~Your On Fire In The Water That Surrounds Us~

Chapter 1- Blood, Sweat, Fire, Water

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A piercing scream shot out to her comrades, "Ahhhh!"

"KATARA!" Aang and Sokka yell out simultaneously, trapped.

Dust was imminent as the sounds of swords clashed together throughout the warm air. Zuko quickly shifted his view to see Katara, but only got a glimpse of her before Azula's men came charging at him once again. Azula's men attacked: a sharp blade slashed his bicep open and a scream of agony escaped his lips. Before Aang or Sokka could come to Zuko's aid, the ground started to rumble and they stopped in fear. Not knowing what to expect, they looked around seeing a rockslide coming towards them. The rockslide came at them too fast for them to even blink, let alone move out of the way. Zuko was struggling to keep 5 of Azula's men off of him, he yelled out towards where Sokka and Aang had just been and started to fight even harder. Katara, being held captive, could do nothing but stand there and watch her friends get picked off one by one. Tears formed in her eyes as she watched her team being beat down, not being able to do anything. She tried to free herself from the enemy who had a tight grip around her from behind, but she was unsuccessful in her attempts. Aang and Sokka, being pinned under a rockslide, had no luck moving or escaping easily. Nor were they very thorough in their attempts to free themselves in time to save Katara and help Zuko. With their weapons scattered across the battlefield and Aang's air bending being useless as well, they could do nothing but lay there as Katara was taken from them. Zuko had too many men on him to make his way over to free Aang and Sokka or even get to Katara. As quickly as Zuko was knocked down, he was right back up again, although very beaten, cut and physically exhausted. Sweat rolled down his forehead and his shirt was a bit damp around his neck from all the fighting. He kept on his two feet, barely able to move as heavy breaths escaped his dry mouth. His movements slowed and he cursed under his breath, frustrated that his body couldn't keep up. An enemy nearby was watching Zuko's pointless attempts and he knew. Jet knew Zuko had developed feelings toward Katara and become close friends with the rest of the group. What better ways to make him suffer then beat the living hell out of him and his friends and take his beloved? Surely this would do the trick to put him in his place. Since he had joined forces with Azula, it worked out very nicely for the both of them. He would kidnap Katara not only to make Zuko and the gang suffer, but to have a beautiful mother to bear his children later on. While taking Katara, Azula knew the abduction would make the Avatar follow them until he found her. She could wait for his arrival, using Katara as bait and plot an ambush to capture him. That way, she would have the Avatar fall into her trap and not have to go out and search for him any longer. As Zuko was knocked to the ground once again, Jet swooped up Katara in his arms- with her not being so cooperative- and they retreated back to the fire nation ships. Zuko slowly and shakily rose to his feet again, not taking any time to free Sokka or Aang, but instead running after the ships. The soldiers tried to stop him but he simply avoided their attacks and blew past them. It's not that he didn't care for his friends, but he knew if he dawdled, they would lose Katara. Aang and Sokka had the ability to free themselves anyway- even if it would take some time. As they boarded, Jet forced Katara down to the lower levels of the ship. The ships quickly sailed off and Zuko jumped head first into the water, quickly catching onto one of the ladders on the side of the ship. He kept his arm tightly wrapped around the side of the ladder, all the while being dragged throughout the cold water. Night was practically right above him and his cut was burning from the sudden rush of cold water. After he finally caught his breath and regained some of his strength, night had come and he managed to climb up the ladder. When he boarded the ship, he successfully snuck past all of the guards leading to the lower level. He hid behind a wall, listening into the conversation Jet was having with the two guards who were assigned to stand guard in front of Katara's room.

"I don't care what happens, but she does not come out of this room. The only people allowed to access these rooms are Azula, anyone with the password and I." He instructed the two.

They nodded their heads as he continued, "The password is freedom fighters and you do not question anyone who knows it. Understood?"

"Yes sir," the guards replied, saluting him respectfully.

