Post by Teяa253 on Apr 8, 2009 5:12:46 GMT 1
the 71st installment of "The Order of the Avatar Slayer".
finally, I'm getting back into the groove of things.
anyhoot, this chapter deals with Ayumi and Katara, and Ayumi seems to be stressing about something. what exactly is it? who knows? [besides me].
so...
CHAPTER 71: THE TROUBLES OF AYUMI
Katara was back in the Fire Nation Palace again. Orzon, glad that his wife was okay, left Katara for Ayumi to talk with. Incidentally, Ayumi was nowhere near as harsh to her as she was when they first met. When Ayumi was imprisoned, her favorite person to talk to had been Katara, and so although Katara was chained down with her arms and legs spread out [her legs not quite as much], the two of them were talking like they were friends.
“So what exactly do you want with me,” Katara asked, “I mean; I’m done fighting in this war. There is nothing you can do to convince me otherwise. Kill me; try to take my family; there’s nothing.”
“If it was me, I’d go for your family, girl,” Ayumi smirked, “and we both know that. However, I assume that the group they travel with would see them as bait for you, and so they would likely be protected well; not something I’m keen on trying at the moment.”
“Smart tactic,” Katara replied, “you do seem to have Sanaki Li Chan’s brilliant mind. I’d admire that if I were your friend.”
“Friend,” Ayumi replied, “and what says we’re not? We certainly got acquainted at The Order’s old central base.”
“But how does that constitute us being friends, especially after you tore me apart again from my family, who I still haven’t properly talked to?” Katara refuted, “It’s who I live for. You were the only other person besides my brother and a young man I once met who actually understood that. It’s the reason why I did not make an effort to kill you when I saw you returning to the walls.”
“Or was it because your power faltered,” Ayumi asked “tell me; tell me everything; this could be interesting.”
Katara seemed deep in thought.
“Perhaps it is the upcoming comet,” she remarked, “the same one that was foretold to be my death/ no wonder I feel so uncomfortable. Is it hot in here or is it just me?”
“It’s just you,” Ayumi replied truthfully, “look at what I’m wearing. Trust me; these robes get really stuffy when it’s hot. It’s you, girl.”
“Guuhh,” Katara groaned, “and so I presume you exploited that,”
“Aye, of course,” Ayumi replied, “but I don’t blame you for it; you’re just a 15-year-old girl. Though I must admit—the whole stunt with The Warrior of the Black Hand was absolutely incredible. I want to know how you did it—how you’ve even faced your family without shaking at all; how you were able to control your power so well.”
“It’s called life dedication, Lady Ayumi,” Katara replied, shifting so she could see her; the only part of her body she could move was her head. “I want this war to be over. All my life I get people stalking me because of my power, which I don’t even want. They want me for the war.”
“Who wouldn’t want you for the war,” Ayumi exclaimed, “you are the single most powerful bender in the world. You oust even the Avatar, and easily oust many of us even DURING a comet.”
“But raw power alone does not constitute skill,” Katara replied, “surely you know that though, correct?”
“Aye,” Ayumi replied, “which was why we trained you the way we did. It was fiercely disciplined for that very reason.”
“Aye,” Katara hissed, “I noticed that. Thanks for reminding me of how you kept trying to KILL ME, woman.”
“Ha,” Ayumi laughed, “me, try to kill you;”
“Aye,” Katara replied again, still looking angry, “surely a 15-year-old girl is no match for the Fire Lady.”
“That was what I thought,” said Ayumi, “but you aren’t an everyday 15-year-old girl. Your power is obscene.”
“I agree,” Katara said, “if the story about an avatar removing someone’s bending is true, I’m going to have a word with Avatar Zakura before anything happens to her. I want her to remove my power.”
“Ah, the old legend,” Ayumi said, smiling, “do you realize how much energy it took to remove that Fire Lord’s power?”
“Aye,” Katara remarked, “but that avatar was just a kid. Zakura is actually a fully-realized avatar.
“Do you realize that you have at least 4 times as much bending energy as that man, even when he was enhanced by that power?”
“F-four t-t-times;” Katara gawked, her eyes popping open; her breathing suddenly became sharp and she looked worried, “and that was WITH the enhanced powers?”
