Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender in any way, shape or form. The men and women who do, however, are blessed individuals.
I hope you enjoy my fanfiction.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Take another step and I swear I will kill you myself." Katara's voice was fiercely resolute; her arms rose to the bender's position.
Zuko nearly sneered. "Your words are as unbelievable as your faith in the Avatar." And he moved out of the tree's shadow into the light of the moon. "I've defeated you before, little girl. Move out of my way so I may complete my mission."
As Zuko came a step closer Katara moved so quickly that it nearly caught him off guard. She froze his hands and feet with water from the stream behind her.
This time he did sneer. As he melted the water, Katara sent flying ice daggers at him. He dodged most and melted the others, throwing fireballs in her direction. "You will not win. I-" His eyes widened as his voice broke into choking gurgles.
The young waterbender kept funneling water to the dense ring closed tightly over the exiled Prince's throat, adding more water even as he evaporated what he could. He raised his hands to try to break the grip but couldn't crack the surface of the quickly moving water.
Katara watched as the steam slowed and then stopped. "When Aang began training with Master Jeong Jeong, I learned a few things as well. For instance, " Zuko's face was beginning to turn blue, "Firebenders derive their power from two sources." She glanced at the crescent moon. "The sun, and their breath of fire. You have neither, Zuko." The young man dropped to his knees, looking at her as if he understood nothing of what she said. "So you must see that I could very easily kill you." He collapsed, unconscious. Katara released the water and walked over to his body where his chest began to rise and fall in regular breaths. "But I'm not a killer, Zuko. So I won't kill you until I must."
She bended water into a supportive surface below the unconscious boy and rolled it beneath him, brought him back to their encampment. She bended the water into her water skein and frowned when he landed on the ground with a thud. "Oops."
Immediately Toph stood before her. "What is that?" She demanded of Katara. "Is that a…person?"
"How'd you know?" Katara looked down at the girl as she saw her two companions approaching.
"It has a heartbeat—and long legs."
The waterbender smiled. "You are very good."
Aang smiled. "Hi Katara, did you find—what is he doing here?"
"Zuko?!" Sokka cried out.
Toph half turned around. "Where's Zuko?" She raised her hands to ready herself for the attack.
"There!" Sokka pointed emphatically.
"Oh, really?" Toph said sarcastically. "Thanks for being so clear."
Aang placed a hand on Toph's arm, bringing it down to her side. "It seems Katara captured him."
"How did you capture him, Katara?" Sokka asked, looking with interest at the ring of bruises forming on Zuko's neck.
Katara looked down with disgust at the Prince. "This traitorous slime was following me while I was looking for more firewood." At which point she held up several large pieces of wood. "He was looking for you, Aang."
"I thought they would have stopped after what happened at Ba Sing Se. I'm sure Azula had thought she'd killed me."
Katara's glare faltered for a moment. "She nearly did. But he knows I'm a healer."
Toph spoke. "How does he know that?"
Not pleased at the prospect of telling her friends the offer she had made to Zuko in the crystal caves, she froze. "I…I-"
"Didn't you offer to heal his Uncle after Azula attacked him?" Sokka interjected. "He probably put two and two together."
Katara nodded. "Yes."
They were silent for a moment. "Well, what are we going to do with him, now that we have him?" Aang asked.
Toph raised the earth and closed bands over his wrists, ankles, waist, chest and knees. Then she twisted the earth so he faced away from the camp. "Sufficient?"
The others told her that it was. Sokka took the first shift of watching him—which entailed Sokka sharpening his boomerang as the Fire Prince did not stir.
Katara laid in her sleeping bag, unable to get her memories of the final incident at Ba Sing Se from her mind. She was shocked and terrified of her own power. She had been working on her bending daily, but when she saw Aang plummeting towards the ground it was if something within her broke and she lost all control. The tidal wave she had created was more than she had ever been able to do and it frightened her to think that there was a wealth of power within herself that she had not yet tapped into. But she thought that she should be rejoicing in this potential ability; surely greater powers would help them in the coming battles. And that confliction shamed her. She wondered if Aang felt this way after acting while in the Avatar state, but she knew she couldn't talk to him. He had enough things to worry about without adding her guilt to his shoulders.
Katara slept only fitfully all night. At the tip of dawn Katara packed away her things and slipped away from where her brother and Aang slept peacefully. She walked down to where Toph leaned against a tree, her blank eyes fixed on the prisoner. "Hello there, Sugar Princess." The Earthbender teasingly greeted as she approached. "Junior here has been asking for you."
