Disclaimer: I own nothing!
AN: This was inspired by Irrel's wonderful drawing. Go to my page and then the link to deviant art, the link to the pic is in my post of this story there. For some reason the link isn't working here... The plot bunny began gnawing as soon as I saw the picture. Took me about an hour and a half to write this little drabble. Enjoy and REVIEW!
Rain – a Blutara drabble
They fled the fortress with all the speed they could muster. The battle against Princess Azula had been fierce. As they ran through the surrounding forest, the rain began to pour harder.
It had actually been the rain that had saved them. Much of Azula's fire had dissipated into steam before it did much damage and Katara had had a vast amount of water to bend. The downpour also limited visibility (even further in the dark) and Katara and her rescuer had been able to disappear behind the sheets of falling water.
Now the two paused in a clearing to catch their breath. Katara combed the remnants of her braid with her fingers until her wavy hair hung wet around her face and shoulders. The Blue Spirit stood silently, watching her.
Katara had been in a minimum security holding cell. When she heard a few metal clangs outside the door, she had been expecting Aang, Sokka, and Toph to appear and free her. To say she had been surprised when this masked man had entered her cell with the intent to be her savior, would be an understatement. But she had followed him nonetheless. They bonded instantly when the alarm was raised. They had covered each others' backs and fought as though their minds and bodies were linked. The two had a silent understanding and gave the battle their whole effort. They had saved each other's life more than once.
Now Katara stared back at the Blue Spirit. She walked toward him with uncertainty. She saw him tense as she got closer. Katara stopped walking. She didn't want to scare him away. She wanted to know the identity of her rescuer, but at the same time, there was a mystery about this man that she wanted to keep. Could they still be bonded if he dropped his ninja identity? She heard the soft "plinks" of the rain drops repeatedly hitting the metal of his mask.
Katara asked softly, "Who are you?"
The Blue Spirit remained silent. Katara sighed inwardly. He wanted to keep the mystery. But then, behind the mask, she heard his voice say, "There is a certain paradox in asking a masked man who he is."
Katara didn't know whether to smile or pout. If he had meant his response to be a joke, it was worth a chuckle. But if it was a brush off, it was certainly a clever one. She decided on a smirk of amusement and crossed her arms before she pressed, "Paradox or not, I still asked about your identity and I want to know before you leave."
"Who said I was leaving?"
Katara's smirk faltered. She had been expecting the masked man to disappear into the rain and leave her to find her friends. Was he really going to stay and reveal himself?
"Do you want me to leave?" he asked as he tilted his head a little.
"I want to thank my rescuer properly," Katara replied. She didn't know what she meant about proper thanks, but face-to-face seemed proper etiquette at least.
The Blue Spirit chuckled. "I'm not so sure you'll thank me if I take off this mask."
Katara had to wonder at this remark but she was determined. "I appreciate the struggle you went through to rescue me and I felt a deep connection between us as we were fighting together. Surely you felt it too? How could my opinion of you change with something as simple as a name?"
"So which do you want? My name or the sight of my face?"
Katara had no reply for this. If all she received was a name, she could go on with fantasies about this mysterious ninja for, perhaps, her entire life. Such ponderings could drive a person insane. If she saw his face, the mystery and intrigue of her attraction would most likely disappear.
Katara changed the subject, "Will you stay with me?"
"For how long?" he answered simply. He seemed unperturbed by her abrupt change of topic.
"I don't know. As long as you want to," Katara said. She whispered to herself, "As long as I need you."
The Blue Spirit seemed to have heard her last sentence and moved a bit closer. "Are you sure you want me, Katara?"
Katara loved the way he said her name. She didn't even care how he knew it. She only wanted him to say it to her forever. And she longed to say his name for him. "Yes," she answered in a whisper.
"I am a wanted man and my mask is all that keeps me from a prison cell. Once you know me, there is no way to forget. You are burdening yourself with this knowledge if I remove the mask for you."
"You can trust me," Katara promised.
"I know I can trust you, Katara. But I'm asking if you truly want to know with all the ensuing consequences."
"I need to know," Katara pleaded.
The Blue Spirit nodded and reached up to untie the bow at the back of his head. Katara waited with baited breath as the rain continued to pour down around them.
The Blue Spirit brought his hands around to draw the mask from his face. Katara was openly gaping now. Then she saw toughened and disfigured skin intruding on the left side of his scalp. The mask came out a little farther and she saw the ear was shriveled and burned as well.
Then she realized. Scar? The knowledge of her name and bending abilities? His warrior skills? ZUKO!
Her mind didn't fully grasp it until the mask hit the mud silently. She stared at the face of the Fire Prince in complete shock. The thunder crashed and she was awakened from her stupor.
"You only rescued me to get to Aang!" Katara shrieked. She took a battle stance as she prepared to drown the Prince in the driving rain.
Zuko only stood quietly before her. He made no move to show he was going to fight her and he didn't turn and run. When he spoke, his voice was soft and had a tinge of hurt. "My actions are beyond redemption, with or without the Avatar, now." Katara frowned. A likely story, she thought.
Zuko continued, "I rescued you because it felt like the right thing to do. Only a moment before my mask hit the ground, you were saying how close we had become through teamwork. Now you want to fight against me. I trusted you to accept me as you said you wanted to. You said you needed me. Now that you know someone you thought an enemy has saved you, you hate me."
Katara relaxed her stance and looked away. What a little hypocrite she was. Hadn't she just seen a Wanted poster for the Prince and his uncle a week ago? He had no reason to lie to her now. Aang wasn't with her. And she had invited for Zuko to stay. She had wanted him to stay. And for some inexplicable reason, she still wanted him to stay.
And she still wanted to thank him for rescuing her. She looked back at him and confidently closed the distance between them. She looked up at his golden eyes shining through the darkness. She blinked as the rain hit her own eyes and she said softly, "I don't hate you, Zuko."
And she pressed her lips against his. The cold rain continued to pour around them, soaking them thoroughly. But neither of the two benders had ever felt so warm.