield.

~Mai

[Teяa253]

CHAPTER 5: THE DUEL UNSEEN
“Will the contenders please face each other?” I heard the announcer shout, but we couldn’t, since both of us were blind. I heard him come up from behind me and ask for my name and title.
“Fighting against our champion today,” he shouted, irritatingly close to my ear, “we have Toph Bei Fong, also known from the mighty Earth Kingdom as “The Blind Bandit”!!
Surprisingly, there were people as far as here that knew who I was. I was more famous than I thought.
“Are you ready to die, Blind bandit?” Sanaki leered,
“What do you call yourself?” I retorted, “The delusional blaze?”
This seemed to set her off, as she tried to pull a fast one on me. I heard the crowd gasp. Apparently, they were accustomed to seeing Sanaki pull these types of moves off. I shrugged it off and got into defensive stance. She fought much differently than Zuko. I did not want to give out any more information about myself than I had to. I hadn’t even told her that during the 10 minutes before the battle, I had run into a friendly waterbender who had healed my feet. It felt almost unnatural, but I thanked her for doing what she did as I had scampered into the field.
Sanaki came at me with swift slashes of flame. I was walling her off with masses of earth, which proved very effective. I sensed a weakness in her right arm, as if it had been broken recently, and wanted to exploit it.

I did not know what Toph and Sanaki had talked about behind the scenes, but I presumed it had something to do with Zuko and Katara, because their bodies were missing. I was standing next to Aang, and we both were watching the battle. Judging from the reactions of the crowd, this must have been one of them most impressive battles they had ever seen. Sanaki was attacking at a frantic speed, but was so calm you would think she did this everyday—which she probably did. Toph was casually blocking, pulling up defenses as fast as Sanaki attempted an offense.

I was doing well until Sanaki pulled a fast one that hit me near the hip. I faltered a little, and this was a huge mistake. She was literally whipping me with her flames now, and I was losing track of where she was. I was dying. There comes a time in every person’s life, no matter who they are, where they forget about themselves and think of others. This, to my surprise, was my time. I thought of Sokka and Katara. I even thought of Zuko. I had to win this for their sake. Even Aang came to mind. I came back to my senses and realized that I was lying on my side. I put my hand to the ground and felt that Sanaki was in front of me, only facing a little to the right. I pinpointed the weakness in her right forearm, and from nowhere, back flipped back into standing position, gaining about 9 feet of air from what the announcer said, and launched a rock I had grabbed with my foot directly at her. Sanaki was too busy laughing to notice until after the fact.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the announcer exclaimed, “the battle is not over! The Blind Bandit recovered, and took our champion Sanaki down!”
“No,” I heard Sanaki spit fiercely, “I will not lose!” she was mad, but, unlike Katara, this only fueled her ambition. She exploited my earth moves, turning them into lava.

“Toph, whatever you do,” I thought, “don’t die! You can’t.” I thought. I had confidence in Toph’s abilities, but this little 13-year-old firebender just seemed to be the ultimate prodigy that could bring Azula to shame. Toph was launching attacks at the rate of about 220 per minute—they both were that fast. Sanaki had shorter and weaker attacks, but she was doing about 253 pre minute according to my calculations. It was the fastest-paced battle I had ever seen. Then, things turned from bad to worse and Sanaki utilized some newly found lava. She formed a tidal wave that jumped her and was headed straight for Toph. Toph however, had something in mind I hadn’t thought of. Lava was simply melted earth, so Toph should be able to control it. Maybe it was like metalbending though, so maybe she couldn’t do it. To my gratitude and surprise, Toph proved me wrong. She counteracted it, and there was a massive wall of lava in front of them.

I used my earthbending skills to reduce the lava back to earth, and Sanaki seemed to catch what I was doing. Surprisingly, she did the same thing. She swooped by me in slow-motion, and whispered something to me.
“Fall down,” she told me, “trust me. I know what to do.”
As she swooped by me, she stuck out her foot, and I took the hint. I did a rolling flip over it, and purposely did not land it. I was down. Sanaki lorded over me a bit, which made me want to jump up and give her a backwards kick, but she had something else in mind. She bent over me and whispered something in my ear. Apparently, the crowd had no idea what she was doing, nor did they question it.
“You strike me after I stand back up. If you retaliate quickly, it’ll be called a draw. I don’t want to kill you. You’re, well... cool. We have a lot in common. So hit me and we’ll call this a draw. If you don’t, you my end up like my last 37 competitors: in the medic’s room for at least 3 weeks.”
I nodded in the slightest. She apparently got my drift somehow (I wouldn’t know; I can’t see either) and stood up.
“Sanaki is once again victorious!” the announcer shouted, “and it looks like the Blind Bandit is—back!?!” To my surprise, Toph flipped back up and knocked Sanaki down. The announcer paused.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” he shouted, “it’s a tie! Sanaki keeps her 38-0 streak. As for the blind bandit, I wouldn’t—k” he paused. Aang had stepped up to tell of Toph’s record.

