Post by Teяa253 on Oct 16, 2008 4:37:41 GMT 1
the 6th installment of "When Power is a Weakness."
this chapter makes the entire storyline take a rather nasty turn... probably even more so than chapter 4.
THE LONE FIRE GIRL
The days after these events became happier for both siblings. Katara gained more and more control, even to the point where Sokka assumed she would be able to remove the braces she wore that covered her hands and forearms except her fingertips. For so long Katara had wanted to be able to know that she didn’t have to wear them. However, when she took them off, she felt different. She was barefoot again, but otherwise dressed.
“I,” she exclaimed, “I feel like I’m missing something. I feel so... so...”
“Are you okay, Katara?” Sokka asked her,
“I feel okay,” she said, “but the urge to incessantly firebend is so much greater. I mean, look at this.”
Katara stood up and made huge, dangerous flames appear on her arms where her braces usually covered. However, the more she looked at them, the more frightened she became. Sokka chuckled, thinking she was doing this on purpose. However, when she spoke, he knew it was trouble, as he detected the panic in her voice.
“Sokka, stop me,” she yelled, and she was breathing quickly. However by now the flames were large enough that it was impossible to really approach her. Katara was firing them at the ground, just yelling for it to stop. She was straining and trying to fight against her power. Sokka began using waterbending towards her hands to try and stop her. Katara was screaming in pain, fear, and frustration. When Sokka finished subduing the flames, Katara flung her self backwards, landing on her back. She was looking at her hands.
“I,” she sniffed, “I’m still dangerous.”
“Katara,” said Sokka, helping her put her arm braces back on, “you just don’t have perfect control. I think if you keep these on you should be fine. You have managed very well with them, and, to be honest, you make them look good.”
“I... I just wanted to make daddy proud,” Katara sniffed, “he didn’t have to wear these. He never had to worry about it.”
“Dad didn’t have so much power that it could possibly kill him” Sokka replied, “Katara, you two are very different firebenders. You do know what these clothes of yours are modeled after, don’t you?”
“I don’t know,” Katara shrugged,
“They’re similar to the ones dad wore,” Sokka replied, “except these,” he put his arm around Katara’s forearm, following it from her elbow to her fingertips. Anything in between these was covered by her gloves or arm braces. “These were moms,” he said,
“Where is mommy anyways,” Katara asked; she might have been 15, but she called her parents “mommy” and “daddy” all the time.
“I don’t know,” said Sokka, and then he suddenly remembered something. He had enlisted in the military and was serving them, and that was where he got his money to support him and his sister. Now though, he was about to be deployed with a squadron of waterbenders. It would be the next day. Sokka smacked his forehead, angry that he hadn’t told his poor sister earlier. He knew she would be upset.
“Katara,” he said, “There... there’s something I need to tell you.”
“w-what is it,” Katara asked. She looked worried. Sokka told him his situation, and just as he expected, Katara did not take it well.
“How can you do this,” she exclaimed, tears running down her face, “please, Sokka, please—don’t leave me by myself. You’re the only thing that keeps me going. Please Sokka... don’t do this to me!”
“I’m so sorry, Katara,” he said, embracing her, “I wish there was another way. I promise I’ll come back alive—and I’ll be bringing mom with me.”
“No,” said Katara, tears still running down her face; she was bawling.
“Please don’t... first daddy, then mommy, and now you? Please, Sokka, please. PLEASE DON’T DO THIS TO ME!”
“Katara, listen to me,” said Sokka, “I promise, with the love of a caring brother for his distressed sister; I promise that I will come out of this okay. Please don’t try to end your life, Katara. You’re still just a young girl. I’m so sorry for everything you’ve had to go through. I’ve been here fore you, and now I’m forced to be ripped from you. It hurts me too, Katara; it hurts me too.”
“Why can’t I just go with you,” Katara bawled,
“Because,” said Sokka, “you’re only 15, Katara. You’re too young.”
Katara had no response.
“I HATE MY LIFE.” She said angrily, “what is there to live for?”