As Jet walked off, Zuko hid behind the wall trying to come up with a plan to get in to Katara's room. Sitting down while gathering his breath and thinking, he came up with a few ideas for a plan to bust Katara out of her room. He could use the password and although Jet said not to question anyone, the soldiers might recognize him. He inhaled a deep breath and jumped out, surprising the guards. He quickly managed to take them out and robbed the smaller one of his outfit. He slipped the outfit on, dragging the exposed guard behind the wall and into the dark. Also making sure the other guard was sitting up against the wall outside of her room: he made the guard look like he was just sleeping on the job. Zuko made sure that they were really knocked out before he took the keys from the guard's pocket. As he did so, he quietly unlocked the door, slipping in and closing it, without Katara noticing. Katara was sitting in a chair with her back towards the door, staring out of the little window provided for her. She was calmly brushing her hair and Zuko noticed she looked saddened. He gulped as he came up behind her, putting his hand over her mouth to prevent her yells from being heard. She dropped her brush, surprised, as she tried to pry off the hand of an unfamiliar person. Since she started to struggle against him, he pulled her body against the back of the chair and pressed his chest against the back of the chair as well to balance the chair from tipping over. Her attacker didn't loosen his grip, but that didn't stop her from struggling to get free.

"Katara, shhh, it's me, Zuko." He whispered in her ear, letting his hot breath linger on her neck for a couple seconds.

He released his hand from her mouth as she stood up and turned around, looking at him. She shot him a cold glare, getting ready to bend her water, indicating she didn't recognize him and was ready to attack. He quickly took off his mask, revealing his scar as she sighed with relief. She threw herself at him, embracing him into a tight and surprise hug. He slowly returned the favor and after their hug ended, they both had a little blush.

"Are you hurt?" Zuko asked her, concerned.

"No, I'm fine," she continued, "Your arm!"

Zuko glanced down at it to see blood rushing from it, "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Zuko," she started sternly, "Let me fix that up. It won't take long."

Not bothering to give him time to reply, she walked over to him, pulling out her sacred water. She bended it around her hand like a glove and gently put it over the wound on his arm. Zuko watched as her hand started to glow and the cut started to fade along with the slight pain that was with it. After a couple of seconds, she bended her sacred water back into her special container and examined his arm. The cut was no longer there and her healing didn't even leave a scar. It looked like he had never gotten cut.

He looked at Katara, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," she replied, "How did you-?"

"Long story," he interrupted, knowing what she was going to ask, "I'll tell you later but right now, we need to get off of this ship before they know I boarded or we'll both be prisoners."

Sighing, she replied, "Yeah, your right. So, what's the plan?"

"Huh?" Zuko questioned.

Katara's jaw dropped; irritated he came to rescue her without knowing what to do after he had reached her. She took a deep breath and calmed herself as she began to think. Her hand on her hip and the other wiping her brow, she began to think about how to get off the ship with Zuko, but without getting noticed. Now was not the time to let her anger cloud her thoughts and blow up. She kept on her toes, alert as she heard someone walking down the hall towards her room. She didn't have time for words so she quickly pushed Zuko in the closet, shutting it quickly and quietly. She whispered to him to be quiet before the person knocked on the door. She tip-toed to her chair, picked up the brush and continued to brush her hair as the mysterious person entered her room. She acted like nothing had happened and continued to stare out of her window.

"So, Katara, how do you like your room?" he asked.

She would know his voice anywhere; it was Jet. She snorted, refusing to make conversation with him. He shut the door, walking up to her from behind. Zuko could see out of a little crack and watched Jet, making sure he didn't go too far to do anything to hurt or take advantage of Katara. Jet grabbed her wrist and stood her to her feet, twirling her around to face him. She dropped her brush once again, forced to face him for a split second. After seeing the look in his eyes, she then turned her face from him with an attitude. He grabbed her other wrist and shoved her against the wall roughly, staring into her eyes. After she regained her vision from her head being pounded against the wall, she glared at him as his cold stare turned into an evil smirk. The bastard enjoyed seeing her hate and pain so evident in her gorgeous blue orbs. Her arms were pinned beside her head as his body moved closer to hers. She put up a good fight to free her arms from her sides, but to no avail. Before she could put her leg up to prevent him from having his body on hers, he beat her to it. He had maneuvered between her legs, leaving no space between their bodies except for their faces which were slowly inching closer together.

