A/N: Hey guys, White here with another journey into the Avatar world. I won't spoil things for y'all so enjoy it now guys!
Things were not looking good for Katara. Azula and her pack of Fire Nation soldiers as well as Mai and Ty Lee have successfully cut her off from her friends and now she was running through the forest, hoping to escape Azula. They made it to a small clearing where it was apparently just them in the setting.
Katara was breathing hard, clearly tired from all the running she had to endure. True she was a master waterbender, but it wouldn't do her much good being so outnumbered.
Azula smirked as she lurked in the shadows of the trees to let Katara pretend that she outpaced her. Her cunning, sneaky, ways turning to good use on the battlefield.
Katara stopped to take a few deep breaths. "I'm not sure how much more of this I can take.." Katara murmured.
Azula jumped off of her branch and fired a quick lightning bolt at Katara
Katara never saw it coming as it hit her squarely in the back and knocked her out cold..
Azula didn't want Katara to die. She'd spent weeks tracking her and her friends down and she knew she was too valuable to just kill. Her Fire Nation soldiers finally caught up with her and surrounded Katara, making sure that if she got up with any resistance she would get burned.
Slowly Katara got to her feet, and calmly gave the classic surrendering gesture, knowing trying to fight off such a large group would be futile.
Azula smirked, "Smart girl," She said with haughtiness in her voice, "Bring her to the ship, we have who we came here for."
Her soldiers nodded, and led their prisoner away being gentle with her because she hadn't resisted them when she was surrounded.
Azula followed them, they were approaching the shore soon enough, that was where Azula's ship was.
As soon as they brought Katara aboard the ship, they carefully handcuffed her.
"I bet you miss your little friends already don't you Katara?" Azula bragged in the young waterbender's face, knowing she was defenseless.
"They'll find me Azula, don't worry about that." Katara growled.
"I'm not worried about them because the next time they see you, you will be fighting for me," Azula grinned.
"And why would I do that?" Katara asked.
"Because I said so," Azula said, holding her grin. She obviously had a little plan for Katara, "Take her to the prison hold."
Her soldiers nodded and led Katara away.
The Fire Nation princess smiled, looking at the sea happily. Things were going just as planned.
Katara meanwhile was being led to a rather strange holding area of sorts.
Katara was carried into a prisoners hold. It was cold, barely lit, and intimate in its size. She knew Azula had a place like this in mind for her all along.
Katara glared up at the soldiers but didn't say a word, knowing that Azula wanted her to get upset.
Azula entered the room, "Put her down and be sure she's strapped in."
"Of course Princess." They replied, carefully and securely strapping the waterbender in to the lone chair in the room, making escape impossible.
"Oh and don't forget to plug that cord in," Azula noted, "This invention is courtesy of Fire Nation technology."
"What on earth does that do?" Katara asked. She dreaded knowing what it was since it belonged to the evil Fire Nation.
"This machine will help me brainwash you," Azula smiled.
Katara's eyes went wide in panic and terror. "B...Brainwash?" She squeaked out in fear.
"Thats right," Azula nodded, "I figure what better way to kill The Avatar than with one of his own friends?" Azula's voice was full of confidence, as if she knew this plan was going to work with ease.
"I'll...I'll never turn on Aang!" Katara replied, still showing her stubborn defiance even though she was so afraid.
"Soon enough you won't have a choice in the matter," Azula smiled, bending down to look Katara eye-to-eye.
Katara looked back at the Fire Nation Princess, her bright blue eyes radiating fear while Azula's golden amber eyes radiated supreme smug confidence.
"Don't worry, it'll all be over soon," Azula smiled, stroking Katara's chin with the 'come hither' motion
"Could you at least have enough decency to tell me whats gonna happen?" Katara asked softly, without her usual confidence in the face of Azula.
"Simple. I will be in my quarters relaying messages to you while the doors are closed and the lights are off. Its a method of hypnosis and once it's over you will believe that Aang is the enemy and that you are fighting for me," Azula answered, keeping her voice nice and smooth.
"How will I hear you from in here?" She asked.
"With these," Azula said, grabbing some devices that were flexible and had two earmuff on the sides and had a cord on the end, "I will give you messages from my room through this device that we call a headcomm. You will hear them, understand them, obey them..."
Katara reluctantly nodded, knowing she had no alternative.
"Good, I'll be in my quarters," Azula said, "Leave with me men."
The soldiers obediently followed while the last remaining one plugged in the cord to their device as Katara very reluctantly put on the headset.
A minute of so later Azula was in her room with her own headcomm on, ready to talk, "Katara."
"Yes Azula?"
It was then Katara noticed the lights in the room shut off.
