A metallic, heavy hold

Like Toph's description of the drill:

A metal monster.

The strange irony

Is that although the drill penetrated Ba Sing Se

Nothing penetrated the silence

That stiffened the air.

Try as I might,

I couldn't bend my way out

The refined earth underneath my fingertips

Held firm even with my punches and blows.

One blow

One for Katara

Two blows

Two for my fate.

It's when I remembered

Her, huddled in a corner

Her hair streaming down her shoulders

Looking beautiful still.

And that's when

My senses came alive-

Realizing that I put her in danger

Again, for what I had done.

The chains on my arms

And legs gave me limited movement:

All I could do was look

At the sleeping figure, guilt wracking my head.

They probably drugged her

To make her sleep like this

Otherwise, I knew that she would try

And try to rescue me, despite the wretched chains.

That's how much she cared for me

And I felt a pang of sorrow hit my heart

As I struggled still to break free

And cried silent tears of desperation.

I heard voices, and footsteps

Probably a guard waiting outside

Or one of Azula's accomplices

Standing outside the door.

The metal monster gave a heave

And I felt a sudden bump

Hearing waves crash against the side of the metal

And realized that this was not a drill.

It was a ship,

Headed to the Fire Nation

And nothing I could do

Could stop it.

Gazing at Katara

I sent mute signals to her

Trying to reach into her mind

Trying to tell her our fate.

But nothing worked

And she slept on

I could feel the waves underneath us

And smell the rancid odor of rotted food.

Day passed into night,

And already, my stomach was aching

Aching for food

And my heart was aching

Aching for love.

In this dreamlike state I remained

Unmoving

Half-lidded eyes kept watch on the sleeping figure

The rest of the body numb and still.

The chains didn't allow me to lie down

The rank straw kept me from sleeping

Only the resting angel gave me courage

Not to close my tired eyes.

The ship docked for the night

And a stale piece of bread was tossed in the cell

It landed halfway across the room

Out of my grasp.

Airbending would not work-

Neither would anything else,

They either drugged me

Or I didn't have the strength.

I began to believe

There was no hope for us

Only after one night

I was tired, weak, and hungry.

Sleep worked its way up to my eyes

And I leaned against the cold, forbidding wall

My last gaze was on Katara

As I forced myself into sleep.