She could not believe it. They had stooped so low as to rely on Jun. Gah! She hated that woman. She was—what?—twenty years older than all of them. She was fucking thirty years old, dang it!
"Tui, I hate her!" she complained under her breath, so low that no one—other than Toph, of course—could hear her.
Zuko opened the door, letting the smell of alcohol and booze reach the nostrils of the gAang. Katara's already deep frown deepened. She followed in behind Zuko, keeping unconsciously close to his smell of smoldering ashes and of oak-wood fire. Could you blame her? His smell ridded all the ugh and icky smells. Her warm blue eyes swept over the crowd of drunken men and perverted sickos. She saw the leather-clad, stick woman arm wrestling.
She really didn't like the way that one man with the gray-green eyes looked at her. Shudder. Unbeknownst to her, she pulled up the collar of her dress and hovered closer to the firebender. Toph hovered closer to the waterbender, like an I don't care if you're older than me; I'm going to protect you, even if you don't need it little sister. Sokka did the same, noticing the looks and not very much liking them.
Jun was beating the man, which, hate it as she might, impressed Katara. Veins were popping out over the overly buff man's arm—and Jun hadn't even broken a sweat. The waterbender could tell that was very well angering him.
Zuko stopped in front of the table, knowing well enough that if he interrupted her, she would rather die than help. Waiting, he ran a hand through his hair, messing it up.
Jun tipped her wrist and the man's arm went down with a thump. The table vibrated. "I'm done with you. Out of my sight," she told him, rolling her dark eyes. She turned to the four remaining gAang members while the man scurried away with a faked pride. "Hello, Prince of Pout," she greeted, running her shaded eyes over Zuko's well toned body. He had certainly grown. Yum, the tracker thought, getting a peak at his oh…so…muscled chest through the open places in his tunic. "Where's the lascivious old dude?"
"Uncle's not here," Zuko said, clenching his fists as to not burn the woman for her disrespect.
Jun's eyes trailed over the rest of the gAang. She grinned. "Well, I see you've worked things out with your girlfriend."
A blush covered Katara and Zuko's faces. "She is not my girlfriend!" he yelled. At the same time, Katara yelled, "I am not his girlfriend!"
Jun chuckled, her grin spreading as she enjoyed the look on the teens' faces. "Defensive…," she muttered. Then, she sighed. "What do you want?" Her tone was as board as if they were doing nothing more than discussing politics. Ugh, politics….
"We need you to track down Aang," the scarred sixteen-year-old said in a monotone. He continued on to explain their…situation.
An unimpressed grin spread through her Jun's black-painted lips. "Still after the avatar, I see," she declared.
Smoke escaped Zuko's pale nose. He still couldn't get over that self-loathing about that one bad year. He had been stupid—okay, understatement. He had been idiotic, naive, and childish to think that his so-called father would give him back his crown. "No," he breathed, smoke still floating out and evaporating in the boozy air. "It's not like that—I'm on his side."
Katara felt the need to add to his comment, to be the one standing up for him as a friend—a half-unforgiving friend, but a friend nonetheless. "We—all of us—are allies."
Jun let out a laugh, which sounded more like a cackle. She stopped rolling her eyes to run them over Zuko's amazing body again. His ever so defined biceps tight at his side looked about ready to burn the whole bar to ashes. His tones legs were hidden under long pants, but it was hardly proposed a challenge to her imagination. "That includes whatever her name is, true?"
"Her name is Katara, and yes. But that's not why I'm here."
Toph gripped Katara's wrist and pulled her down to so she could whisper in her ear, "I really don't like the vibes this chick is sending off. Sparky's being…undressed by a pair of eyes."
"I care because…?" Katara trailed off, glaring at the leather-clad tracker. Toph groaned, feeling the jealous vibrations, and let her wrist go.
"Whatever," Jun dismissed. The leather-clad woman ran a hungry gaze over Zuko again, which went unnoticed by him—again. Her dark eyes turned to look into golden ones. "I'll do it…." Something was coming, Katara knew it. There was a but to come. "For a price." There it was.
Katara's eyes widened in shock as she realized what Jun wanted. How could she not have guessed, what with the way her dark eyes roamed over Zuko ever so often? She grabbed Zuko's pale wrist possessively. "Oh hellno!" If only she could be as naïve as Zuko and Sokka—Sokka who was perverted, yet naïve. Curse those midwife years. She wished she could forget the looks those men gave their woman when they wanted Katara to leave so they could…. Ugh. That look was copied into Jun's predatory eyes.
"Why not, princess? Didn't you say you were nothing more than allies?" Jun's tone was prodding, almost as if she had proven a point. She stood, ran a finger over Zuko's chiseled jaw, and growled.