"Alright, I see you like to play hard to get. What happened Katara? We used to be so close. You would've loved it when my body was pressed against yours." He whispered to her.

It was true, she had a physical attraction to him and it was hard to resist him when he was so close to her like this. She gulped hard and faced him once again, trying to keep her glare towards him. Katara tried to keep strong for herself. Although Zuko was hiding in the closet close by, Jet hadn't done anything to her for him to come out and attack. Instead of being saved by someone else, she was determined to save herself this time and she was going to try her hardest to prove that she could handle herself. Gritting her teeth and giving Jet a cold glare, she spoke up with a dark tone.

"That was before you lied you jerk! And now that you're working with Azula, it just makes me hate you all the more, you traitor! I can't believe that you betrayed us like that! You're despicable, Jet." She yelled at him.

Before she could finish expressing all her thoughts, Jet had closed the space between their heads, capturing her lips with his. She blushed, feeling goose bumps start from her legs all the way up to her head. Although she enjoyed his wonderful kissing, she struggled to get away from his grasp. She knew if he continued to kiss her like this, she'd end up giving in to him and she couldn't- she wouldn't- give up. Zuko wanted to jump out and rip him to shreds at that moment, but he composed himself, waiting to see if he would say anything about any further plans. He needed to know what Jet was planning teaming up with Azula. As Jet moved his lips from hers, she bit her lip, turning her head away from his so she could avoid from that happening again and to hide her blush. He smirked, knowing that she enjoyed what he had done to her and he licked his lips in delight. She was a girl after all and Jet was a very attractive young man. Even though he was a "bad boy" she couldn't help if she had an attraction to him and being a bad boy just made it all the worse, seeing how she was usually attracted to bad boys. [Ahem! Zuko. ;)] He slowly breathed against her neck and she looked at the door Zuko had been in for help. She couldn't take much more before her body gave in to him and she desperately needed Zuko's help. She couldn't shake him off of her and no matter what she did or said, it seems her body betrayed her thoughts. Before Zuko could get a chance kicked down the door, Jet spoke up.

"Now how could a jerk like me give you such an offer: how would you like to be the mother of my children and the one and only woman in my life?" He asked, unaware that he was pissing Zuko off even more.

"Over my dead body…" She tried to scream but it sounded huffier.

"Aww Katara, stop playing so hard to get. You and I both know you want me as much as I want you. Stop resisting so much and just give in already. If you be a good girl about this, I'll even let your friends live and maybe let you visit them. It'll be our dirty little secret, okay?" He said, pushing her past limits by trailing kisses down her neck.

"Zuko… Help…" she whispered just enough for him to hear her.

"What did you just-?" he started to ask her but was cut off.

Zuko broke down the door, pulling out the sword he had stolen from the guard and attacked Jet. Surprised, he was too slow to react and his arm was gashed open by the sword as Katara slid down the wall, holding her arms against her chest, breathing heavily, a blush strong on her cheeks. Zuko stood in front of her with his sword up and in a defensive stance. Katara put her head down trying to collect herself as Jet held the gash in his arm, trying to keep pressure on it. Zuko glanced down at Katara to check if she was harmed in any way. She stood to her feet behind Zuko with a slight blushing staining her cheeks and nodded to him. After confirming that she was alright, he fixed his vision back onto Jet who was leaning against the wall on the other side of the room. Jet gritted his teeth, smirking and chuckling at Zuko.

"What's so funny?" Zuko yelled, outraged at him.

