Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ Doppelganger ❯ Mark of the Monster ( Chapter 16 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Webdog177 
Non Anime: Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 08.19.2006 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.0K | Visits: 203 | Status: Work In Progress
Non Anime: Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 08.19.2006 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.0K | Visits: 203 | Status: Work In Progress
(Dramatic voice, announcer) What is the secret of the fire nation??? (My voice, yelling at the TV) The demon, Victoria, corrupting the royal family!!! Haha, that would be cool.
Phew… one hell of a break. After Camelot… (Which “American rose theatres” likes to work a thousand hours in a week and a half, mind you) I got a couple of days to rest until Comic-con san Diego! Went to that four days strait… little sleep again… and then I had jury duty the next day! … soooo… after a week or so of that crap… and running on fatigue… I finally had time to continue Doppelganger. So… I’m back in the saddle until the fall semester starts!
Another thing I was thinking about with this chapter (And why it took so long to come out) was the Azula thing. I wanted proper punishment… but not something that would be too much worse that Cal’s torture. So… I might have gone a bit overboard with it… so I feel inclined to have a warning label.
Warning! Violence and adult themes below! Mature audiences only. This is rated “M” for a reason.
Chances are… that I put the warning up there for no reason… but better safe that sorry, huh?
Disclaimer: I don’t own Avatar: The Last Airbender, nor do I make money from this fic.
Doppelganger
Chapter Sixteen
. . .
“Hey Katara?” Aang asked to the slumped figure across from him. There was no answer, but he knew she was listening. “Why… did Cal tell us to give up?” Katara picked her head up slightly. “I mean… we could have taken them… probably… but why did we have to put up so little resistance?” His voice suddenly picked up a sharp bite. “And where did she send Appa? Where is he?” The waterbender hung her head again and didn’t answer. Aang gave a frustrated groan and dropped his fist to the metal floor on the tank.
“What would you think if your prey gave little resistance?” Sokka spoke up quietly. Aang snapped his head over in the young man’s direction. “If there was no fighting after being chased after so long?” Aang blinked and thought for a moment.
“I would… think something was off… something was wrong.”
“Exactly.” Sokka clicked his tongue. “Kyle was gone. So if we gave up without a fight, Azula would think something was amiss; a trap. But since we fought back, even a little, that diminished the possibility of a trap. I still doubt that she believed Kyle deserted us, but we kept most of our strength by giving little resistance.” He turned to look at Aang. “And we are going to need it.”
Aang blinked slowly. “For what?”
Katara spoke for the first time since they were captured hours ago. “For when Kyle arrives.”
Sokka nodded and sighed. “And he is going to be pissed at what Azula did to Cal.” Katara shivered and brought her knees to her chest. The sight of Cal, cut up like a fish, flashed into her mind.
Kyle… isn’t going to be happy… to say the least.
. . .
Kyle ran through the thick trees like a blur. From the look of it, he and Zuko were close to the meeting point. After taking a quick glance around, the vampire stopped and looked at the map again. Zuko caught up to him and looked at the map.
“So… Azula wants to finish a match with you? That’s why she’s waiting?” Kyle grunted positively. “That’s what that burn was from, isn’t it?” Kyle laughed softly and stretched out his arm; the burn was fully healed now.
“You didn’t really think what I told you was true, did you?” Zuko shook his head.
“I had hoped not.” Anybody who got on the wrong side of his sister came out with more than a burned arm… or less, depending on the situation. Kyle peered at the prince from the corner of his eye.
“If… your wondering if any part of that story if true…”
“I’m not.”
Kyle laughed and cleared his throat. “Oh… alright then.” Looking back at the map, the two of them fell silent. “I’d say… a few more hours of running. That should leave us far enough to rest and not be noticed.” Zuko nodded and rolled the map up. “Ready?” Taking his silence as an acquiesce, Kyle set off at a run towards the meeting place, with Zuko trailing after.
. . .
“Well… that’s her tank I guess…” The vampire observed the iron behemoth in the clearing. “It’s where it should be on the map.” He craned his head to look at the masked figure behind him. “I’ll occupy Azula and her guards. You free the others… deal?” His companion nodded and crept off to the side. “Zuko.” Kyle whispered. The masked figure stopped and grabbed the mask, taking it off, and revealing the scarred face of Zuko. “Don’t do anything I would get angry about. I’ll meet you at the rendezvous point.” Zuko seemed to consider his terms for a moment, then donned his oni mask, and disappeared from sight. I wonder if it’s a good idea to leave Aang and the others in his care… Kyle wondered as he scanned the area in front of the tank. Probably not but… what else can I do?
