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tushanshu_logs2014-09-18 03:39 pm
oceanblue) wrote in tushanshu_logs2014-09-18 03:39 pm
The Smoke That Consumes [Closed]
Characters: Zuko, Katara, [Ask before joining]
Date: 2 Weeks after Evandau
Location: Wood Sector, streets
Situation: Zuko, due to his infection, has snapped and is chasing Katara
Warnings/Rating: Possible Violence and much tearbending
She didn't know how long she had been running. The scenery had changed--that much, at least, she had been able to notice while dodging the continuous blasts of fire that lit up the night washed streets. Her lungs, already strained from her failing dash for escape from the Fire Sector now burned from the smoke as he got closer.
It never took much these days to set him off, thanks to the infection. His nightmares had grown more intense, and, helpless, Katara had watched him slip further and further into the madness. She had done her best, watching over him, helping soothe the pain when she could, offering as much support as she could provide. Some days had been good; others had been much more trying. His nights were always rough.
And tonight was clearly one of his worst.
What had set him off was still unclear, though she figured it didn't matter so much now, not when he had snapped like this. His fits so far hadn't been this violent; she had always been able to find a way to calm him one way or another. Something inside him must have snapped and was very much not on its way to being mended by the water bender any time soon.
And so she ran, hoping to take his target out of the picture, hoping that he would calm on his own, hoping in vain. Unable to escape, she had tried to fight, but his rage, and whatever was driving it, refused to be quenched by the little water she carried with her.
The edge of the turtle. If she could just reach its edge, she'd have enough water to bring him down, to at least slow his attack until this wave had passed. And so it was there she ran, dodging and sweeping, not daring to mourn just yet.
Once this was over, she would help repair what they had marred. But until then, her only focus was getting him away from everything, and closer to the water. Fear cackled in her ears as the trees around her burned, but she refused to listen.
The moon, full and bright, watched over the girl and her pursuer as they wove through the street.
Date: 2 Weeks after Evandau
Location: Wood Sector, streets
Situation: Zuko, due to his infection, has snapped and is chasing Katara
Warnings/Rating: Possible Violence and much tearbending
She didn't know how long she had been running. The scenery had changed--that much, at least, she had been able to notice while dodging the continuous blasts of fire that lit up the night washed streets. Her lungs, already strained from her failing dash for escape from the Fire Sector now burned from the smoke as he got closer.
It never took much these days to set him off, thanks to the infection. His nightmares had grown more intense, and, helpless, Katara had watched him slip further and further into the madness. She had done her best, watching over him, helping soothe the pain when she could, offering as much support as she could provide. Some days had been good; others had been much more trying. His nights were always rough.
And tonight was clearly one of his worst.
What had set him off was still unclear, though she figured it didn't matter so much now, not when he had snapped like this. His fits so far hadn't been this violent; she had always been able to find a way to calm him one way or another. Something inside him must have snapped and was very much not on its way to being mended by the water bender any time soon.
And so she ran, hoping to take his target out of the picture, hoping that he would calm on his own, hoping in vain. Unable to escape, she had tried to fight, but his rage, and whatever was driving it, refused to be quenched by the little water she carried with her.
The edge of the turtle. If she could just reach its edge, she'd have enough water to bring him down, to at least slow his attack until this wave had passed. And so it was there she ran, dodging and sweeping, not daring to mourn just yet.
Once this was over, she would help repair what they had marred. But until then, her only focus was getting him away from everything, and closer to the water. Fear cackled in her ears as the trees around her burned, but she refused to listen.
The moon, full and bright, watched over the girl and her pursuer as they wove through the street.
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Something about the air around Zuko and Katara shifts. The flames unfurling from his attacks change shape ever so slightly. It's in the way they lap at the breeze as they burn, favoring one side over another. This subtle warning is the only one Zuko and Katara get before Aang arrives on the scene, dropping from the sky with his glider-staff in hand and already raised in defense.
"No," he commands. "You won't."
DUN DUN DUNNNNN
No...!
Not too far from Aang, Katara leapt out from behind the tree, a fierce determination in her eyes as she brought a wave of water up with her which she swept widely at Zuko. She was glad to have the assistance, as it was very clear she was going to need it to get Zuko to a point where he could be calmed, but Aang was one of the last people she wanted mixed up in this mess...even if he was also one of the first she would have asked to fight alongside her.