Ayumi nodded. She seemed somber about it.
“You’re lying!” she roared angrily, but Ayumi was unfazed.
“Come, come,” said Ayumi, standing up and unchaining Katara. She helped her onto her feet and led her into another room. Katara was still hot and sweaty, but that was only from her energy building up.
“Katara,” said Ayumi, “there have been various experiences in my life as of recent that have changed my opinions about you. Do you know why I had Orzon bring you here?”
Katara shook her head.
“Well, it was not to brainwash you,” Ayumi replied, “his goal by doing that was to ensure that you would not want to kill him.”
“Then it worked,” Katara shrugged, “I just don’t see a reason to kill him.”
“You were brought here on my request,” Ayumi replied, “I want you to be able to live. My reasons are my own, but that also means that I want your family to live. I know enough about you, Katara Altina II.”
“You want me to try and use me,” Katara said, “everyone is like that. They only want me because of my power. It just gives me another reason to want to get rid of it.”
“Like I said,” Said Ayumi, “I am not going to give my reasons, for you would not believe me even if I did. What I am going to do is get you all away from here. We don’t need you all meddling in our affairs any longer. Before you go though, I would like to ask you one thing.”
“Shoot,” said Katara bluntly,
“How DID you pull off that Dark Warrior scheme,” she asked,
“I already said,” Katara replied straightforwardly, “determination. If I didn’t have all these people on my back trying to recruit me for the war, I’d probably care a little more about controlling my power. Right now though, I just want my family to know that I’m safe, that I’m going to die when the comet passes, and that then all will be well.”
“Would I have really gone through all this trouble just to let y—” Ayumi started to say, but then immediately stopped.
“Eh,” Katara smirked, knowing what Ayumi was going to say next;
“Nothing,” she snapped, just like Katara predicted, “you may leave now.”
“No, no,” said Katara, her grin widening, “I’ve got a few minutes before I need to let my energy loose. Tell me what you were going to say.”
“I said too much,” Ayumi replied flatly. You will not get another word out of me, regardless of what you do.”
“Not even if I decide to set your robes on fire again?” Katara laughed, and, like it did with Tenoko, Ayumi turned red, looking flustered.
“I have others,” Ayumi replied stiffly, “just leave; now.”
“Alright then,” Katara chuckled, and she eventually left the palace. Apparently the Royal Guards had been instructed not to harm her, as they let her out without any difficulty whatsoever.
Back inside, Ayumi looked worried. Orzon noticed.
“Is everything alright, Ayumi?”
“Aye,” Ayumi lied, “I... I just need to lie down.”
“Is there anything I can do?” he asked her, taking her hand,
“I... can you lie down next to me;” Ayumi asked, “Just until I fall asleep. I just have a lot on my mind right now.”
“Gladly,” Orzon replied, squeezing Ayumi’s soft hand in his own; they went up to their room, where Ayumi just threw herself onto her bed, fully dressed. She didn’t move after that. Orzon lay down behind her and gently ran his fingers through her long, silky black hair. When Ayumi stood, it went down to her knees, which meant that it was about 4 feet in length.
Ayumi closed her eyes, trying to clear her troubled mind. She could not and would not say what the matter was, but assumed that she would be able to shake it off with sleep. Was the comet affecting her as well?
She didn’t think so, as she did not feel energy surging through her like Katara had [though she wouldn’t recognize it even if she did], nor was her body temperature any higher than normal.
Eventually however, Ayumi fell asleep, but even sleeping her face looked troubled. This upset Orzon, who did not like seeing his wife unhappy. Nonetheless, she was asleep, and he had things that he had to attend to, [and she said she wanted to sleep] so he left her there, though she was on his mind as he went about his business [mostly just Order-related things and such—nothing out of the ordinary].
He returned a few hours later to find Ayumi still asleep, but she was tossing and turning uncomfortably. Sometime between the time he had left and returned, Ayumi had covered herself, but she was still fully dressed; headpiece, shoes and all. Right now though, the only thing Orzon was concerned about was the well-being of Ayumi, and the look on her face indicated that she was dealing with a lot of stress.
He didn’t want to wake her up, but did plan to get the information he wanted out of her, for it was also weighing down on his mind. It was natural for Orzon, her husband, to be concerned about her problems—The Troubles of Ayumi.