Katara pulled back the blood that was rising to a different place in Zuko's body than his cheeks. She swore she would never bloodbend again, but…desperate times call for desperate measures. Plus, she wouldn't let Jun have the pleasure of knowing the affect she had on the exiled prince. Hell, the only reason Katara knew was because the water in his blood was warming to a temperature that—if he wasn't a firebender—could've killed him. She was always on alert for that type of thing, because, well, when Aang's blood temperature did that, he had a fever. To bend Zuko's blood back, all she had to do was put her thumb over her four fingers and pull back a bit. "It's because we're friends that I won't let him, pervert."
"Someone's in denial…," Sokka whispered in a singsong voice behind Toph.
"Won't let me do what, Katara?" Zuko wondered. Ay, sometimes Katara wished she was as naïve as him. She pulled herself to her tiptoes and explained when she was at his ear. A discussed expression came across Zuko's face. "Eww."
Katara pulled herself back to her normal height. "My point exactly. You're a danged prince—and more importantly, Aang's teacher—for La's sake. You shouldn't be made into a man-whore." She turned to her brother and Toph. "C'mon. Let's go find another way to find Aang." She started walking, her long hair swinging in tune to the sway of her hips. In her anger, she didn't notice the beers and liquors that rattled and followed her. Vexation made bending a hell of a lot easier.
"Wait a minute," Zuko deadpanned, seriously considering the deal. The avatar was missing, for crying out loud! He turned to the tracker, his eyes in a glare. "In exchange for your tracking?" He had Katara's form in sight at the corner of his eye.
"That's the deal, sugar," she chuckled, eyes on the paused back of the waterbender who was listening with vigor.
Katara turned around to face them, the beers floating around her in slips, almost as if ready to bite and burn them like fire, which it probably was. Her aqua eyes were bright with anger, like a flame had enlightened behind them; her fist were clenching. Zuko flinched at the sight. He remembered the way her whips tightened when she fisted her hands, and the way they came out with a splashy clap when they bit flesh ruthlessly.
"Hey, Sugar Queen," Toph spoke, her blind eyes turning in the general direction of the bender's ill-tempered vibrations, "why do you care?"
"True, Katara, why?" Sokka seconded, his brown brows knitted together. Zuko's own brows lifted in amusement. Why did she care? It's not like they were together or anything.
Denial in:
One…
Two…
Three…
"I don't. I just don't want a man—boy—whore with us. Not only is it…ugh but its immoral, wrong, and just plain ol' sick," Katara said, aiming her fiery azure eyes at the two people who asked. There was a murderous intent in them. "So let's go."
"We need to find Aang, Kat," Zuko uttered, unintentionally cutting her name short. Katara's eyes widened. A flashback ran through her mind, fast as Zuko's lightening.
:: ::
"Honey, let's go. I don't like this place for you. We need to find Daddy, Kat," Sora told her little sister. The firebombs were starting again. She was panicking. Where was their father? The snow here was a sickly brown and yellow. The bar was near here.
A man came to the girls. Their family was so famous, considering the fact that they were that of the Chief's. "Looking for your father, eh?" Sora nodded slowly. The man was so obviously drunk. "I'll help you… if you help me."
"With what?" the seventeen year old said questioningly, hiding the six-year-old Katara behind her.
Drunk, muzzy eyes looked over Sora. The man grabbed her waist. The teen knew what was next. She dropped Katara, freeing her short black hair. "Something, I'm sure, you'll do well." He drunkenly attacked her plump lips. Misty blue eyes widened. She had known what was to come, but….
She tried pulling away, pushing the man off her, but he was too strong. All she managed to do was make him angrier. But Sora got three words out, "Kat! Run, Kat!"
:: ::
And Katara never saw her sister again. It haunted her. She could have saved her, developed bending skills or not. She still knew it was her fault Sora was killed.
"Um… Zuko, don't call her that," Sokka warned, watching the yellow liquids quiver and the ices crack.
"I don't care if we need to find Aang! You are not whoring yourself! I won't allow it! I'd rather you die before doing that, okay! You're a stupid little firebender, Aang's a strong earth-, air-, and waterbender! He'll be fine! But
I'm not going to let you whore yourself for him! Nothing like what happened to Sora will happen to another person I love as long as I breathe…." She was out of breath, beer was swirling around her, lashing out at random places, yet never hurting anyone. "No deal. Let's go."
No one objected.
::after finding Aang; (don't ask)::
Katara smiled at Aang's storytelling. "So you were lost on a turtle island?" she said questioningly.
"Yeah! It was scary and so awesome!" the bald monk yelled, jumping with excitement. Katara giggled and cuddled closer to the fire, until the rest of the gAang fell asleep.
::nighttime::
"Couldn't sleep?" the blue-eyed waterbender asked the golden eyes that shown through the black night.
"Mind's busy" were the two words that came out of him. He knelt down next to the fire, which his bending could be thanked for. Katara nodded and leaned closer to him, seeking the warmth of his skin. She didn't touch him though.