"You really think you can get away with her? There are thousands of guards on this ship with Azula on the ship beside us with other thousands or so soldiers who won't hesitate to kill you! So, my friend, you really wanna do this?" Jet questioned, irritating Zuko even further.

Not bothering to hear any more from him, he jumped towards Jet, sending a ball of fire towards him. Jet managed to roll out of the way and dodge the ball of fire, blowing a loud whistle that hung from his neck. Dropping the whistle, he stood to his feet and threw some type of smoke bomb down while quickly fleeing away from the room. Zuko grabbed Katara and quickly put his body around her, putting her face in his chest with his arms around her as he stood up wearily, coughing. Katara tried to move her head out of his chest but he held her head firmly against his chest, forcing her to breathe in his scent, rather than the smoke. She held onto his shirt, keeping her eyes closed and trusting Zuko to guide them to safety. When he escaped the smoky room with her, he released her, coughing even more.

"Zuko! Are you alright? C'mon, please get up, we have to escape!" Katara said, helping him to his feet.

She threw his arm around her neck and helped him stand to his weary feet. After he was on his feet, she moved his arm and he held himself up by leaning on his knees. She glanced around to get to know her surroundings and tugged Zuko's wrist towards the stairs leading to the upper deck of the ship. She held a grip on his wrist and he made sure not to let go of hers. He kept coughing, but ran with her, barely keeping his eyes open. He started thinking that maybe what Jet had thrown at them was more than just a smoke bomb. Soldiers attacked them as soon as they were in sight and Zuko's reaction time was delayed from inhaling all the smoke. He fell to his knee and put his hand on the ship to make sure he wouldn't fall over. He still had a hold on Katara's wrist as they stood out onto the main part of the ship where they could clearly see water. Katara water bended a barrier around them, protecting them from the soldier's fire attacks. Zuko released his grip from Katara and began to cough even harder as some blood was also coughed up. Katara turned her head toward him and started to panic as she saw him breathing heavily with blood dripping off of his chin. He was on his hands and knees trying his best to catch his breath. She didn't know what to do so she let the barrier down and grabbed the back of Zuko's shirt, pulling him to his feet. She grabbed his wrist once again and he followed her, watching Katara knock the guards off their feet as she came up to them. They ran towards the edge of the ship as more guards started running towards them. They jumped off of the ship together, interlocking their hands so not to lose one another. As he jumped, he had a strong light-headed feeling as they fell towards the water. When they hit the water, Zuko blacked out as Katara swam to the surface with Zuko in her small arms. When they reached the top, she bended a bubble of air around the both of them and bended them to the bottom of the ocean. She kept her water bending up until she reached an island that was close by; all the while she had Zuko way lying in the bubble she had created. As soon as she above water, she released her barrier and grabbed a hold of Zuko. She dragged him out of the water by wrapping her arms around his chest. Once they were far enough away from the water, she set Zuko down softly and used her sacred water to heal him although she had no idea what was wrong with him. Zuko shot open his eyes as she moved her hands from his chest to his stomach and pushed her away from him as he turned he head to the side. Katara heard him throw up and looked over towards him, crawling closer to his side. She put her hand on his back and held his hair out of his face as he continued to throw up white mucus looking stuff. After he was done, he sat back and wiped his mouth, looking over at Katara.

"Are you okay?" They both asked each other at the same time.

"I'm fine." Zuko lied.

"Ditto." Katara replied lying as well, feeling exhausted and dizzy.

Zuko stood up slowly and took a look around at the island they had managed to find. He turned towards Katara and offered his hand out to help her up. She took it, standing up quickly to also gaze around. As soon as she was up though, she began to sway and Zuko came up from behind her, holding her up. She closed her eyes as he picked her up and carried her in his arms until he found a safe place to rest at.

"Ugh... We're going to be here for a while. I wonder how the others are doing..." Zuko said, looking around.

TO BE CONTINUED!