~Azula~
finally, I'm getting back into the groove of things.
anyhoot, this chapter deals with Ayumi and Katara, and Ayumi seems to be stressing about something. what exactly is it? who knows? [besides me].
so...
CHAPTER 71: THE TROUBLES OF AYUMI
Katara was back in the Fire Nation Palace again. Orzon, glad that his wife was okay, left Katara for Ayumi to talk with. Incidentally, Ayumi was nowhere near as harsh to her as she was when they first met. When Ayumi was imprisoned, her favorite person to talk to had been Katara, and so although Katara was chained down with her arms and legs spread out [her legs not quite as much], the two of them were talking like they were friends.
“So what exactly do you want with me,” Katara asked, “I mean; I’m done fighting in this war. There is nothing you can do to convince me otherwise. Kill me; try to take my family; there’s nothing.”
“If it was me, I’d go for your family, girl,” Ayumi smirked, “and we both know that. However, I assume that the group they travel with would see them as bait for you, and so they would likely be protected well; not something I’m keen on trying at the moment.”
“Smart tactic,” Katara replied, “you do seem to have Sanaki Li Chan’s brilliant mind. I’d admire that if I were your friend.”
“Friend,” Ayumi replied, “and what says we’re not? We certainly got acquainted at The Order’s old central base.”
“But how does that constitute us being friends, especially after you tore me apart again from my family, who I still haven’t properly talked to?” Katara refuted, “It’s who I live for. You were the only other person besides my brother and a young man I once met who actually understood that. It’s the reason why I did not make an effort to kill you when I saw you returning to the walls.”
“Or was it because your power faltered,” Ayumi asked “tell me; tell me everything; this could be interesting.”
Katara seemed deep in thought.
“Perhaps it is the upcoming comet,” she remarked, “the same one that was foretold to be my death/ no wonder I feel so uncomfortable. Is it hot in here or is it just me?”
“It’s just you,” Ayumi replied truthfully, “look at what I’m wearing. Trust me; these robes get really stuffy when it’s hot. It’s you, girl.”
“Guuhh,” Katara groaned, “and so I presume you exploited that,”
“Aye, of course,” Ayumi replied, “but I don’t blame you for it; you’re just a 15-year-old girl. Though I must admit—the whole stunt with The Warrior of the Black Hand was absolutely incredible. I want to know how you did it—how you’ve even faced your family without shaking at all; how you were able to control your power so well.”
“It’s called life dedication, Lady Ayumi,” Katara replied, shifting so she could see her; the only part of her body she could move was her head. “I want this war to be over. All my life I get people stalking me because of my power, which I don’t even want. They want me for the war.”
“Who wouldn’t want you for the war,” Ayumi exclaimed, “you are the single most powerful bender in the world. You oust even the Avatar, and easily oust many of us even DURING a comet.”
“But raw power alone does not constitute skill,” Katara replied, “surely you know that though, correct?”
“Aye,” Ayumi replied, “which was why we trained you the way we did. It was fiercely disciplined for that very reason.”
“Aye,” Katara hissed, “I noticed that. Thanks for reminding me of how you kept trying to KILL ME, woman.”
“Ha,” Ayumi laughed, “me, try to kill you;”
“Aye,” Katara replied again, still looking angry, “surely a 15-year-old girl is no match for the Fire Lady.”
“That was what I thought,” said Ayumi, “but you aren’t an everyday 15-year-old girl. Your power is obscene.”
“I agree,” Katara said, “if the story about an avatar removing someone’s bending is true, I’m going to have a word with Avatar Zakura before anything happens to her. I want her to remove my power.”
“Ah, the old legend,” Ayumi said, smiling, “do you realize how much energy it took to remove that Fire Lord’s power?”
“Aye,” Katara remarked, “but that avatar was just a kid. Zakura is actually a fully-realized avatar.
“Do you realize that you have at least 4 times as much bending energy as that man, even when he was enhanced by that power?”
“F-four t-t-times;” Katara gawked, her eyes popping open; her breathing suddenly became sharp and she looked worried, “and that was WITH the enhanced powers?”
Ayumi nodded. She seemed somber about it.
“You’re lying!” she roared angrily, but Ayumi was unfazed.