“Katara,” said Sokka, running his fingers through her hair—you have had a very hard life. I can sympathize with you for most of it. Don’t try to kill yourself. Would daddy want his daughter to do that?”
Katara sniffled. She knew the answer,
“No,” she sniffed, “no he wouldn’t.
“Well Katara,” he said, “you’re very pretty. One day, you’ll find a man who loves and cares about you just as much as I do, and you two will start a family—carry on your father’s heritage.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, and embraced him. “I love you Sokka,”
“I love you too, Katara,” he replied, still rubbing her hair. Katara fell asleep in that position. Her obvious lack of energy from her bending moments had obviously worn her down. Sokka removed her boots and laid her on her bed, and went to sleep himself.
The next morning, Sokka woke up early and prepared for departure. Katara was still asleep.
“Goodbye, Katara,” he whispered sadly, “I’m going to miss you just as much as you’re going to miss me. I’m so sorry for all of this.”
He kissed her forehead and then was gone. Katara didn’t stir, but she smiled in her sleep. Sokka would have left a note or something for her, but Katara was illiterate. Her parents had never sent her to school because of her emotions. Nonetheless, Sokka was literate for he did not have the same problems as his sister.
Katara woke up and was for a long time alone. Sokka used to write things a lot, especially as of recently with his military activity. He had obviously left most of his possessions behind, and when Katara found them, she decided to bide her time by drawing. She didn’t leave the house very much except to firebend, and that and drawing became her two favorite pastimes. As time passed, Katara became very skilled at drawing, and her “works” could be found all over the floor of the house.
She would draw whatever came to her mind, which were often images of random people doing various bending moves. She also drew pictures of what she remembered her father to look like—these were the most common ones. Katara ended up developing a talent for this, and whenever she wasn’t firebending she was drawing something. When she was alone, she had set her mind on gaining control. She wanted daddy to be able to look down and smile—that was her drive.
One evening Katara had an unusual dream—she dreamed that she was reunited with her family. Her mother and father looked slightly different than she had remembered them, but she knew who they were. When she woke up the next morning, she kept them in her mind the entire day as she went out back to her arena to practice.
After an exhausting round of nearly killing herself with a lightning bolt, Katara came in exhausted, kicked off her boots and sat down. She picked up an old drawing that she had done. It depicted a young girl firebending, and there was a man’s face in the sky looking down and smiling.
“Daddy,” she whispered, and then she had another idea. She grabbed whatever was closest to her and began drawing. At first glance it looked like she was frantically scribbling, but she knew what she was drawing now. The image became clearer and clearer, Katara’s nose almost touching the paper. She had it fixed in her mind all day, and now she was finally expressing it.
Once she finished, she looked down at it. It was an image of four people: a young woman with long, ragged, and impossibly curly hair, a taller young man next to her with thick hair that was not quite as messy as the girl’s; and two adults. The young man was standing next to a woman who had long ragged hair as well, but the young woman’s was “worse”. She had a hand on the young man’s shoulder. Next to the woman and behind the young woman was a man with long, sleek hair. He had his hand on the young woman’s shoulder.
Katara had drawn a family portrait based off of what she remembered from her dream. The woman was Katara Altina I, her mother. She and Sokka had had a close bond, and the young man whose shoulder she had her hand on was Sokka. The young woman was Katara Altina II—Katara. The man behind her was Zuko, her father. Katara had always been a daddy’s girl. Everyone in the image was smiling—it seemed almost lifelike. Over the months Katara had become very skilled at drawing, and so her image was remarkably accurate.
She looked at it, mainly her father, for a very long time. Eventually she turned and looked at the woman—her mother, and then her brother. Tears formed in her eyes, but she wasn’t crying. Katara wanted to see her family again. Right then and there she made up her mind that that was what she was going to do. She was going to travel the world, hunting for her mother and her brother. She kept that drawing with her. She grabbed whatever food they had left, (and some drawing supplies) and stuck them in a small bag. Since she really didn’t have any other possessions, she simply put her boots back on, closed the door and went out into the world. She was going to find her family.