Voices jarred the vampire from his thoughts and he jerked his head to face the sounds. From the other side of the metal vehicle came Azula herself with her two bodyguards. She was apparently pacing around the entire area waiting for Kyle to arrive. Her smugness reminded Kyle of how angry he was. Might as well get their attention now. Sighing softly, Kyle stood up and strode over to the three girls. As soon as he came into view, their conversation ceased and the trio stared at the vampire. Azula smirked and stepped forward.
“Well, well… I was beginning to wonder if you-“ She was cut off by Kyle, who struck her across the cheek suddenly. Azula blinked in shock for a few seconds, then glared at the vampire, who glared back. “Was that for the little one?” The princess was answered by a hard punch in the stomach. She hadn’t even seen it coming, and Azula stumbled back, breathing jerkily.
“No… that was. The first one was for your arrogance.” The taller of her bodyguards thrust one of her hands toward Kyle’s face. The vampire swiftly caught it and eyed the girl’s hand. “A needle? Fine.” With a quick movement, Kyle snatched the needle out of her hand and pushed the girl back. Azula regained her composure and her eye twitched.
“I am going to kill you.” Kyle smirked, flexing his hand slowly at his side.
“It’s not going to be that easy.” As the vampire spoke, a thick mist was accumulating around the group. By the time Azula noticed, Kyle was nearly invisible in the thick smog. The princess whirled around, trying to get her bearings.
“Ty Lee, Mai! Where are you?” When nobody answered, Azula growled softly and thrust her hands towards the ground, igniting the immediate area with azure flames. The fire consumed the mist and cleared the air around her, leaving Kyle standing in front of her, smiling evilly.
“Well… let’s start round two.” The vampire remarked and dashed forward, pushing up dust in his wake.
. . .
A dulled explosion sounded from outside the tank, catching the attention of Aang, Sokka, and Katara. Aang jumped to his feet with a soft gust of air and stood on his tiptoes, looking through a small porthole.
“What was that?” Sokka asked behind Aang.
“I dunno. But there’s a whole bunch of dust everywhere.” Katara stepped forward and pressed her ear to the side of the tank. She heard soft thumping sounds from the other side.
“Someone’s coming!” She exclaimed, standing at the ready facing the door. “Guys!” Aang and Sokka stood beside Katara, ready to defend. Suddenly, the large metal door opened, revealing a face they saw a few times on wanted posters right beside Aang’s.
“It’s… the Blue Spirit!” Sokka pointed and held up his fists. The masked man looked at all three prisoners and jerked his head outside, motioning for them to follow him. With that, he dashed the opposite direction. Silence fell in the room after the departure.
“Should we follow him?” Katara asked. Sokka shook his head.
“I don’t think so. He’s a fugitive like us!” How could following a fellow fugitive be beneficial? Aang stepped forward and peeked outside.
“I think we should follow him.” That surprised the two siblings. Aang was trusting, but not stupid. “He helped me last time, I think he’s helping again.” That surprised them even more.
“He helped you before? When was that?” Katara asked, shocked. Aang brushed off the question and dashed outside.
“Come on!” He called behind him, catching up to the Blue Spirit. Sokka and Katara glanced at each other wearily and follow behind Aang, catching up to him in seconds.
“Did he take out Azula and her guards?” Sokka asked when the four stopped outside of camp and hid themselves. The masked man shook his head and looked back towards the cloud of dust. There were plumes of fire and dirt shooting from the entire area. “What is that?”
The four of them looked on until a large spike of ice shot up from the ground and melted, causing water to rain down to the ground. Katara stepped forward and pointed to the other side of the tank where the battle was taking place.
“It’s Kyle! He’s fighting Azula!” She started to run forward, but was stopped by her arm. Katara looked back to see the masked man holding her wrist tightly. “Leg go of me! Kyle might need our help!” The Blue Spirit shook his head and jerked it back toward the trees, indicating that they should escape while they still can. “No!” She yelled and tried to break away from his grip.
“Katara!” Aang yelled stepping between her and the battle. The girl stopped struggling and blinked. She knew perfectly well that Kyle could handle himself. Why was she trying so hard? Did she want to see him that badly? She blinked again and heard Aang talking to her. “He can handle it! We need to go!” Katara nodded and the four of them dashed away from the battle.
Soon the thundering sounds died down and the four stopped in a small clearing to rest. Aang took a deep breath and stood in from of the Blue spirit. “Did you coordinate with Kyle to rescue us?” After a second, the masked man nodded. “Why?” Aang asked, folding his arms. After no answer was given, Aang took a breath to ask again when a different voice rang out.
“Why indeed?” The deep voice came from the trees. At once, the four escapees were on guard and looking around, trying to find the newcomer. “Why would you assist the exile? Go against you’re family even?” Katara and Sokka jerked their head toward the Blue Spirit. His family? Aang stepped forward and mustered what courage he could.
