Onee-Chan Is Gone (Sokka x OC)

Chapter 19: Divine Flame

I took a deep breath and let it out softly. Yumi fiddled with my ring that I accidentally stole from the jeweler. Her grey hair was strewn out over her stiff pillow and Iwa had crawled underneath it, only showing their small baby pink nose.

"You know... I'm glad I kept this ring." I said quietly. She didn't verbally acknowledge my words, but instead held my hand and moved it up to her face, softly placing her lips on the ring.

Smiling sheepishly at her I put the hand she was holding on her cheek and ran my thumb under her eyes. We looked at each other in a sweet calmness and laid close together.

We were alone in the tent so that we could rest while Saki and Su-ji stood watch. Soon we would alternate one in and one out, then do the same for the other.

She ran her hands through my short, black hair and I closed my eyes. There were no lights in the tent and the only light from outside was the moon. We rested like this for a while before Yumi spoke up.

"Hey, when's your birthday?"

"April 29th."

"What year?"

"I'm, well not sure. That's just when my parents adopted me."

"So how old do you think you are?"

"14 or 15? What about you?"

"February 10th, 84. So I'm 14."

I sighed and stuck my head into the crook of her neck. "We've known each other for a week and I still don't know anything about you." She mumbled.

"That's okay, I don't think my story is very interesting anyways." I responded dully. "But I would love to learn about how you became a fugitive like me."

"Now, I think that your story is much better. Mine is just a poor kid from Ba Sing Se who ran away and stole a few too many things."

Scoffing playfully, I replied, "you don't get chased down for stealing a bit. What did you really do?"

She smiled timidly. "Okay so I may have stolen from the fire nation and evaded capture... aggressively."

I chuckled and rolled onto my back to face the roof of the tent. I was just about to say something before the door to the tent was pulled open by a hand from outside.

Saki peeked her head in with a grumpy face. "If you aren't going to be sleeping in here I'm going to go ahead and switch shifts."

Yumi sighed and got up, walking out of the tent and letting Saki hit the hay.

There wasn't much noise besides my thoughts voicing themselves inside my head. Saki began to breathe noisily and I felt the drowsiness clout me. 

:::

A shriek hit my ears like an arrow from a bow. I was on my feet before I realized it and a dizzy spell washed over me. Saki's hand grabbed at my arm and pulled me out of the tent. My vision cleared and the sight before me was appalling.

Yumi and Su-ji were being held by Fire Nation soldiers and three others were standing in front of me and Saki. Yumi's arms were being trapped by her side from the soldier's arm and had a fist of fire held inches from her neck. Su-ji was squirming over one of their shoulders, her hands and feet tied behind her with a hairy rope.

"Don't try to fight or we'll burn you pretty friend's neck." They threatened.

I clenched my fists and my armpits began to sweat. Iwa crawled down into my pocket so that they wouldn't get in the way of me fighting but Saki glanced at me and her eyes told me to stay put. She raised her hands up above her head and I followed her head, watching as the soldiers sauntered towards us. Two of them grabbed me as I was the second to surrender.

They twisted my arms behind me and pushed my head down as they wrapped my hands taught in that same fuzzy rope. The soldier that was holding my head down was also gripping my shoulder so hard that I felt blood streaming down my arm. I guess the armor made a cut on my skin.

Pushing us forward, we were loaded onto the backs of their Komodo Rhinos, our stomachs facing downwards. The fifth soldier with no one on it's ride lead the group down the road.

Now that Yumi was no longer being threatened by fire I was struggling to break free, rocking my body back and forth, but they tied me down so that I wouldn't fall off.

I looked around for anything that could help but even if there is anything there's no way I could get to it.

Saki seemed to be yelling at the soldier next to her, but I didn't even try talking because I knew there was no way that they would listen. If they had any reason left in them they wouldn't have threatened to kill Yumi.

As I was looking at the soldier next to me with resentment I noticed something about the armor of their arm. There was a small spot between the shoulder and the elbow where there was no metal.

I strained my head to look up at the soldier's helmet, watching them watch the road. They wouldn't be able to see me until it was too late.

Posturing myself to be able to move quickly, I moved my knees and tensed my core. I flared my nostrils and lifted my head up as far as I could reach, right when they turned to see what I was doing I sunk my teeth into their arm and gnawed into it to make sure it hurt.

They howled in pain and flailed the arm I had in my grasp. Once my teeth came off they whacked my face and I screamed with them.

I realized that all of my leverage was gone and now I was at the mercy of whatever cruelty they would inflict on us.

They gripped their arm and jumped off of their Komodo Rhino. They began to untie my legs and pulled me off of it with them. I fell to the dirt on my knees and noticed a tingling in my nose that made me tear up.

"This fucking shrew bit me!" They exclaimed to their friends. "You better be ready to get pummeled," they said, now to me.

I tucked my chin to my chest and curled my spine. But that could never prepare me for this. Grisly red blood spurt from my lips and my body went hurling into the tall yellow grass on the side of the road. The hurt from my stomach sent my tears spilling. The soldiers surrounded me now, kicking me repeatedly now. I was groaning and coughing, feeling everything and nothing all at once. When one ironclad foot swung into my chin I let out an ear-piercing cry and closed my eyes.

All of the kicking stopped at once and I felt a heat surround me. I opened my eyes slowly and saw a fuzzy orange flame jet past my eyes, singeing my cheeks.

When my sight cleared I saw Su-ji standing above me, balls of flames in her hands and fear in her eyes.