Here they were again.
Although it was a bit different and five years after the fact, this situation brought up echoes of memories from the past.
I'll save you from the pirates, he had said to her.
There were pirates and they were rather hostile. They were also in need of some saving, but he was in no position to save her this time.
He winced in pain as the pirate's sword sliced against his shoulder. Instinctively his hand reached for the wound, but in that brief second they were upon him. Before he knew it, the Fire lord was on his knees, on his own ship, watching as his friend fought off the descending waves of pirates.
He and Katara had been sailing alone, just heading to one of the outer islands to the town of Shu Jing where Piandao lived. Iroh had arrived at the capital while Katara was visiting to inform Zuko that there was a package that needed to be dealt with delicately and it was currently at Piandao's. He had refused Zuko anymore information, only gave him directions to Piandao and his services to take care of the nation while he was on "vacation".
Zuko had almost refused to go, except Katara had given him that look and said "Come on, It sounds important. You've been stuck in this office for far too long". He didn't speak for several seconds, but he knew he would go. He was mad his Uncle wouldn't tell him more about this "package", but he was curious. And as he looked into her eyes, he saw in them what he felt in himself: longing. For adventure.
That night they had arranged for a small boat that they could manage themselves to be at the docks. They were off by morning.
Everything was going well until the pirates found them.
And that was how he had arrived here on his knees, unable to fire bend (damned, flammable boat) watching as the pirates continued to board their simple, but formidable vessel. The sky wasn't visible under the ominous clouds gathering above and he could feel the absence of the sun.
He watched as Katara fought fiercely. She wouldn't go down easily, especially when they were surrounded by a whole ocean. The water moved with her, obeying her every beck and call. The wind was blowing her hair in wild directions. The pirates certainly weren't prepared to face a water bender in Fire Nation territory.
But she was just one person, and eventually one slipped through her defenses. Just as she swept two over board, another had come up behind her and pulled her down, yanking her hands behind her back.
Zuko's tried to pull away, but they had a firm hold on him. Hanging his head in defeat, he began to blame himself for everything. He should have brought some guards along. He should have used his fire bending, to hell with the boat. Katara could have ice one built in seconds. Just as he was beginning to lose hope, something wet fell on his cheek.
His eyes rose to meet Katara's and he knew she was thinking the same thing he was. A storm was coming.
He felt the corner of his mouth tug upwards, as he watched the rain start to fall.
One of the pirates strode up to Katara and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. "What's a pretty thing like you doing in the middle of the ocean?" He asked in a slight accent. Zuko snarled. If he went any closer...
Katara jerked her chin away then dropped her head down, her darl and wet locks surrounding her face. She mumbled something that Zuko couldn't quite hear.
"What was that dearie?" the pirate asked. The rain was pouring now.
She lifted her head and looked him in the eye. "I said," She began, her voice gaining strength, "to go jump in the ocean." And with that, the rain stopped, suspended in the air.
It provided just the right amount of distraction for Zuko to send a burst of heat down both his arms to burn his captor's fingers. As they jerked their hands away, he bolted forward and released jets of flames in their direction, not worried about burning the wood boat now. At the same time, Katara had called the rain towards her and bent it to her will, officially pushing the pirate that had questioned her overboard. The man that had held her wrists was already frozen in a block of ice.
Zuko fought to make his way towards her, but he could already tell that she was doing fine on her own. She almost looked like she was enjoying it. As the water moved around her, around them, it felt like the entire world was being controlled by her. He was proud to have this warrior by his side. No one was better than her. And as she turned to take out the remaining pirates (the ones he was currently trying to fight), her blue eyes met his and he could tell that she knew it too.
With her signature water whip, strengthened by the massive amount of water it held, she swept the remaining pirates over the railing and into the ocean leaving her and Zuko on board.
There was a brief moment where they just stood there, Katara grinning and Zuko smiling despite the fight they had almost lost. His heart hammered inside his chest, and he felt excited for the first time in a long while.
Within a few moments though, they had to return to business. Zuko returned the helm and Katara took to water bending the boat along before anymore pirates were stupid enough to try and get on board.
Zuko shook his head fondly at the water bender. She was amazing in every sense of the word. She was strong and fierce and he was glad that she had urged him to come. Even if it was her that saved him from the pirates.