“Who are you? Show yourself!” The voice laughed softly, sending chills down everyone’s spine.
“You want to gaze upon me? Very well then, Avatar; I shall grant your wish.” At once, a figure dropped down in front of the small group and stood up strait. The man in front of them was clearly a vampire; as pale as Kyle, clear gray eyes, his short brown hair stuck up neatly from his head, his fanged smile was a dead giveaway. He wore dark red clothes, covered by a long black coat. In some twisted way, he reminded Katara of Kyle. She gripped her fist tightly and glared at the new vampire.
“So… which one are you?” Katara asked coldly. The vampire raised an eyebrow curiously.
“Oh? You know? That makes things so much easier.” He waved his arm extravagantly and bowed. “I am the third child of Victoria-sama… Arcried Delioth.” He looked up and smirked. “The Master of One Thousand Blades.”
. . .
Azula glared across the dusty battlefield at her adversary. He was much better than he had let on. When she had fought him before, he was almost too easy. Now, it’s the complete opposite. She was forced to defend half of the time. Damnit! What am I doing wrong! She cursed to herself while intercepting a thin column of water that whistled through the air. I need to be perfect! I need to be better! She yelled suddenly, causing a ring of azure fire to explode around her and shielding the incoming pillar of sand. When the fire cleared, She glared sharply at the vampire, who stood ready in an unknown fighting stance. Azula vaguely recognized slightly similarities to a precise firebending stance, but everything else was different. She assumed it was to compliment the other elements into his fighting style.
But as of yet, he only used waterbending and earthbending against her. Providing that he could still firebend, that would be three of the four. Azula smirked and softened her face. “Is that all you can do? A spawn of Victoria and that’s all? The little one was easier than this.” Kyle frowned, not moving an inch.
“Are you trying to goad me into letting down my defenses? It won’t work.” Azula brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and smiled.
“No, no… I’m just saying that you, compared to the other one, should be a better challenge.” She giggled lightly. “At least, hopefully you won’t cry and beg for your life as I cut you to pieces.” Kyle’s eye twitched slightly, almost too softly to be noticed, but Azula saw. The girl smiled sadistically and ran her nail down her reddened cheek. “Yes… Calia was a nice girl… it was a shame I had to kill her…” Her smile widened. “I never knew vampires bled so much… nor did I know they could be so-“ She was cut off with a solid punch in the chest. Azula flew backwards and collided with a rock behind her. After shaking the dizziness out of her head, she crawled to her knees and stared back to her opponent. Immediately, she felt her blood run cold. The vampire in front of her bared his fangs, and glared back at her with an unearthly white glow. His… eyes are glowing… Azula thought blankly. What does it mean? She stood up slowly and coughed, holding her chest. A string of blood expelled from her mouth and she swallowed roughly. ”Shit…” She whispered and winced in pain. “I will not be beaten by a monster like you.”
“I could say the same to you…” Kyle returned, his voice echoing softly at first, but faded as he stopped talking, and the glow in his eyes faded. “Which one of us is more of a monster, I wonder?” Azula backed up a step, but stopped and growled. I shall not back down from a bloodsucker! “Let’s see…” Kyle whispered and walked a feet away from the girl. Azula crouched into her fighting position, ready to defend against his attack, but it never came.
Kyle spaced his legs apart and held his hands ready. “Let’s see…” He whispered again. Azula glared at the vampire and suddenly felt her vision waver. Let’ see… His voice echoed in her mind again.
“Wha…” Azula stammered, confused. “What… are you doing?” Kyle chuckled and twitched his fingers.
“Just… tweaking a little.” Azula felt a sharp pain in her midsection and she collapsed to her knees with a cry. “You do have my apologies… I didn’t mean to make it to real…” His eyes sharpened. “Just think of it as a fraction of the pain you caused Cal.” Azula barely heard the vampire’s words as the pain grew and intensified.
“Wha… did you do to me?” Her answer was given when her stomach split open, causing her innards to spill out over the dirt. Azula stared in shock at what just happened. It’s… me? She held out her hand and shakily tried to pick up what she saw. Sure enough, the warm slimy organs slipped through her fingers. Azula immediately retched and threw up what she had eaten earlier that day all over the ground. Oh god… She thought and gazed up at the vampire in front of her. He just stared at her blankly, not smiling, not glaring. She even thought she saw a hint of sadness in his eyes. Why? She heard a soft sound below her, and Azula looked down on impulse to the bloody heap below her.
Her eyes widened in fear and pain.
