Blood and Tears
The chains stretched his arm out to either side of his cell. His shoulders ached, and he had stopped counting the days since his sister had caught him. He remembered the flame hidden chain making its way for Katara's throat, and throwing him self in the way. He remembered the choking, breathing in dust. But most of all he remembered the anguished scream that had torn itself from her lips.
There was a click of the door unlocking, bringing him out of his reverie and light poured in from the door.
"Hello, My idiot brother"
At the sight of his tormentor, Zuko forgot the pain as his anger took over him. Fire shot from his mouth in a stream so long that it hit the roof. He strained against his bonds getting as close to her as he could intending to kill her. One of the Dai Li behind her punched him in the gut using a rock fist. And he fell to his knees gasping and spluttering.
"Anyway, seeing as you don't have the required information, I been informed that the Firelord has no further use for you." She relished the range of expressions that crossed Zuko's face. "This means you are mine to do as I please with."
"Then kill me already" his voice was passionate, but gravely from lack of use and water.
"Oh no Zuzu, you misunderstand. I'm not going to kill you yet. I'm going to see how much pain a person can endure before they lose their sanity. Then I'll let you go, to wander the streets as a crazy fool."
The Dai Li set out a table where Zuko could see and rolled out a leather case containing lots of little pointy objects and other things he knew the use of. Another of Azula's Dai Li had taken up position behind him cutting off his shirt exposing his bare chest as chains found their way to his feet, and his neck. The sound of wheels turning filled the room and the chains started to shorten. The one around his neck pulled him to his feet.
A chair had been brought in for Azula to sit on, and while Zuko was prepared she looked at her perfect nails in several different ways. Zuko was shaking all over with rage which Azula took for fear as his hair covered his eyes.
"I'll kill you for this" He growled at her glaring at her through his hair.
"I very much doubt that Zuko" she said standing up and taking the whip the Dai Li behind had been holding.
The first lash came down tearing out parts of his back where there were spikes, and leaving angry red lines where there were not. Zuko cringed away but did not cry out, but after about 20 lashes, he could no longer hold his silence. He could fell Azula's acidic smile behind him and she lashed him once more, he cried out again, and then she left.
His back burned as his blood slid down his back into one line then another and another before it soaked into his trousers. After a little while a healer came in to tend to his back. She was rough and the cloth she used harsh doing nothing to sooth but irritated his wounds even more, Zuko gritted his teeth and refused to even whimper because of this old crone. When she was done, out of old habit, Zuko thanked as she left. She showed no sign of returning the thanks, but after his second whipping, and the beating he received, she was gentler and the rag was of a finer standard. It was the only sort of humanity that Zuko was privy to.
When Azula came in the third time, she said hello then left, as soon as she had left, the big brute of a man who had beaten the crap out of him came in harbouring the nastiest of smiles on his ugly face. He approached Zuko and ran his filthy blackened nails across his torso leaving angry red lines. He divested the former fire prince of trousers. Zuko's face drained of colour and he threw up what they had given him for breakfast. Zuko heard rustling behind him as his fears were confirmed. Zuko struggled for all he was worth tearing open the blistered skin on his wrists, desperately trying to escape from the naked brute behind him. He felt the man's arousal brush up behind him and the rest of his slimy skin followed a moment later.
"I think I'll enjoy this more than you" the man spat in his ear, grabbing Zuko's butt briefly.
Zuko cried out as he was violated, tears streaming down his face mixing with the blood that now ran freely down his body dripping onto the floor. The sound of Zuko's cries and the grunts of pleasure filled the cell along with the sound of slapping flesh at different tempos.
The man finished and after pulling up his trousers left, leaving Zuko ready for the next man to came and assault him. After a while it stopped hurting and instead, deep embarrassment filled Zuko along with his loss of dignity and pride. He knew when the assault was finished as the last man pulled up his trousers before leaving, and backhanded him across the face in disgust calling him a traitor to his people, spitting at his feet as he left.
"Enjoy that did we Zuko?" came his sisters voice, I didn't expect so many of them to want you that way. Then again, they are all sailors"
Azula came forward and lifted his face to look at hers. He spat at into it and removed his chin from the claws she called hands. She wiped it away calmly, and then wildly scratched at his face leaving trails of blood all over it.
Suddenly the door burst open, and Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toff, stood there. A gasp escaped Katara's lip when she saw the beaten shell Zuko had become. His eyes were red and puffy from the shed tears running down his face covered in bruises under scratches, the blood that ran down his arms, joining all the blood that stained the floor.
"Get away from him Azula." Aang growled in his most threatening voice
As quick as a striking serpent, Azula grabbed a knife off the table and stabbed Zuko in the stomach. The cold steel burned with ferocity that out-matched all his other injuries and he realised that he could no longer stand.
"NOOO" Katara screamed
Toff pulled Zuko's chains free of the wall, allowing him to slump into the arms of Katara. Tears streamed down her face as Zuko looked tenderly into her ocean blue orbs.
"Katara" he whispered brokenly, caressing her cheek
His breathing was laboured as he pulled her down to kiss him.
"Don't die, Zuko, please!" she begged him. "You saved me from this. Please, I'm pregnant with your child. Don't leave me to raise it on my own."
"I love you" he whispered in his dying breath touching her womb before it slumped to the floor. Dead.
"I love you" but he had not heard.
She howled out her grief to the sky, as the battle between the rest of the gang and the prison soldiers continued around her as she rocked the dead body of her lover. Azula hung from the side of the wall impaled with spikes of ice dripping her life's blood onto the floor. At least Katara had been able to kill her before Zuko had died.