As she walked into his line of sight, the young man began to struggle against his bonds, to no avail. "You must think you've won, you little watertribe—"
"Watch it there, HotPants, or I'll muzzle you." Toph threatened.
Katara looked at Zuko contemptuously. "I made the mistake of trusting you once, Zuko." She nearly spat out his name, took a step closer to him and he saw her eyes as dark and angry as they had been the past night, "I promise you that it will not happen again." She told Toph where she was going, turned on her heel and left a fuming Prince and an amused Earthbender behind.
The water was cooler than it should have been in the morning sunlight. Katara adjusted her stance—the surface looked tranquil, but underneath ran a strong current. She stood in the river that her little stream emptied into and began to bend the water around herself. It was supposed to calm her and strengthen her resolve but she felt anger heating up within her. Her moves became sharper, the water around her began to toss and break.
"Practicing some new moves?"
The water fell in pellets around her, smacking as it rejoined the river. "What is it, Sokka?"
Her brother patted the soft ground next to where he had sat. "I thought we could talk." He smiled as charmingly as he could.
Katara waded out of the water and sat next to her brother, not bothering to bend the water from her hair. Just this once she would let it air dry in the warmth of a spring morning. "So what did you want to talk about?"
"I had a dream last night." Sokka's eyes watched the water's dancing surface. "Well, it was more like a memory. Do you remember when Mom and Dad took us to the South Lake to try to teach us how to skate on the ice? It had to be more than seven years ago."
"Sokka?" Katara looked at him with clouded eyes. "Why are you bringing this up now?"
Sokka touched her hand. "I think this might be important. Just hear me out." She nodded and he continued, looking at their touching hands as he spoke slowly. "It is one of the last pure memories I have of our family being together. After that the war became closer to us, and soon enough Dad was leaving and Mom was…"
"I don't remember that time." Katara said softly.
"I was afraid of that." Sokka let out a breath. "Katara, this war has been horrible for everyone, you and me included. I'm sorry that it tore our family apart and I'm sorry that it has forced you to grow up faster than you should have to. I know that losing Mom was especially hard on you, and I'm sorry that there was nothing I could do to make it easier."
"It isn't so bad." Katara's voice betrayed her the tears welling up in her eyes. "Some people are all alone. I have you."
"Yes, Katara. You do have me. And I hope that we have each other for a long time to come." Sokka sighed. "But you can never be sure, not in times like this."
"Stop it!" Katara shook her head strongly. "You can't talk like that. You, me, Toph and Aang—we are a team. I won't let anything tear our team apart."
Sokka just nodded, and they sat in silence for a few moments and there was nothing but the soft calls of birds and the rushing of the river. "What I wanted to say is this: that you have so much love and trust within you that you're trying to give to others now that Mom isn't around to have it. I just want you to be careful about who you give it to; I don't want you to be disappointed."
"What are you talking about?" Katara wiped the tears that had fallen on her brown cheeks.
"You seem pretty upset about this whole Zuko thing." He looked at Katara as her eyebrows furrowed.
"I don't want to talk about him."
"Exactly. I don't think you would be nearly so distraught if you didn't care."
Katara pulled her hand out from under her brother's and crossed her hands over her chest. She let out a short breath. "I wanted to believe he could change. I wanted to believe that there is hope for the future; that not all firebenders would see us all killed." Her shoulders slumped. "Even if we have victory, what hope can there be for true peace?"
"I don't know the answer to that, Katara. But I do know that we can't afford to lose hope. Now, more than ever, we must be firm in our hope and our trust. The Earth King has been working on gathering his troops for the coming attack on the Fire Nation."
"But Azula must have alerted them by now. They'll be expecting us."
"That may be true. But they won't be able to handle us when we come. We'll find a way to surprise them." Sokka said with such certainty that Katara could only nod her head. And so they sat in silence.
When they returned to the camp, it was determined that they would leave when the moon was high in the sky. What was less certain was what they would do with the Fire Nation Prince.
"I say we kill him and be done with it." Sokka said as calmly as if he was picking an acceptable campsite.
"I agree with Sokka." Toph chimed in. "He's caused us enough problems. Let's just be done with it."
"No!" Aang flew to his feet. "That is completely—no! I refuse to even consider the possibility."