In the middle of the bloody tangle was a child. The small body was covered in blood and sobbed silently. My… child? Was I… She held out her hand again and gently touched the child with her bloodstained hand. Suddenly, Cal’s face flashed into her mind and the child shut its eyes, relaxing in the bloody and slimy mass.
“No…” Azula whispered, tears sliding down her cheeks. “Come back…” She sobbed and picked up the silent and limp child. ”Please…”
Kyle stared at the girl on the ground. She was crying and holding something that wasn’t there. He grimaced and turned around. He stopped a few feet away when she called out.
“Why?”
Kyle turned around and his eyes softened. She had apparently realized that it was a fake memory, but she was still shaken.
“Why… did you do that?” Tears streamed down her face. Kyle swallowed and walked back to Azula. He kneeled down to her and put his hand on her shoulder. She shuddered and chocked back a sob.
“It’s what you have to look forward to.” Leaving the Fire Nation princess on the ground, Kyle turned around and disappeared into the trees. Azula hung her head and gently felt her stomach, then collapsed on the ground, and cried.
. . .
Katara gasped and stepped back. The vampire noticed and raised an eyebrow. “Ah… I see you’ve heard of me.” Aang and Sokka looked from the vampire to Katara.
“Who is he Katara?” Sokka queried. Katara clenched her teeth tightly.
“Exactly as he says; he is Arcried, the third son of Victoria. Kyle’s little brother.” Everybody gasped when a knife stuck itself in the dirt at Katara’s feet. Their attention was pulled back to the vampire; he had his hand held out, and a fierce look in eyes.
“Don’t even let that name pass you’re lips. I will cut your throat myself if you even think about it.” He hissed. Everybody at once knew, Arcried despised Kyle. But why?
A movement broke Katara’s concentration. The Blue Spirit stepped forward and drew a sword from behind his back. The vampire Arc raised his eyebrow. In a swift movement, the sword separated into two identical swords and the masked man sliced the air expertly.
“Hmm… twin Dao Broadswords. Part of “The Courage of All Soldiers”. Very well.” Arc reached to his side and the air behind his hand rippled. The ripple grew and suddenly, split open. “I accept you’re challenge.” A single hilt appeared from the blackened hole in the air and, with a swift movement, Arc snatched the hilt, bringing out an exact match to the Blue Spirit’s blade. He smirked and sliced the air with his blade, then jumped down to the earth. “This was blade number two hundred and thirty-two.” He held the blade above his head, and his other hand in front of him. “Have at thee.”
The masked man dashed forward, thrusting one of his blades at Arc. The vampire deflected it with his sword and crouched, sliding his foot out in a sweep. The Blue Spirit hopped over his foot and swung the other blade at the vampire as he passed by him. Faster than anybody could see, the vampire twisted around and blocked the second blade with his in a solid defense. The Blue Spirit spun on his heels and slashed out with both of his swords. Arc stepped back a few inches, missing the attack by just enough, and with a swift movement, slammed the hilt of his broadsword into the man’s stomach.
The blue spirit stumbled and fell to his knees. Arc laughed and stashed away his broadsword back to wherever it came with a quick ripple in the air.
“That was entertaining. You are good, but not good enough.” He turned around and faced the three onlookers. “Well… who’s next?” His smile was spoiled when The Blue Spirit crawled back to his feet slowly. Arc turned back around and his face tightened at the action. “My mood is being spoiled at your pathetic attempt to win, young one.” The masked man didn’t listen and stood up, holding tightly onto the two halves to his sword. “Fine.” Arc spun on his foot, lashing out a kick at the Blue Spirit’s masked face. The kick connected and the masked man was thrown back onto the hard dirt. Arc sighed and dusted off his hands needlessly. “Well… with that done.”
After a few seconds, The Blue Spirit crawled back to his feet, but his mask was broken off with the kick, revealing the scarred face of Prince Zuko himself. Sokka and Katara gasped in shock.
“Prince Zuko?” Katara whispered. He’s the Blue Spirit? Arc laughed and stepped aside for a clear view between the four.
“Yea. Didn’t you know?”
Zuko glared darkly at the vampire, holding onto one of his swords, the other hand hanging limply at his side.
“The Prince of the Fire Nation, himself, is the vigilante you’ve all heard about! He-“ Arc stopped talking and his eyes darted to the side, back to where the four had came from. “He’s here.” The vampire growled and squared his shoulders. At once Kyle burst through the trees in a rush. Seeing Katara, Sokka, and Aang, he came to a halt and waved to them.
“Hey guys, long time no-“ He cut himself off and looked over to Arc and Zuko. Kyle’s eyes widened in shock and he took a step back away from the other vampire. Arc grinned maliciously and held his hand out.