Katara was never really a high-maintenance person when it came to material possessions. She was capable of sleeping comfortably anywhere, and only ate if and when she needed to, and was not picky about what she got. Considering that her family had always been on the poor side, she never required much. They were not in extreme poverty—they had had enough to satisfy their daily needs, they just never were extravagant in what they had. Katara was pretty sure that neither Sokka nor her mother was in the town she was in at the moment, so she started north towards the next town. She kept a straight path, and made her way there. She was alone—she took the way less traveled. The only one on the road at the time was a lone firebender girl clad in red named Katara Altina II.
She kept walking until she reached the next town. She had stopped occasionally to let some excess energy out, but other than that she kept a steady pace and a straight path. By the time she got there evening had fallen. Katara, not having any money, just found an alleyway with some huge crates. She turned one sideways with the opening towards the wall of whatever building it was, and then curled up inside it. She removed her bag from her back and her boots from her feet, and stretched her legs. She was tired, and the coolness of the night felt good against her bare feet. Being used to less than satisfactory conditions, she fell asleep with almost no difficulty.
That night Katara had trouble sleeping because of a dream she had. She dreamed that she had gone in to see the same physician that she had seen earlier in her life who had diagnosed her with her excessive chi flow problem. There was one statement that stood out in her mind.
“If there is ever another comet during this girl’s life, she will almost certainly die from its effects.” It seemed real though because in her dream she was 15, (which was how old she was now) and alone. To make matters worse, she actually heard news that there was indeed a comet coming, and it was a very powerful one, headed past them in about a month’s time. When Katara first heard this, she was worried, but then she had that realization—this was a dream.
“What’s wrong,” said the man she was talking to “you were just worried sick about this a moment ago.”
“This is just a dream,” Katara said calmly,
The man reached over and pinched her cheek.
“Dream,” he exclaimed, “young lady, welcome to the city life. This is no dream, and that comet is real.”
Katara was mortified. She had less than a month left to live.
~Katara~
this chapter makes the entire storyline take a rather nasty turn... probably even more so than chapter 4.
THE LONE FIRE GIRL
The days after these events became happier for both siblings. Katara gained more and more control, even to the point where Sokka assumed she would be able to remove the braces she wore that covered her hands and forearms except her fingertips. For so long Katara had wanted to be able to know that she didn’t have to wear them. However, when she took them off, she felt different. She was barefoot again, but otherwise dressed.
“I,” she exclaimed, “I feel like I’m missing something. I feel so... so...”
“Are you okay, Katara?” Sokka asked her,
“I feel okay,” she said, “but the urge to incessantly firebend is so much greater. I mean, look at this.”
Katara stood up and made huge, dangerous flames appear on her arms where her braces usually covered. However, the more she looked at them, the more frightened she became. Sokka chuckled, thinking she was doing this on purpose. However, when she spoke, he knew it was trouble, as he detected the panic in her voice.
“Sokka, stop me,” she yelled, and she was breathing quickly. However by now the flames were large enough that it was impossible to really approach her. Katara was firing them at the ground, just yelling for it to stop. She was straining and trying to fight against her power. Sokka began using waterbending towards her hands to try and stop her. Katara was screaming in pain, fear, and frustration. When Sokka finished subduing the flames, Katara flung her self backwards, landing on her back. She was looking at her hands.
“I,” she sniffed, “I’m still dangerous.”
“Katara,” said Sokka, helping her put her arm braces back on, “you just don’t have perfect control. I think if you keep these on you should be fine. You have managed very well with them, and, to be honest, you make them look good.”
“I... I just wanted to make daddy proud,” Katara sniffed, “he didn’t have to wear these. He never had to worry about it.”
“Dad didn’t have so much power that it could possibly kill him” Sokka replied, “Katara, you two are very different firebenders. You do know what these clothes of yours are modeled after, don’t you?”