"He's not himself, Aang! It's--" She dodged a fireball. "-- the poison!"
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But when Aang landed, his attention quickly went to him. An angry roar peeled from Zuko's throat and with a quick movement he went the blazing flames from two of the trees directly at the airbender. This being enough of a distraction for Katara's water to catch him off guard. Slapped by the force of the waterbending he was knocked off his feet. But not for long. His attention back on Katara again he sent several successive fireballs in her direction.
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This is what it'll be like when the comet comes back.
This is what my people faced off against.
This is why they fell.
"I'm sure that's some of it," he calls back to Katara through gritted teeth as he moves his way through his defensive airbending forms.
And then Zuko's focus is shattered and almost instantly redirected.
"KATARA!"
Aang moves from air to earthbending, and the ground beneath all of them trembles. Providing Katara cover that can't be lit on fire is his first priority.
Just like the good ol' days~
Her fear for Aang amplified ten fold as Zuko directed the cloud of fire towards him, and she doubled her efforts to gather more water as the younger boy evaded what he could. Once the firebender was knocked off his feet, she continued toward him, turning her water to shards of ice as he righted himself and sending them toward him in hopes to pin him down.
"Zuko, stop this!!! We're your friends!"
When he escaped her attack and turned his rage around on her once more, she froze, then dove behind one of the earth mounds provided, though not unscathed. Rolling, she grabbed at her ankle, trying to dull the singed flesh with the water still collected in her hands. With her attention so focused on the battle at hand, however, her healing did little good, and she gave it up quickly in favor of charging Zuko again, using Aang's earth shields as cover as she advanced. Once close enough, she leapt atop one of them, then flung herself down at the firebender, a gathered wave of water following her quickly to both cover her and hopefully force him down again. If not, she'd be close-- very close.
I can chase Aang around and try to catch him?
The trees still burned all around them, the fire continued to spread. And while Zuko made his attack, Katara made her move. Not knowing where she was, he couldn't predict where she would come from. And so he was caught by surprise. The wall of water slammed him to the ground with a strangled cry.
Dazed from the blow, Zuko shook his head, but then turned as he saw Katara coming at him from the corner of his eye. It was then that he raised an arm to blast her with flames at point blank.
What have you done, Zuzu
The pain was searing. She needed to heal herself. Now. But to do so, she would have to get away from him and back into the river if she could, and even then, as badly as she was shaking, she wasn't sure she'd be able to do it herself.
Though the smoke was suffocating and the pain was near blinding, she did her best to focus only on the battle at hand... She'd be fine. Aang and Zuko were both in danger. She had to be fine.
Oh. So it's going to be like that...
And then...his world slows to nearly a stop...
From the corner of his eye he sees Katara leap towards Zuko.
As Aang turns he watches as Zuko levels a fireblast directly at Katara.
No amount of airbending mastery will ever make him fast enough to stop what inevitably happens next, not that this simple fact will ever stop him from believing otherwise.
It feels as though the very bottom of his stomach is going to drop out, and he stills waiting for the lurch that always comes right before the Avatar State kicks in and he loses control...only it doesn't come.
Aang is blind with rage and hate and...nothing. No glowing. No rising into the air. No surge of power as the combined force of every single one of his past lives flows through his body. Just him: the monk with three elements at his beck and call.
"ENOUGH!," he bellows.
Toph would be pleased, proud even, at what comes next. Flawless execution of her forms, as Aang urges the ground beneath Zuko to swallow him whole.
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The anger that continues to roar in Aang's mind is almost as loud as the flames that still threaten the surrounding area, but even in spite of both he can hear Katara's plea plain as day. The hard lines of his face soften in an instant and at once he's her side.
"What...what do you need?"
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The fires continued to cackle at the two below, steam screaming through the limbs.
"I-I'll take care of...Zuko.... p-put out the fires..."
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"...okay. okay, katara."
He gets to his feet, summons more water towards Katara, and then moves back to where he knows Zuko is stashed.
This would be a tricky maneuver anyway, but it's made more so by the fact that his hands are slightly shaking.
Aang closes his eyes and focuses.
Ah. There he is.
His horse stance is strong and stubborn. The earth around Zuko begins to give way, crumble when faced with the unyielding chi that commands it to move. It loosens around Zuko's limbs first, before pushing him towards the surface as gently as Aang can manage.