"Just wanted to see if you could hear me," Azula answered, she was still a little new to this technology.
"The lights just went off. I assume thats part of your plan for me?"
"It is. Now I want you to close your eyes and just relax Katara," Azula's voice was calm and cool as she said this.
"Yes...Azula.." Katara answered softly as she closed her eyes, letting all her muscles relax.
"Now empty your mind, clear it all out Katara..."
"Empty my mind? What do you mean?"
"Focus on nothing more than just you and me, we are the only people that matter here."
"Yes Azula.." Katara answered, clearing her mind of everything, focusing on nothing but her and Azula.
"Now...we are sisters Katara same father but different mothers," Azula said calmly, getting down to business.
"S...Sisters?" Katara asked, stunned.
"That's right. We have the same father but different mothers, we were switched at birth when our kingdom was invaded by Ar Nomads so our father Ozai could keep his heirs...his children safe." Azula explained softly to the captive girl.
"I'm...Ozai's daughter.." Katara repeated, spellbound.
Azula smirked, this was more fun than she thought, "You were sent to a remote, insignificant Water Tribe before being captured and enslaved by an Air Nomad Avatar and his allies but I have rescued you." She explained.
"I...was enslaved?" Katara asked, stunned.
"Thats right. Forced to fight and use your abilities against your will under threat of death and the worst part was that you actually gave in to your captors, you believed that they were protecting you, helping you, when they were only just using you." Azula explained with a sad smile.
"Using me? How?" Katara asked, concerned.
"You are a powerful waterbender as your powers stem from your mother's side. You can fight and heal with great talent and they saw your abilities as useful to them. You were even naive enough to help the Avatar learn waterbending." Azula explained, trying to console her victim.
"But...its the Avatars job to end the war and restore peace." Katara protested.
"Our father is a powerful, influential, man who only wishes to help the world see his vision. The only reason that this war is happening is because the Avatar has a cultlike following and is vengeful for our father stopping his people from killing him. He wants to destroy our father's vision." Azula answered softly.
"What is...our father's vision?" Katara asked, enraptured.
"He wishes to spread the wisdom and might of the the Fire Nation to the rest of the world. Our people are the strongest of the nations in technology, entertainment, government, and of course happiness. The Avatar wants to end that just for the sake of petty vengeance." Azula answered, wiping a tear.
"He...wants to cause war? The Avatar is...evil?" Katara asked, horrified. Had she really been helping a monster?
"That's right. He wishes to kill our father and ruin his plans to improve the world," Azula cooed with a cool smirk on her face. She could only imagine just how Katara looked as she heard her lies. Katara's expression was vacant and relaxed as she heard all of this and her once bright blue eyes were becoming darker, deeper, perhaps even more solid in look.
"Yes...sister...what is my relationship with our father? Does he favor me like you?" Katara asked.
"He misses you every day. He loves me as much as he loves you and you and he will welcome you to his kingdom...our kingdom with open arms and a loving heart," Azula said with a peaceful yet happy tone, as if she was telling a fairy tale to a young child.
"Yes...Azula.." Katara murmured, her eyes nearly a solid blue now.
"We'll work as sisters to kill the Avatar and defeat anybody who stands in our way," Azula smiled as she said this.
"Yes..we will kill the Avatar.." Katara smiled. But this wasn't her normal sweet and loving smile, this was an evil grin.
Azula smirked, brimming with pride, "I love you...Katara."
"I...love you too Azula...my sister, my real family.." Katara cooed.
The light turned back on and Azula returned to the room. No guards, no security, just the Fire Nation princess herself, ready to greet her 'sister'.
Katara looked up at her and smiled in delight.
Azula unstrapped Katara herself, setting her free from her bindings.
"Azula?" She asked softly.
"Yes Katara," Azula replied with equal softness.
"Are you...using me?" She asked softly.
Azula thought about telling the truth and letting Katara know that she was using her to kill the Avatar but she heard the softness in her voice, as if Katara was really hoping that she wasn't being used. It warmed Azula's heart just a little, "No, I'm not using you Katara."
"Y...Your not?" She asked gently.
"No I'm not," Azula shook her head, holding Katara's hands, "I missed my sister after all of these years." Azula was believing her own lie. She felt a loving feeling in her heart, something that she never had before. She was ready to treat Katara with a similar love that she had been given from Ozai.
"You...really and truly love me?" Katara asked.
"Yes, I really and truly love you" Azula said softly.
"I love you too...sister. Let's help our father..and kill the Avatar." Katara smirked.
"Right," Azula smiled while she led Katara out of the holding cell. The rest of Team Avatar was already searching for Katara, an encounter was approaching.
Katara's new destiny awaited her...
To be continued...