“Come, come,” said Ayumi, standing up and unchaining Katara. She helped her onto her feet and led her into another room. Katara was still hot and sweaty, but that was only from her energy building up.
“Katara,” said Ayumi, “there have been various experiences in my life as of recent that have changed my opinions about you. Do you know why I had Orzon bring you here?”
Katara shook her head.
“Well, it was not to brainwash you,” Ayumi replied, “his goal by doing that was to ensure that you would not want to kill him.”
“Then it worked,” Katara shrugged, “I just don’t see a reason to kill him.”
“You were brought here on my request,” Ayumi replied, “I want you to be able to live. My reasons are my own, but that also means that I want your family to live. I know enough about you, Katara Altina II.”
“You want me to try and use me,” Katara said, “everyone is like that. They only want me because of my power. It just gives me another reason to want to get rid of it.”
“Like I said,” Said Ayumi, “I am not going to give my reasons, for you would not believe me even if I did. What I am going to do is get you all away from here. We don’t need you all meddling in our affairs any longer. Before you go though, I would like to ask you one thing.”
“Shoot,” said Katara bluntly,
“How DID you pull off that Dark Warrior scheme,” she asked,
“I already said,” Katara replied straightforwardly, “determination. If I didn’t have all these people on my back trying to recruit me for the war, I’d probably care a little more about controlling my power. Right now though, I just want my family to know that I’m safe, that I’m going to die when the comet passes, and that then all will be well.”
“Would I have really gone through all this trouble just to let y—” Ayumi started to say, but then immediately stopped.
“Eh,” Katara smirked, knowing what Ayumi was going to say next;
“Nothing,” she snapped, just like Katara predicted, “you may leave now.”
“No, no,” said Katara, her grin widening, “I’ve got a few minutes before I need to let my energy loose. Tell me what you were going to say.”
“I said too much,” Ayumi replied flatly. You will not get another word out of me, regardless of what you do.”
“Not even if I decide to set your robes on fire again?” Katara laughed, and, like it did with Tenoko, Ayumi turned red, looking flustered.
“I have others,” Ayumi replied stiffly, “just leave; now.”
“Alright then,” Katara chuckled, and she eventually left the palace. Apparently the Royal Guards had been instructed not to harm her, as they let her out without any difficulty whatsoever.
Back inside, Ayumi looked worried. Orzon noticed.
“Is everything alright, Ayumi?”
“Aye,” Ayumi lied, “I... I just need to lie down.”
“Is there anything I can do?” he asked her, taking her hand,
“I... can you lie down next to me;” Ayumi asked, “Just until I fall asleep. I just have a lot on my mind right now.”
“Gladly,” Orzon replied, squeezing Ayumi’s soft hand in his own; they went up to their room, where Ayumi just threw herself onto her bed, fully dressed. She didn’t move after that. Orzon lay down behind her and gently ran his fingers through her long, silky black hair. When Ayumi stood, it went down to her knees, which meant that it was about 4 feet in length.
Ayumi closed her eyes, trying to clear her troubled mind. She could not and would not say what the matter was, but assumed that she would be able to shake it off with sleep. Was the comet affecting her as well?
She didn’t think so, as she did not feel energy surging through her like Katara had [though she wouldn’t recognize it even if she did], nor was her body temperature any higher than normal.
Eventually however, Ayumi fell asleep, but even sleeping her face looked troubled. This upset Orzon, who did not like seeing his wife unhappy. Nonetheless, she was asleep, and he had things that he had to attend to, [and she said she wanted to sleep] so he left her there, though she was on his mind as he went about his business [mostly just Order-related things and such—nothing out of the ordinary].
He returned a few hours later to find Ayumi still asleep, but she was tossing and turning uncomfortably. Sometime between the time he had left and returned, Ayumi had covered herself, but she was still fully dressed; headpiece, shoes and all. Right now though, the only thing Orzon was concerned about was the well-being of Ayumi, and the look on her face indicated that she was dealing with a lot of stress.
He didn’t want to wake her up, but did plan to get the information he wanted out of her, for it was also weighing down on his mind. It was natural for Orzon, her husband, to be concerned about her problems—The Troubles of Ayumi.
~Azula~