"Aang, listen to me." Sokka said. "If we should let him go, he would only continue to hunt us. We have enough to do without having to elude him."
"I don't care." Aang's voice rose. "I will not allow it."
"He's your enemy, Aang." Toph said. "What do you owe him?"
"It's complicated." Aang said.
"Oh really? How complicated could it be?"
Meanwhile Katara walked over to where the rays of the setting sun fell on the prisoner's face. She stood before him, examining his face. Though his eyes were closed, Katara could sense his consciousness; she assumed he was meditating.
His voice was quiet. "What do you want?"
"Many things." She said. "Nothing that you would understand."
His eyes shot open and he looked at her with hard eyes of dark amber. "Try me."
"I want peace."
"As do I." Zuko responded.
Katara looked at him defiantly. "The Fire Nation doesn't want peace. It wants domination."
"Semantics. The two are one and the same. Your peace is an illusion."
"I think those whom you subjugate would disagree!"
Her blue eyes were dark like a storming sea; Zuko was reminded instantly of Ba Sing Se. How through all the noise in the moment of victory over the Avatar a scream pierced the air. It was the most terrible sound he'd ever heard. Pure hopelessness. And he was engulfed in water that moved as powerfully as the wild young girl riding the wave. He had underestimated her several times now.
Her eyes glittered dangerously. "They want to kill you." His eyes did not leave hers. "Aang is the only one who is against it."
"And you?" She did not answer. "Really, Katara, for one who despises the so-called brutality of the Fire Nation, you're doing them proud." Her whole body tensed, and he raised an eyebrow.
"I'm only trying to stop the war that you began." Her voice was hot and her cheeks pink.
"I did not start the war, Katara. I wish only to end it as you do. I'm a victim of this war, the same as you."
"How dare you! We are nothing alike!" She popped the cap off of her water skein.
His eyes glanced down for an instant and no longer. "I thought we had decided in the crystal caves of Ba Sing Se that we are more alike than you had thought."
"We said many things in the caves of Ba Sing Se." Katara's glare was spiteful. "And most of it was lies and tricks, on your part."
"And you spoke honestly?" Zuko drawled. "I hardly believe it."
"I would have tried to heal you." Katara was quiet. "I wouldn't have given up on you."
"How sweet. How naïve. How could you possibly think that a few words with a little girl in a cave would change the way I've been raised my entire life?"
"My brother was right." He raised an eyebrow in response. "We should kill you."
His mouth quirked. "And how will you do it? While I'm chained here, no doubt, with no chance to defend myself."
She spoke indignantly. "I have honor enough not to attack one who cannot defend himself." She guided her water into tiny cracks in the surface of the rock and expanded it, shattering his bindings. He fell down onto his feet. "I challenge you."
He stretched out his muscles. "And I accept. We will go to the same clearing where we fought yesterday, so you may have access to water."
Katara looked at him strangely. "An unnecessary offer, though I accept." They walked in silence down to the clearing, keeping a peripheral eye on the other.
Toph glanced up to where the two were leaving, but said nothing and continued in her argument with the two boys. It would be interesting to learn how this would all turn out. The two males, oblivious, yelled at one another.
Katara took this very seriously. She was about to take a person's life for the very first time in her life. The thought in itself caused a drop in the pit of her stomach. She shook it off and took several deep breaths. She was prepared. She had practiced her moves over and over. She would not fail. She would not lose her strength now.
Zuko watched the young woman as he stretched out his arms and legs, feeling the hot blood flowing through his veins. Three years searching for the Avatar, only to find himself fighting an emotionally confused waterbender in the middle of the woods.
He was not stupid; in the deepest recesses of his mind and his heart he knew quite well that his father would never welcome him back with open arms and a loving heart. Most likely he would be killed on sight upon entering the Fire Nation, even should he have the dead body of the Avatar hanging from prow of his ship. But what purpose had he in life, what destiny, if not to ruthlessly pursue the Avatar? He was Sisyphus, condemned in his quest never to succeed and never to surrender. There was nothing for him but to fight this passionate woman in the middle of the woods and to defeat her. He wondered if he would bring himself to destroy her.
She assumed her bender's stance and he followed suit, wondering if those not gifted with the ability to bend an element ever felt a similar rush of power consuming the entire body. She nodded at him, indicating her readiness. He returned the gesture and they began.