“I don’t know,” Katara shrugged,
“They’re similar to the ones dad wore,” Sokka replied, “except these,” he put his arm around Katara’s forearm, following it from her elbow to her fingertips. Anything in between these was covered by her gloves or arm braces. “These were moms,” he said,
“Where is mommy anyways,” Katara asked; she might have been 15, but she called her parents “mommy” and “daddy” all the time.
“I don’t know,” said Sokka, and then he suddenly remembered something. He had enlisted in the military and was serving them, and that was where he got his money to support him and his sister. Now though, he was about to be deployed with a squadron of waterbenders. It would be the next day. Sokka smacked his forehead, angry that he hadn’t told his poor sister earlier. He knew she would be upset.
“Katara,” he said, “There... there’s something I need to tell you.”
“w-what is it,” Katara asked. She looked worried. Sokka told him his situation, and just as he expected, Katara did not take it well.
“How can you do this,” she exclaimed, tears running down her face, “please, Sokka, please—don’t leave me by myself. You’re the only thing that keeps me going. Please Sokka... don’t do this to me!”
“I’m so sorry, Katara,” he said, embracing her, “I wish there was another way. I promise I’ll come back alive—and I’ll be bringing mom with me.”
“No,” said Katara, tears still running down her face; she was bawling.
“Please don’t... first daddy, then mommy, and now you? Please, Sokka, please. PLEASE DON’T DO THIS TO ME!”
“Katara, listen to me,” said Sokka, “I promise, with the love of a caring brother for his distressed sister; I promise that I will come out of this okay. Please don’t try to end your life, Katara. You’re still just a young girl. I’m so sorry for everything you’ve had to go through. I’ve been here fore you, and now I’m forced to be ripped from you. It hurts me too, Katara; it hurts me too.”
“Why can’t I just go with you,” Katara bawled,
“Because,” said Sokka, “you’re only 15, Katara. You’re too young.”
Katara had no response.
“I HATE MY LIFE.” She said angrily, “what is there to live for?”
“Katara,” said Sokka, running his fingers through her hair—you have had a very hard life. I can sympathize with you for most of it. Don’t try to kill yourself. Would daddy want his daughter to do that?”
Katara sniffled. She knew the answer,
“No,” she sniffed, “no he wouldn’t.
“Well Katara,” he said, “you’re very pretty. One day, you’ll find a man who loves and cares about you just as much as I do, and you two will start a family—carry on your father’s heritage.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, and embraced him. “I love you Sokka,”
“I love you too, Katara,” he replied, still rubbing her hair. Katara fell asleep in that position. Her obvious lack of energy from her bending moments had obviously worn her down. Sokka removed her boots and laid her on her bed, and went to sleep himself.
The next morning, Sokka woke up early and prepared for departure. Katara was still asleep.
“Goodbye, Katara,” he whispered sadly, “I’m going to miss you just as much as you’re going to miss me. I’m so sorry for all of this.”
He kissed her forehead and then was gone. Katara didn’t stir, but she smiled in her sleep. Sokka would have left a note or something for her, but Katara was illiterate. Her parents had never sent her to school because of her emotions. Nonetheless, Sokka was literate for he did not have the same problems as his sister.
Katara woke up and was for a long time alone. Sokka used to write things a lot, especially as of recently with his military activity. He had obviously left most of his possessions behind, and when Katara found them, she decided to bide her time by drawing. She didn’t leave the house very much except to firebend, and that and drawing became her two favorite pastimes. As time passed, Katara became very skilled at drawing, and her “works” could be found all over the floor of the house.
She would draw whatever came to her mind, which were often images of random people doing various bending moves. She also drew pictures of what she remembered her father to look like—these were the most common ones. Katara ended up developing a talent for this, and whenever she wasn’t firebending she was drawing something. When she was alone, she had set her mind on gaining control. She wanted daddy to be able to look down and smile—that was her drive.
One evening Katara had an unusual dream—she dreamed that she was reunited with her family. Her mother and father looked slightly different than she had remembered them, but she knew who they were. When she woke up the next morning, she kept them in her mind the entire day as she went out back to her arena to practice.