“Greetings again, big… brother…” He enunciated the end venomously. Kyle groaned tiredly.
“Aw… fuck me to tears…”
. . .
R & R
Woot. I’ve wanted to do a duel between Arc and Kyle for a while. I’ll try and make it good.
Phew… one hell of a break. After Camelot… (Which “American rose theatres” likes to work a thousand hours in a week and a half, mind you) I got a couple of days to rest until Comic-con san Diego! Went to that four days strait… little sleep again… and then I had jury duty the next day! … soooo… after a week or so of that crap… and running on fatigue… I finally had time to continue Doppelganger. So… I’m back in the saddle until the fall semester starts!
Another thing I was thinking about with this chapter (And why it took so long to come out) was the Azula thing. I wanted proper punishment… but not something that would be too much worse that Cal’s torture. So… I might have gone a bit overboard with it… so I feel inclined to have a warning label.
Warning! Violence and adult themes below! Mature audiences only. This is rated “M” for a reason.
Chances are… that I put the warning up there for no reason… but better safe that sorry, huh?
Disclaimer: I don’t own Avatar: The Last Airbender, nor do I make money from this fic.
Doppelganger
Chapter Sixteen
. . .
“Hey Katara?” Aang asked to the slumped figure across from him. There was no answer, but he knew she was listening. “Why… did Cal tell us to give up?” Katara picked her head up slightly. “I mean… we could have taken them… probably… but why did we have to put up so little resistance?” His voice suddenly picked up a sharp bite. “And where did she send Appa? Where is he?” The waterbender hung her head again and didn’t answer. Aang gave a frustrated groan and dropped his fist to the metal floor on the tank.
“What would you think if your prey gave little resistance?” Sokka spoke up quietly. Aang snapped his head over in the young man’s direction. “If there was no fighting after being chased after so long?” Aang blinked and thought for a moment.
“I would… think something was off… something was wrong.”
“Exactly.” Sokka clicked his tongue. “Kyle was gone. So if we gave up without a fight, Azula would think something was amiss; a trap. But since we fought back, even a little, that diminished the possibility of a trap. I still doubt that she believed Kyle deserted us, but we kept most of our strength by giving little resistance.” He turned to look at Aang. “And we are going to need it.”
Aang blinked slowly. “For what?”
Katara spoke for the first time since they were captured hours ago. “For when Kyle arrives.”
Sokka nodded and sighed. “And he is going to be pissed at what Azula did to Cal.” Katara shivered and brought her knees to her chest. The sight of Cal, cut up like a fish, flashed into her mind.
Kyle… isn’t going to be happy… to say the least.
. . .
Kyle ran through the thick trees like a blur. From the look of it, he and Zuko were close to the meeting point. After taking a quick glance around, the vampire stopped and looked at the map again. Zuko caught up to him and looked at the map.
“So… Azula wants to finish a match with you? That’s why she’s waiting?” Kyle grunted positively. “That’s what that burn was from, isn’t it?” Kyle laughed softly and stretched out his arm; the burn was fully healed now.
“You didn’t really think what I told you was true, did you?” Zuko shook his head.
“I had hoped not.” Anybody who got on the wrong side of his sister came out with more than a burned arm… or less, depending on the situation. Kyle peered at the prince from the corner of his eye.
“If… your wondering if any part of that story if true…”
“I’m not.”
Kyle laughed and cleared his throat. “Oh… alright then.” Looking back at the map, the two of them fell silent. “I’d say… a few more hours of running. That should leave us far enough to rest and not be noticed.” Zuko nodded and rolled the map up. “Ready?” Taking his silence as an acquiesce, Kyle set off at a run towards the meeting place, with Zuko trailing after.
. . .
“Well… that’s her tank I guess…” The vampire observed the iron behemoth in the clearing. “It’s where it should be on the map.” He craned his head to look at the masked figure behind him. “I’ll occupy Azula and her guards. You free the others… deal?” His companion nodded and crept off to the side. “Zuko.” Kyle whispered. The masked figure stopped and grabbed the mask, taking it off, and revealing the scarred face of Zuko. “Don’t do anything I would get angry about. I’ll meet you at the rendezvous point.” Zuko seemed to consider his terms for a moment, then donned his oni mask, and disappeared from sight. I wonder if it’s a good idea to leave Aang and the others in his care… Kyle wondered as he scanned the area in front of the tank. Probably not but… what else can I do?
Voices jarred the vampire from his thoughts and he jerked his head to face the sounds. From the other side of the metal vehicle came Azula herself with her two bodyguards. She was apparently pacing around the entire area waiting for Kyle to arrive. Her smugness reminded Kyle of how angry he was. Might as well get their attention now. Sighing softly, Kyle stood up and strode over to the three girls. As soon as he came into view, their conversation ceased and the trio stared at the vampire. Azula smirked and stepped forward.