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Once he was back to the Wood Sector, he spread the lake water out over the whole of it, thinning it's line and then allowing it to drop. As the water fell, he pulled as much heat and flame away from the wood as he could in one go. The combined effort of the water hitting and the heat and fire dragged out of the trees was barely enough to put most of it out. His next concern was weaving in and out of the charred area to catch any last smoldering remains. But it was while he did this that he realized he could feel one of his other selves nearby.
He detoured from his path to join Aang and Katara, eyes still blazing with light.
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He saw all the burning chaos all around him. A part of him was pleased. It had felt good to finally give into those violent urges. But at the same time he knew it wasn't right. He knew that wasn't him.
And as far as he could tell there was only way to fix that.
As Wan dumped the water over the fire, like rain, Zuko turned his sights on Aang.
"You have to end me!"
He'd have to cut aang for realz before she gave up
When the atmosphere changed a little, she watched as the fires around her slowly diminished, her gaze turning up to the first avatar as he arrived. The glow in his eyes startled her a little, until she was able to put two and two together.
This looked terrible. This was terrible.
When Zuko was brought up, unrestrained, she tensed, nearly choking when he begged Aang to finish him.
"No! Zuko, stop this! Please! ...Just... Just stop!"
This wasn't his fault-- it wasn't fair! They had tried too hard to keep him from this, and she would not lose her friends. Sure, he might put her in danger again and again until they found a cure, but she refused to give up on any of her friends. Zuko had already been through enough, and now, seeing it first hand made her that much more passionate now.
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"You burned Katara. Believe me, I'd like to. But that isn't how this works."
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Akito isn't quite sure whether or not he's surprised that the cause of the damage was a boy thick with Mal-nyan's Taint on him. He listens to the pleas - can understand where he's coming from, but ultimately thinks it's stupid. Interfering is something he's pretty good at, so Akito barely pauses to think it over before he's flipped out of a tree and landing between the tainted boy, his suite-mate, and Aang.
"You," he intones sternly, pointing at Zuko. "Be quiet for a minute, please. And you," he turns his attention to Aang. "Calm down. Okay?"
His sector nearly got burned down while he was trying to take a nap, so excuse him if he's a little bit peeved.
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Wan's breath came heavy as he held onto the younger boy, still trying to understand what was going on in general and far too confused by the exchange he was hearing, "I know he isn't your friend, but he's begging you to kill him and you actually want to?"
He spun around, looking at the scene, eyes settling on Katara, "You. You're hurt. But you're the only one talking sense that was already here. What happened?"
A moment later he released Aang and gathered some of the water from the air, speaking in a kinder voice, "Here. I'm not really good at this, but let me help, please."
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He didn't want to listen and he couldn't stop. He had tried and look what happened! He had hurt Katara and nearly burned down the forest. This had to end! He didn't want to be this way! He didn't want to be like his father! Stupid or not, he didn't want to hurt anyone else.
"If you won't do it then I will!"
His voice is near hysterical, and he clenched a fist. A flaming dagger appearing before he put it to his throat. He couldn't take this anymore! Between the nightmares, the anger, and the violent urges, this couldn't go on. And he didn't know for how much longer he could control himself.
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"NO!"
All too quickly, Zuko would find his arm jerking away from his throat as tears streamed down Katara's face. The kind and collected water tribe girl trembled, ignoring those around her as she glared through the haze of everything happening. She gasped through the pain, addressing only Zuko.
"Don't. You. Dare."
Slowly bringing her hands together and down, she would bring the boy to his knees with the help of the moon above them. Her body jerked and trembled in exhaustion... but she could at least do this... she had to.
Wan's question would be answered in unstable, shaky breaths. "He's... That poison... he's not himself..."
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His speed comes in handy, as does his years of working in SWAT, when all it takes is a few sparse seconds and a quick blow to just the right spot on the head to knock Zuko out. He never thought he'd miss the days when he worked on his father's squad, but it's hard not to miss people actually listening to him every now and then.
"Whatever you're doing, stop!" His tone isn't angry, per se, but it's far from being filled with his usual cheer. "He should be feeling better when he wakes up again."
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And also when Katara does...what...wait...what did Katara just do...
"....katara?"
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