“Folks,” he said, “The Blind Bandit is notorious for having a record similar to our Sanaki’s: 42-0. Therefore, these two undefeated champions will uphold their titles!” to my surprise, the crowd, Fire nation or not, was roaring in applause. Toph’s fame had just increased once again. I suddenly found myself stepping up to the arena, as if to give some kind of speech. Goodness knows what my subconscious mind was thinking.
“So,” I shouted, and surprisingly, the crowd faced me, “Who else thinks Toph and Sanaki should form a team?”
Surprisingly, the crowds all roared in applause and agreement.
“Folks,” said the announcer, “judging from the reactions of Toph Bei Fong and Sanaki Li Chang, they have decided to form an alliance. They now call themselves: “The Blind Warriors!”
“Seeing is overrated,” they chorused, laughing, and it was about an hour before the entire hubbub died down. Once it did, I had no clue where Toph had gone. She said she would be back though.

I was in an inner chamber with Sanaki, the waterbender, and the remains of Zuko and Katara. Sanaki told me that this might be painful, but that she’d see what she could do. She waved her arms over their remains, and then suddenly jabbed them both in the gut. A huge flash of light and an explosion sound told Sanaki that she had done her job. Seconds later, to my delight, were Zuko and Katara, revitalized.
“Be warned,” said Sanaki, “they have lost part of their minds. They will not remember how they died, and they may have forgotten their names. They will know a lot about their bending abilities though—more than they used to, and they will still remember you guys, but may have trouble with your names for a while too.”
“okay,” I muttered, curious to see if these effects would be negative. I had a bad feeling they would be, but hey, at least they were alive, right?”

As I was leaving, Toph caught up with me, followed by Zuko, Katara, Sanaki, and a strange waterbender.
“Do you mind if these 2 tag along?” Toph asked me, but I was speechless. From my understanding, everything was back to normal, and that was all that mattered. Any downsides to this matter could wait. Katara was back. Within a few minutes, we were flying again, this time with a few newcomers. What happened next though, was quite unexpected…

~Mai~

[Ilovethisshow]

ohh cliff hanger. i never fully realized until now how painful they are.

[Orophin]

Hey, I haven't posted on this thread yet!

I love all of these, as my posts in the individual threads show.

[Teяa253]

Alright... after a long, I repeat *long* hiatus, I finally release the next chapter of my 'epic saga': Avatar: Mysteries.

CHAPTER 6: SHE IS WANTED ALIVE
We landed in a nearby village again, and I was unsure of the reason. Of course, I never thought of too much when we were flying. The company of Sanaki and her waterbending friend was a little odd. I wanted to know the girl’s name, but neither she nor Sanaki would say anything. She was just known as “The Waterbender”. I turned to Sokka.

“Why did we land here?” she asked me, and I shrugged, I don’t know about you,” I whispered after I had taken Toph a few feet away from the others, “But Aang’s been acting real off, haven’t you noticed?”
“A little,” she replied, but I’m suddenly gaining awareness that there is something else behind all of this that knows all about it.”
“So,” said a voice behind me that made me jump, “You feel it too, Toph?” I turned around and saw that it was Sanaki. How she had gotten right behind me without me noticing was still on my mind.
“Yeah,” I heard Toph said to Sanaki, “I can feel it. Have you noticed how weird Aang has been acting?”
“Maybe I would,” Sanaki replied, “but I just barely met him. From his aura though, I can tell that he’s a bright, cheery person. He did seem acting a little mysterious, but maybe it was just his humorous side kicking in.”
Suddenly though, we were all interrupted. Coming towards us were a large group of fire nation soldiers. Of course, we were in the fire nation, so this was no surprise, but still, did they know us? They were actually calling out for someone named “the swindler”. Aang and the waterbender were too far away to hear us, so we had to fight.

“You’ll never take me!” Sanaki shouted, flaring up her arms. I was mad that we had brought her with us, for she had just gotten us all in trouble. I brought up my defenses, but I soon regretted this. A fire nation soldier blasted through it, stunning me. I assumed that they had taken Sokka already.
“Hey you guys,” one of the soldiers said, “it looks like we also found “the runaway”. We just got 2 for the price of 1!”
I heard some of the others laugh, and I could sense that there would be trouble. I wondered if Sokka would help us.