“Well, well… I was beginning to wonder if you-“ She was cut off by Kyle, who struck her across the cheek suddenly. Azula blinked in shock for a few seconds, then glared at the vampire, who glared back. “Was that for the little one?” The princess was answered by a hard punch in the stomach. She hadn’t even seen it coming, and Azula stumbled back, breathing jerkily.
“No… that was. The first one was for your arrogance.” The taller of her bodyguards thrust one of her hands toward Kyle’s face. The vampire swiftly caught it and eyed the girl’s hand. “A needle? Fine.” With a quick movement, Kyle snatched the needle out of her hand and pushed the girl back. Azula regained her composure and her eye twitched.
“I am going to kill you.” Kyle smirked, flexing his hand slowly at his side.
“It’s not going to be that easy.” As the vampire spoke, a thick mist was accumulating around the group. By the time Azula noticed, Kyle was nearly invisible in the thick smog. The princess whirled around, trying to get her bearings.
“Ty Lee, Mai! Where are you?” When nobody answered, Azula growled softly and thrust her hands towards the ground, igniting the immediate area with azure flames. The fire consumed the mist and cleared the air around her, leaving Kyle standing in front of her, smiling evilly.
“Well… let’s start round two.” The vampire remarked and dashed forward, pushing up dust in his wake.
. . .
A dulled explosion sounded from outside the tank, catching the attention of Aang, Sokka, and Katara. Aang jumped to his feet with a soft gust of air and stood on his tiptoes, looking through a small porthole.
“What was that?” Sokka asked behind Aang.
“I dunno. But there’s a whole bunch of dust everywhere.” Katara stepped forward and pressed her ear to the side of the tank. She heard soft thumping sounds from the other side.
“Someone’s coming!” She exclaimed, standing at the ready facing the door. “Guys!” Aang and Sokka stood beside Katara, ready to defend. Suddenly, the large metal door opened, revealing a face they saw a few times on wanted posters right beside Aang’s.
“It’s… the Blue Spirit!” Sokka pointed and held up his fists. The masked man looked at all three prisoners and jerked his head outside, motioning for them to follow him. With that, he dashed the opposite direction. Silence fell in the room after the departure.
“Should we follow him?” Katara asked. Sokka shook his head.
“I don’t think so. He’s a fugitive like us!” How could following a fellow fugitive be beneficial? Aang stepped forward and peeked outside.
“I think we should follow him.” That surprised the two siblings. Aang was trusting, but not stupid. “He helped me last time, I think he’s helping again.” That surprised them even more.
“He helped you before? When was that?” Katara asked, shocked. Aang brushed off the question and dashed outside.
“Come on!” He called behind him, catching up to the Blue Spirit. Sokka and Katara glanced at each other wearily and follow behind Aang, catching up to him in seconds.
“Did he take out Azula and her guards?” Sokka asked when the four stopped outside of camp and hid themselves. The masked man shook his head and looked back towards the cloud of dust. There were plumes of fire and dirt shooting from the entire area. “What is that?”
The four of them looked on until a large spike of ice shot up from the ground and melted, causing water to rain down to the ground. Katara stepped forward and pointed to the other side of the tank where the battle was taking place.
“It’s Kyle! He’s fighting Azula!” She started to run forward, but was stopped by her arm. Katara looked back to see the masked man holding her wrist tightly. “Leg go of me! Kyle might need our help!” The Blue Spirit shook his head and jerked it back toward the trees, indicating that they should escape while they still can. “No!” She yelled and tried to break away from his grip.
“Katara!” Aang yelled stepping between her and the battle. The girl stopped struggling and blinked. She knew perfectly well that Kyle could handle himself. Why was she trying so hard? Did she want to see him that badly? She blinked again and heard Aang talking to her. “He can handle it! We need to go!” Katara nodded and the four of them dashed away from the battle.
Soon the thundering sounds died down and the four stopped in a small clearing to rest. Aang took a deep breath and stood in from of the Blue spirit. “Did you coordinate with Kyle to rescue us?” After a second, the masked man nodded. “Why?” Aang asked, folding his arms. After no answer was given, Aang took a breath to ask again when a different voice rang out.
“Why indeed?” The deep voice came from the trees. At once, the four escapees were on guard and looking around, trying to find the newcomer. “Why would you assist the exile? Go against you’re family even?” Katara and Sokka jerked their head toward the Blue Spirit. His family? Aang stepped forward and mustered what courage he could.
“Who are you? Show yourself!” The voice laughed softly, sending chills down everyone’s spine.