They tested each other, teased one another and danced around each other. Her eyes were bright as if she were playing a game with which she was well familiarized. Zuko found them haunting; and in the moment of his hesitation Katara lashed out. Her water whip stung his left side against his ribs. He growled low in his throat and launched fireball after fireball at her. She leapt out of their path. She gathered the water at him and sent it as a punch to his stomach. He sidestepped the attack and saw his opening. He breathed in and sent his fire to cover her. She didn't have a chance to escape. It completely closed in around her on all sides, a flaming cage that got hotter by the second.
She reached out to try and call the streamwater to her and cried out in pain when the fire licked viciously at her fingers. Her heartbeat hammered against her chest as the fire surrounding her began to close in. Is this how she would die?
Instinct kicked in. With a scream she pushed through the flames, running, diving into the stream even as it ate away at her skin. She felt the cool water press against her burns, itching and tingling as it repaired that which Zuko had destroyed of her body. She stood up and the water rushed all around her. Zuko eyed her with interest. She raised her arms and sent the water crashing towards him, knocking him off his feet and she dragged him back with the water into the stream. She pushed the water on top of his body, trapping him below the surface. He kicked and pushed against the force of the water with his arms but it just glided over him. Katara could feel the temperature of the water rising as he steamed his way through her attack.
He stood in the water that nearly reached his waist. "What else do you have?"
She squared her shoulders and resumed her stance. "I'm just getting warmed up."
"Perfect." He smirked.
Aang stopped his shout mid-sentence and glanced around himself. "Where's Katara?"
Toph's mouth curved slightly. "Oh, she and HotPants have been sparring down by the creek for a quarter of an hour now."
"What?!" Sokka turned to face her. "And you didn't tell us?"
"He could kill her!" Aang exclaimed.
"He's certainly been trying." Toph responded. "But our little Sugar Princess seems quite capable. They are both rather…creative in their techniques. Not to mention vicious."
"C'mon!" Sokka started to run towards the stream, Aang hard on his heels. Unwilling to miss a moment of the action, Toph followed closely behind.
What they saw was not so wholly unexpected. Both benders hurling ferocious attacks upon the other while trying to defend their self. Zuko was covered in bleeding scratches and gashes and Katara had given up trying to heal herself as she fought and simply tried to ignore the various burns across her body.
"Stop this!" Aang cried out. The two fighters barely glanced his way and continued their volley of attacks. Aang quaked the earth under their feet and both fell to the ground. "I said--Stop this right now!" He shouted loudly. The ground stopped shaking so suddenly that a thick tree toppled over, exposing root and dark dirt. This time he gained the attention of both Katara and Zuko. He leapt off the ground and landed between them. "No more of this." He turned to Katara. "Heal yourself." She did as she was told silently.
"Are you okay, Katara?" Sokka asked.
"Not now, Sokka." Aang said commandingly. "I'm not finished with these two yet. Katara, heal Zuko."
"No." She declared. "I won't."
Aang steeled his voice. "I'm not asking you, Katara. You did it to him, and you will mend him." When she didn't move, "Now."
With a low rumble in her throat, Katara moved to Zuko's side. "Do you always do exactly what he tells you to do?" He whispered mockingly.
She slapped her water-gloved hand to a deep gash on his shoulder. Zuko roared.
"Katara-" Aang spoke with warning in his voice.
"It isn't my fault that Zuko's such a wimp." She spoke innocently, and finished her work over his multiple injuries that she inflicted. "Happy?" She posed the question to Aang as she stood and wiped her hands on her dress-wrap that she now noticed was riddled with burn-holes of varying sizes.
"Stand over there." Aang gestured to one side of the clearing to Katara. He then pointed to the other side. "Zuko, you stand over there." With a glance to everyone who was standing in anticipation of what the Avatar would do next, Aang took a breath and began. "Each of you has had your say about this predicament, though some of you chose to act without a decision having been made." He paused. "But I am the Avatar, as everyone feels it is necessary to point out. So I'm going to be making this decision. We are not going to kill Zuko." Sokka sighed. Zuko glared. "Because he is coming with us."
"What?" Sokka asked in shock.
"You've got to be kidding!" Katara exclaimed.
"No." Zuko snarled.
"Interesting." Toph said.
"This isn't a discussion that is going to take place. I've already made up my mind. I need a firebending teacher and Prince Zuko will be the one to teach me."
"I'd rather die."