After an exhausting round of nearly killing herself with a lightning bolt, Katara came in exhausted, kicked off her boots and sat down. She picked up an old drawing that she had done. It depicted a young girl firebending, and there was a man’s face in the sky looking down and smiling.
“Daddy,” she whispered, and then she had another idea. She grabbed whatever was closest to her and began drawing. At first glance it looked like she was frantically scribbling, but she knew what she was drawing now. The image became clearer and clearer, Katara’s nose almost touching the paper. She had it fixed in her mind all day, and now she was finally expressing it.
Once she finished, she looked down at it. It was an image of four people: a young woman with long, ragged, and impossibly curly hair, a taller young man next to her with thick hair that was not quite as messy as the girl’s; and two adults. The young man was standing next to a woman who had long ragged hair as well, but the young woman’s was “worse”. She had a hand on the young man’s shoulder. Next to the woman and behind the young woman was a man with long, sleek hair. He had his hand on the young woman’s shoulder.
Katara had drawn a family portrait based off of what she remembered from her dream. The woman was Katara Altina I, her mother. She and Sokka had had a close bond, and the young man whose shoulder she had her hand on was Sokka. The young woman was Katara Altina II—Katara. The man behind her was Zuko, her father. Katara had always been a daddy’s girl. Everyone in the image was smiling—it seemed almost lifelike. Over the months Katara had become very skilled at drawing, and so her image was remarkably accurate.
She looked at it, mainly her father, for a very long time. Eventually she turned and looked at the woman—her mother, and then her brother. Tears formed in her eyes, but she wasn’t crying. Katara wanted to see her family again. Right then and there she made up her mind that that was what she was going to do. She was going to travel the world, hunting for her mother and her brother. She kept that drawing with her. She grabbed whatever food they had left, (and some drawing supplies) and stuck them in a small bag. Since she really didn’t have any other possessions, she simply put her boots back on, closed the door and went out into the world. She was going to find her family.
Katara was never really a high-maintenance person when it came to material possessions. She was capable of sleeping comfortably anywhere, and only ate if and when she needed to, and was not picky about what she got. Considering that her family had always been on the poor side, she never required much. They were not in extreme poverty—they had had enough to satisfy their daily needs, they just never were extravagant in what they had. Katara was pretty sure that neither Sokka nor her mother was in the town she was in at the moment, so she started north towards the next town. She kept a straight path, and made her way there. She was alone—she took the way less traveled. The only one on the road at the time was a lone firebender girl clad in red named Katara Altina II.
She kept walking until she reached the next town. She had stopped occasionally to let some excess energy out, but other than that she kept a steady pace and a straight path. By the time she got there evening had fallen. Katara, not having any money, just found an alleyway with some huge crates. She turned one sideways with the opening towards the wall of whatever building it was, and then curled up inside it. She removed her bag from her back and her boots from her feet, and stretched her legs. She was tired, and the coolness of the night felt good against her bare feet. Being used to less than satisfactory conditions, she fell asleep with almost no difficulty.
That night Katara had trouble sleeping because of a dream she had. She dreamed that she had gone in to see the same physician that she had seen earlier in her life who had diagnosed her with her excessive chi flow problem. There was one statement that stood out in her mind.
“If there is ever another comet during this girl’s life, she will almost certainly die from its effects.” It seemed real though because in her dream she was 15, (which was how old she was now) and alone. To make matters worse, she actually heard news that there was indeed a comet coming, and it was a very powerful one, headed past them in about a month’s time. When Katara first heard this, she was worried, but then she had that realization—this was a dream.
“What’s wrong,” said the man she was talking to “you were just worried sick about this a moment ago.”
“This is just a dream,” Katara said calmly,
The man reached over and pinched her cheek.
“Dream,” he exclaimed, “young lady, welcome to the city life. This is no dream, and that comet is real.”
Katara was mortified. She had less than a month left to live.
~Katara~