It pained me to see them take Toph, but they were threatening to kill me if I didn’t share what info I knew about them. I had to lie to spare my neck. After all, Toph and Sanaki weren’t going to be killed—or, that’s what I heard them say to themselves.
“How long have you been hiding these two?” they asked me,
“Actually, we picked one of them up from a town a few miles east of here.” I replied, “As for the other one, we found that she was a stowaway. “Toph was the stowaway, and Sanaki conned us into taking her with us.” I suddenly gasped. I had just divulged their names.
“So,” said a soldier, “Bei Fong and Li Chan, eh? That’s all we need to know. The Fire Nation is proud of you, son.”
“Hey!” I heard Sanaki shout, “I’m from the fire nation too, you idiots!”
“Shut up!” I heard a soldier shout, and heard the sound of a fist knocking the wind out of a young girl. I noticed it had been Sanaki. I had no choice but to watch them take Toph and Sanaki away. Suddenly, though, my thoughts changed. I heard a pair of strange voices—one male, and the other female—coming closer.
“Must... obey... orders...” they said, and suddenly, I saw Zuko and Katara appear. They attacked the fire nation soldiers with bending skills that made my jaw drop. They were really good. Sanaki had been right about their bending skills increasing. However, since I was still bound, I couldn’t help them. My hand started inching towards my boomerang, for it was only a few feet in front of me. I was in sitting position, and if I could get my boomerang, I could use it to slice my ropes and get at them. However, the fight ended before I could get it. Zuko and Katara were unconscious, but there were many enemies on the ground in front of them, dead. I broke free and dashed after the soldiers. I was spying on them from rooftops and other such things, being surprisingly quiet. I saw them stop near a harbor, where they unloaded two small crates. One was made of thick, airtight wood, and the other was made of watertight metal. I saw them pick up Toph, who was struggling violently.

They lifted me over some wooden crate, and then jammed me down into it. These crates were no more than 3 feet long, wide, or tall, so I was obviously cramped in there. They sealed the lid, but I still continued banging on the crate.

After I sensed that Toph had been jammed into a crate, I fought with more vigor than I ever had, and began firebending as much as possible. However, they were able to divert each and every attack I launched, and my attempts failed. They all took a shot at me with their fists before jamming me into the crate. Inside it was pitch-dark. There was no access to the sun from here, so firebending became impossible. I screamed, and was thrown a little inside my crate. I guess they deemed it fun to rattle me around a little bit before leaving. I really hoped that Sokka would be able to find us and free us.

Now, I would have gone over and fought them, but I knew better. I was going to follow them and bust them out once I got there. I knew that although I was skilled, I didn’t stand a chance when there were 30 fire nation soldiers against 1 of me. I returned to where Aang and Appa were, but only found the waterbender. She said nothing. I tried to get her to speak, but she said nothing. Aang finally returned with Zuko and Katara, who were conscious again. He looked battered, but I told him the whole story anyways of what had happened.
“Well,” said Aang, “I would help you, but I have to keep these two under control. They nearly killed me back there. I had to go into the avatar state to keep myself alive.”
“No Aang,” I said, “that waterbender can take care of them. Trust me. I need you for this.” My look apparently was serious enough that Aang smiled and followed me. I was able to catch the trail of the fire nation soldiers that had taken Toph and Sanaki, and found that they led towards a beach. The ocean was now in view. I saw the two small crates on a small boat about 303 feet off the coast according to my calculations. There, I realized that we would need to follow them.
“Aang,” I said, “can you swim fast—as in waterbend us to follow them?”
Aang simply nodded and grinned. “Let’s go, Sokka,” he said, and as the boat sped off, we were right behind it in full pursuit.

The conditions inside the crate were terrible. It was very hard to breathe in here, and I felt like I was going to suffocate. However, it seemed that they would open the crate just enough to let some oxygen in before locking it again. They wanted us alive for some reason.

I knew that Toph had it bad, but my conditions were even worse. A firebender needs more oxygen than an earthbender, and I knew that I was going to suffocate in here. I actually almost hoped I would. However, they seemed to know just the right moment to let in some new air before slamming it shut. I was so exhausted and beaten that I never had enough time to launch any attacks at them.
Suddenly, there was a rumble from what felt like miles below. Something was in the water.

Aang and I stopped. In front of us, floating on an iceberg was a girl dressed like an earthbender. She had hair like Sanaki’s only more bushy, and her eyes weren’t faded. She was not blind. She wore a mysterious grin on her face and started at us.
“So,” she said, “you want to rescue Toph Bei Fong and Sanaki Li Chan?”
I nodded instinctively, and then asked her name.
“Trust me,” she said mysteriously, “you’ll remember my name. It’s Tera. So, if you want to follow your friends then take my hand and follow me...”
I paused. Who was this ‘Tera’ figure and what was an earthbender like her doing floating in the water like that? I would soon find out...

~Mai~

[Orophin]

Ooh, the suprise appearance of Tera!

After the long hiatus we have finally had another installment.

Now I know why you called it Avatar: Mysteries, it is very mysterious and intriging!

Hoorah for the return of Avatar: Mysteries!

Or three cheers, or a party.

Anyway, I am happy the series has returned, and can't wait for the next one!

(Figure of speech, of course I can wait)

[justafan]

Another guest new person, wow, hope this fight is as good as the fight clubs

[Ilovethisshow]

wow that was intruging. the surprise of tera. we finaly find out who she is.

[Orophin]

Well, he started with this series, and it had some very violent fights, which is why he decided to make Fight Club.

[Teяa253]

Yeah, I'm going to break tradition with this one and actually make posts that are not just storyline.
Sorry if this causes any inconvenience.
Anyways, if you thought Tera was weird, wait until you see what she does in the next chapter...
~Azula~

[Orophin]

Well, we'll have to wait, wont we?

Can't wait for the mystery to reveal itself.