(1) Augmentum | Zuko

Chapter Twenty-Four

The Fire Nation line charges forward, unleashing a wall of flame. Rana spins and throws out her hands, the wall of fire stops and she lets out a small cry of effort as she holds it off, trying to redirect it. With a shove of her hands, the firewall retreats back the way it came, rolling back towards the Fire Nation men.

"For the Earth Kingdom, attack!" Tyro cheers and from behind Rana, earth-benders charge forward lifting the rocks from Rockruff who barks and charges with them. Tyro slams the palms of his fists on the deck of the rig, throwing the wall of rocks forward towards the Fire Nation line. The Fire Soldiers deflect some of the rocks with flame. Rana looks down at Vulpix who stands ready at her side with a growl.

"Inferno" Rana tells her. Vulpix rears her head back and then lets loose a stream of fire from her mouth. Sokka stares at her a moment before taking a few steps back. He had no idea that could happen. Rana uses these flames to bend and attack her former home nation. Wartortle follows Katara, offering her water when she needs it. Noivern flies overhead, blasting down airwaves to clear as many fire-benders that he can. One on one the earth-benders block fire attacks with rock shields and knock out fire-bender by striking them huge lumps of rock thrown at high speed. Heaps of burning rock now litter the deck. Rana, Katara, Sokka and Aang are rushing forward against the Fire Nation. A Fire Nation soldier approaches them, but Sokka cuts off the head of his spear with his boomerang and throws the spearhead with a small shaft still attached to it to Momo who is flying close overhead. Momo then collects spears as they are thrown by Fire Nation soldiers, rendering them harmless. Tyro and Haru stand in front of the rock dump. They raise a huge amount of rock, and then mash it between them to create a boulder. The Warden is rapidly shooting fireballs at targets. Haru and Tyro are then throwing the boulder at the door into the rig. It blasts a boulder shaped hole in the door.

"Get to the ship! We'll hold them off!" Tyro tells the other earth-benders.

"Do not let them escape!" The Warden rallies a few of his troops and they begin to barrage the exit with flame. Rana, Aang, Katara and Sokka are trying to exit. When they see the flames hit the wall in front of them they stop. Rana throws out her arms in an x movement and the flames snuff out completely, Clearing the way. Rockruff chews on the leg of a soldier who tries to shake her off, with no luck. Aang air-bends a small tornado into existence, the end of which is aimed at the fire-benders.

"Guys, throw me some rock!" He asks. Sokka and Katara start dropping chunks of rock into the top of the little whirlwind, which accelerates down the wind tube and exits at high speed towards the Warden's men. Then all get knocked down. Tyro and two other earth-benders bend the entire rock dump, with the Warden and all his men on it, out of over the open water.

"No, please! I can't swim!" The Warden begs.

"Don't worry, I hear cowards float" Tyro drops them all into the ocean below. Rana lets out a breath and smiles, picking up Vulpix who nuzzles into her neck. Behind her, Noivern lands, revealing a sleeping Pichu on his back. Katara suddenly hugs Rana who chuckles and hugs her back.

"I was so worried" Katara admits.

"Rah" Aang runs at her when Katara pulls back.

"I'm okay" Rana assures them both. Aang gives her a sad smile before he hugs her. "I'm fine" She adds. "I actually gained a new friend" She motions to Pichu. "I found an egg...it hatched, ta-dah"

"What does he do?" Sokka asks as he pokes Pichu's cheek, Pichu's eyes snap open in surprise.

"I wouldn't..." Rana warns but it's too late, Pichu lets loose a lightning bolt that zaps Sokka, throwing him backwards away from him. Katara and Aang turn to look at him.

"I'm okay!" Sokka assures them as he sits up. His hair is all on end. Katara covers her mouth to stop a sizeable laugh. Aang does no such thing and bursts out into laughter.

"New friend!" Aang cheers and then picks up Pichu to hug it closer.

"Pichu!" Pichu cheers and hugs Aang back. Sokka groans and flops back to the ground.

........

Rana sits with Vulpix on the back of Appa, comfy in his saddle as they fly through the sky away from the prison. She's tired. Exhausted really. Wartortle sleeps against her side with Rockruff and above them Noivern slowly circles. They are all tired. Rana sighs and pulls the crystal ball from her neck, looks over it before she touches it to Wartortle's head, he disappears and she moves on to Rockruff and then Vulpix. Letting them rest now.

"Noi" She whispers as her eyes turn purple to communicate with him. He turns and flies down to her so she can lean over and holds out the ball. He manages to touch his wing to the ball and then disappears. Rana lets out a breath before setting the ball back on her chain. She hates to do it, but they could all do with the rest. She sinks into the saddle and closes her eyes, touching the lapels of her dress as she starts to drift to sleep as Appa flies through the clouds, Katara sits watching the prison slowly get smaller and smaller. Aang steers and leads Appa whilst Sokka relaxes too. Rana draws her fingers to the button on her dress before she sits up straighter, realising that her pin is missing, she touches the space on her dress where it usually sits but it's empty. The jade lotus is the only greeny-blue colour she usually wears. She kind of feels empty without it. Naked. It's been part of her dress since she was a child. No matter what she wore, that pin was there. Katara notes her expression and scoots across the saddle to sit with her.

"What's wrong?" Katara asks her.

"My dress pin" Rana answers, rubbing her finger over the button and gives a sad smile. "The lotus" Katara nods. "I must have dropped it"

"Is it important?" Rana shrugs in answer because she doesn't know really.

"I think so" Rana admits with a small frown. "I..it's something I've cherished for a long time but I can't remember where I got..." She stops when she does suddenly remember where she got it from. Zuko. Zuko gave it to her. "Yes, it was important" She lets out a breath. She supposes it doesn't matter now. "There's no going back now" She whispers and stares out at the sun rising in the distance.

...............

The jade lotus pin is lying on the deck of the rig, fallen in the fight, the stake of the pin bent out of shape. Zuko stands over it, staring down at the pin before he picks it up, running his thumb over the lotus flower and then looks out over the sea.