“You want to gaze upon me? Very well then, Avatar; I shall grant your wish.” At once, a figure dropped down in front of the small group and stood up strait. The man in front of them was clearly a vampire; as pale as Kyle, clear gray eyes, his short brown hair stuck up neatly from his head, his fanged smile was a dead giveaway. He wore dark red clothes, covered by a long black coat. In some twisted way, he reminded Katara of Kyle. She gripped her fist tightly and glared at the new vampire.
“So… which one are you?” Katara asked coldly. The vampire raised an eyebrow curiously.
“Oh? You know? That makes things so much easier.” He waved his arm extravagantly and bowed. “I am the third child of Victoria-sama… Arcried Delioth.” He looked up and smirked. “The Master of One Thousand Blades.”
. . .
Azula glared across the dusty battlefield at her adversary. He was much better than he had let on. When she had fought him before, he was almost too easy. Now, it’s the complete opposite. She was forced to defend half of the time. Damnit! What am I doing wrong! She cursed to herself while intercepting a thin column of water that whistled through the air. I need to be perfect! I need to be better! She yelled suddenly, causing a ring of azure fire to explode around her and shielding the incoming pillar of sand. When the fire cleared, She glared sharply at the vampire, who stood ready in an unknown fighting stance. Azula vaguely recognized slightly similarities to a precise firebending stance, but everything else was different. She assumed it was to compliment the other elements into his fighting style.
But as of yet, he only used waterbending and earthbending against her. Providing that he could still firebend, that would be three of the four. Azula smirked and softened her face. “Is that all you can do? A spawn of Victoria and that’s all? The little one was easier than this.” Kyle frowned, not moving an inch.
“Are you trying to goad me into letting down my defenses? It won’t work.” Azula brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and smiled.
“No, no… I’m just saying that you, compared to the other one, should be a better challenge.” She giggled lightly. “At least, hopefully you won’t cry and beg for your life as I cut you to pieces.” Kyle’s eye twitched slightly, almost too softly to be noticed, but Azula saw. The girl smiled sadistically and ran her nail down her reddened cheek. “Yes… Calia was a nice girl… it was a shame I had to kill her…” Her smile widened. “I never knew vampires bled so much… nor did I know they could be so-“ She was cut off with a solid punch in the chest. Azula flew backwards and collided with a rock behind her. After shaking the dizziness out of her head, she crawled to her knees and stared back to her opponent. Immediately, she felt her blood run cold. The vampire in front of her bared his fangs, and glared back at her with an unearthly white glow. His… eyes are glowing… Azula thought blankly. What does it mean? She stood up slowly and coughed, holding her chest. A string of blood expelled from her mouth and she swallowed roughly. ”Shit…” She whispered and winced in pain. “I will not be beaten by a monster like you.”
“I could say the same to you…” Kyle returned, his voice echoing softly at first, but faded as he stopped talking, and the glow in his eyes faded. “Which one of us is more of a monster, I wonder?” Azula backed up a step, but stopped and growled. I shall not back down from a bloodsucker! “Let’s see…” Kyle whispered and walked a feet away from the girl. Azula crouched into her fighting position, ready to defend against his attack, but it never came.
Kyle spaced his legs apart and held his hands ready. “Let’s see…” He whispered again. Azula glared at the vampire and suddenly felt her vision waver. Let’ see… His voice echoed in her mind again.
“Wha…” Azula stammered, confused. “What… are you doing?” Kyle chuckled and twitched his fingers.
“Just… tweaking a little.” Azula felt a sharp pain in her midsection and she collapsed to her knees with a cry. “You do have my apologies… I didn’t mean to make it to real…” His eyes sharpened. “Just think of it as a fraction of the pain you caused Cal.” Azula barely heard the vampire’s words as the pain grew and intensified.
“Wha… did you do to me?” Her answer was given when her stomach split open, causing her innards to spill out over the dirt. Azula stared in shock at what just happened. It’s… me? She held out her hand and shakily tried to pick up what she saw. Sure enough, the warm slimy organs slipped through her fingers. Azula immediately retched and threw up what she had eaten earlier that day all over the ground. Oh god… She thought and gazed up at the vampire in front of her. He just stared at her blankly, not smiling, not glaring. She even thought she saw a hint of sadness in his eyes. Why? She heard a soft sound below her, and Azula looked down on impulse to the bloody heap below her.
Her eyes widened in fear and pain.
In the middle of the bloody tangle was a child. The small body was covered in blood and sobbed silently. My… child? Was I… She held out her hand again and gently touched the child with her bloodstained hand. Suddenly, Cal’s face flashed into her mind and the child shut its eyes, relaxing in the bloody and slimy mass.