"So…what was so important that you couldn't sleep? You're a heavy sleeper now, you know—almost as bad as Sokka, though you do wake up earlier, at least." Katara's eyes looked up at the moon; her eyes reflected the satellite's blue shine.
"Am I?" Zuko asked, deciding to ignore her question. "I wake up with the sun, how am I a heavy sleeper?"
Katara smiled, pushing him playfully. "When we have to leave at night, you're terrible." She sighed. "What's on your mind? The Jun thing?"
"Eh…" Zuko sighed, debating whether or not to admit it. "More or less…. It's more what you said. Why did you say that?" Love him. That was what bothered him—he didn't want to get his hopes up. Hello—this was Katara, the same one that could heal you in minutes and then turn around whip your behind! He ran a pale hand through his shaggy brown hair.
"The nothing will happen to another person I love thing? Or the fact that I would've cheerfully whipped your a-double-snakes if you had said yes?"
"The love you thing," Zuko answered, calmly rubbing his hand in front of his ever-growing fire. On the outside, it looked like they could have very well been discussing the topic of the weather—hot, warm, rainy, sunny, and so on—but on the inside, he was sweating like a nervous pig. "Why'd you say that?"
Katara smiled up at the full moon, thinking of Yue. Something had happened to her, and Katara loved her—three to the world, one to Katara. Three being Sora, her mom, and Yue; one being Aang. "I had an older sister, you know. Her name was Sora. Last time I saw her, she was pale, her lips were gray, and she had her arms crossed like the dead. She was seventeen, Zuko. She was killed."
What did this have to do with the thing in question? Zuko listened anyways, interested in her life's story.
"By whom?" he asked earnestly, watching the fire. It reflected off his liquid gold eyes.
"By a stupid drunk man who wanted his way with her." Katara smiled bitterly at the memory. "She was protecting me. She told me to run. Being the stupid, naïve six-year-old I was, I listened. I didn't see her for the next week. The idiot got her pregnant, and he killed her to get to the baby. That's why I didn't let you. I wasn't going to lose another important person, another person I love."
"Bi—" Zuko started about to call the man an "unfriendly" name. (Truthfully, it was downright evil.)
"Language, my firebender." She had been calling him that a lot as of late. My firebender. She leaned closer to him, seeking his heat in the horrid memory. "Did you know a full moon makes me restless? It's a good thing you came, or I would be out as the Painted Lady right now. Given away our camp, I would've."
The Painted Lady? Wait—did he miss something? Most defiantly. Another person I love. She loved him. Zuko smirked, wrapped an arm around her waist, and pulled, firmly pulling her to his side. Katara rested her head on his capable shoulder. "Painted Lady?"
"I am the Painted Lady, just like you were the Blue Spirit," Katara stated calmly. She was twirling her long, brown hair distractedly. Digging her head deeper into Zuko's neck, she sighed. "I miss those days. Everyone loved me. No one ever wanted to kick the fudge out of me."
Zuko chuckled. "The fudge?"
"Aang won't let me cuss. Annoyingly loveable little monk hears everything," she muttered. She down from the moon to Zuko's face, and met his eyes. "Trust me, Avatar Mode is nothing cool when it's aimed at you."
"Don't have to tell me twice." He was laughing—laughing—happily. Laughing!
Katara pulled away, staring at him like he'd gone nuts. "Who are you and what did you do to my Zuko?" Her eyes were wide with entertainment and joy, they were lit playfully.
"Very funny… Kat," he said, knowingly cutting her name short.
Katara froze.
Let's go home, Kat….
Catch me if you can, Kat….
Pancakes, Kat…?
"Please don't call me that," she said and her voice caught in her throat. Her cobalt eyes were rimming with tears.
"Why?"
"Sora…that was her nickname for me," Katara frowned. Tears overflowed her eyes. She wanted to bend them back, to not cry in front of her longtime love. But something about that longtime love made her tears come faster. The need of a good cry overwhelmed her.
Zuko nodded, dragging her waist closer to him. "It's alright, don't worry," he whispered. Katara dug her face into his bare chest of her own free will, trying to hide the tears from him, though he was sure to feel them roll down his chest. "Go ahead and cry; I understand."
He found the chink in her armor—permission. No one had ever given her permission to cry, not when Sora died, not when Kya died, not when Hokoda left, not when Aang was struck with lightning; never. Her dam of tears cracked, they all flew into Zuko's capable chest. It was silent crying; it felt like braking, piece by piece, more than exploding, like she always did when she cried. Splintering felt worse than exploding, it hurt more. Only one thought made it worth living through, made her capable of living through it:
Zuko's here to pick up the pieces; he won't let them get lost.
A/N:
Please, review. I have Sora here, and she makes the best pancakes—she'll make you some if you review.
(Sora says hi, Katara)