“No…” Azula whispered, tears sliding down her cheeks. “Come back…” She sobbed and picked up the silent and limp child. ”Please…”
Kyle stared at the girl on the ground. She was crying and holding something that wasn’t there. He grimaced and turned around. He stopped a few feet away when she called out.
“Why?”
Kyle turned around and his eyes softened. She had apparently realized that it was a fake memory, but she was still shaken.
“Why… did you do that?” Tears streamed down her face. Kyle swallowed and walked back to Azula. He kneeled down to her and put his hand on her shoulder. She shuddered and chocked back a sob.
“It’s what you have to look forward to.” Leaving the Fire Nation princess on the ground, Kyle turned around and disappeared into the trees. Azula hung her head and gently felt her stomach, then collapsed on the ground, and cried.
. . .
Katara gasped and stepped back. The vampire noticed and raised an eyebrow. “Ah… I see you’ve heard of me.” Aang and Sokka looked from the vampire to Katara.
“Who is he Katara?” Sokka queried. Katara clenched her teeth tightly.
“Exactly as he says; he is Arcried, the third son of Victoria. Kyle’s little brother.” Everybody gasped when a knife stuck itself in the dirt at Katara’s feet. Their attention was pulled back to the vampire; he had his hand held out, and a fierce look in eyes.
“Don’t even let that name pass you’re lips. I will cut your throat myself if you even think about it.” He hissed. Everybody at once knew, Arcried despised Kyle. But why?
A movement broke Katara’s concentration. The Blue Spirit stepped forward and drew a sword from behind his back. The vampire Arc raised his eyebrow. In a swift movement, the sword separated into two identical swords and the masked man sliced the air expertly.
“Hmm… twin Dao Broadswords. Part of “The Courage of All Soldiers”. Very well.” Arc reached to his side and the air behind his hand rippled. The ripple grew and suddenly, split open. “I accept you’re challenge.” A single hilt appeared from the blackened hole in the air and, with a swift movement, Arc snatched the hilt, bringing out an exact match to the Blue Spirit’s blade. He smirked and sliced the air with his blade, then jumped down to the earth. “This was blade number two hundred and thirty-two.” He held the blade above his head, and his other hand in front of him. “Have at thee.”
The masked man dashed forward, thrusting one of his blades at Arc. The vampire deflected it with his sword and crouched, sliding his foot out in a sweep. The Blue Spirit hopped over his foot and swung the other blade at the vampire as he passed by him. Faster than anybody could see, the vampire twisted around and blocked the second blade with his in a solid defense. The Blue Spirit spun on his heels and slashed out with both of his swords. Arc stepped back a few inches, missing the attack by just enough, and with a swift movement, slammed the hilt of his broadsword into the man’s stomach.
The blue spirit stumbled and fell to his knees. Arc laughed and stashed away his broadsword back to wherever it came with a quick ripple in the air.
“That was entertaining. You are good, but not good enough.” He turned around and faced the three onlookers. “Well… who’s next?” His smile was spoiled when The Blue Spirit crawled back to his feet slowly. Arc turned back around and his face tightened at the action. “My mood is being spoiled at your pathetic attempt to win, young one.” The masked man didn’t listen and stood up, holding tightly onto the two halves to his sword. “Fine.” Arc spun on his foot, lashing out a kick at the Blue Spirit’s masked face. The kick connected and the masked man was thrown back onto the hard dirt. Arc sighed and dusted off his hands needlessly. “Well… with that done.”
After a few seconds, The Blue Spirit crawled back to his feet, but his mask was broken off with the kick, revealing the scarred face of Prince Zuko himself. Sokka and Katara gasped in shock.
“Prince Zuko?” Katara whispered. He’s the Blue Spirit? Arc laughed and stepped aside for a clear view between the four.
“Yea. Didn’t you know?”
Zuko glared darkly at the vampire, holding onto one of his swords, the other hand hanging limply at his side.
“The Prince of the Fire Nation, himself, is the vigilante you’ve all heard about! He-“ Arc stopped talking and his eyes darted to the side, back to where the four had came from. “He’s here.” The vampire growled and squared his shoulders. At once Kyle burst through the trees in a rush. Seeing Katara, Sokka, and Aang, he came to a halt and waved to them.
“Hey guys, long time no-“ He cut himself off and looked over to Arc and Zuko. Kyle’s eyes widened in shock and he took a step back away from the other vampire. Arc grinned maliciously and held his hand out.
“Greetings again, big… brother…” He enunciated the end venomously. Kyle groaned tiredly.
“Aw… fuck me to tears…”
. . .
R & R
Woot. I’ve wanted to do a duel between Arc and Kyle for a while. I’ll try and make it good.