"Well, that does seem to be your only other option." Aang said in complete seriousness. "However, you aren't being given a choice in the matter. If I need to bind you and drag you along with us until you agree, I will do it. It would be best if you just accepted this offer now."
"You cannot possibly expect me to do this! What reason in the world would I have to agree?" Zuko crossed his arms.
"Well, for one," Toph suddenly said, "your Uncle Iroh is standing behind a tree across the stream and if you don't agree I will use my earthbending to crush him to death."
"You're lying."
"Maybe." With a flick of her wrist a tree toppled over and the aged man was revealed before the ground jumped up around him. "But, maybe not."
"Release him!" Zuko demanded, raising his arms in preparation of attack.
Aang glanced at Toph, who seemed unworried. "Do you admit to our offer?" He asked.
"You can't possibly fight off all of us." Toph pointed out.
Zuko glanced several times between the young Avatar and his entrapped Uncle. "I will do as you say. I admit to your offer. Now release him."
Toph lowered the rocks and his Uncle ambled over to where the group was assembled. "Well, my Nephew, it seems that we've found new traveling companions."
Zuko groaned.
Katara stalked off.
Sokka followed after his sister, throwing questions at her that were left unanswered.
Toph turned to Aang. "So this is why you are the Avatar. You certainly have a way with people."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Iroh actually did most of the teaching. Zuko mainly sulked. And sparred. And sulked.
Jeong Jeong had been right. Fire was incredibly difficult to control. Aang rarely had the complete control of his attention in order to control his firebending, and were it not for the greatest patience of Iroh, Aang would certainly have given up in his efforts.
In the morning Aang would practice earthbending with Toph until Iroh called him, and then he would practice firebending, sometimes for several hours. He often found himself too tired after all of that to practice his waterbending. Katara, though unpleased, said nothing and would simply walk by herself down to whatever source of water was in the area. They kept moving, always cautious of being followed.
Katara did not like the campsite her companions had chosen. They set up their campsite in an open meadow surrounded my wooded hills. It was picturesque, perhaps, but there was no body of water to speak of. Bored of listening to Toph steam over how Aang spent all of his time firebending when his earthbending skills could still use practicing, Katara made the executive decision to search the woods. There had to be a little creek somewhere. There just had to be. And she would find it.
Three hours and no such luck. The sun was cresting on the horizon in streaks of orange and pink and somehow there was a forest with no water to speak of. Katara sighed in the tree that she had climbed. She could feel the water living within the large oak tree on which she was perched. Could feel it traveling up the roots and through the trunk and branches into the soft green leaves. Her eyes roamed over the thick spread of trees in the forest. She could feel the water in each of them. She climbed down out of the tree and focused her mind. Could this actually work? Could she manipulate the water from this tree, effectively killing it? This caused her to stop and think. What purpose would that serve, other than to answer her curiosity? She justified that it would make excellent firewood and that the hundreds of other trees would not miss its presence.
She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. Centered her mind on the singular tree before her, smelled, felt and saw every drop of water within it. Raising her hands, her eyes flashed open and felt the water pulling towards her. It pooled within the tree and pushed out, cracking open the bark as it rushed forward and danced around her hands. It was not such a great amount of water, less than two gallons. Katara looked with slight remorse at the broken tree that lay crumpled before her. She would make sure they used all of its parts, that it should not have been destroyed for no reason. But she was proud of her creativity, and curved the tree water around herself in circles with a small smile on her lips.
"Interesting trick."
Katara spun and flung the water. Zuko dissolved the water immediately with a flash of his hand. From where he was leaning against the tree, Katara had a clear picture of his languid body. "The human body is about seventy per cent water, Zuko." Katara met his amber eyes. "I would be careful I were you."
His mouth curved into an amused smirk. "I hope that's a threat." His hand curled around a fireball that glowed a dark orange.
Katara ignored the desire to launch an attack against the insufferable boy that took a few easy steps toward her. "What is it that you want?"
"What, Katara, master waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe, passing up an opportunity to battle the Prince of the Fire Nation?" Zuko circled her, his voice low and taunting. When she didn't answer, "You really do everything the Avatar tells you to do, don't you? How pathetic."
He saw the reaction his words had. Katara spun to face him, shoulders flung back and eyes hot as blue fire. "I do what Aang asks of me. It is called loyalty and friendship."
"It's called weakness."
Katara glared at him. "Well, then I promise never to do anything that you ask of me."
He closed his hand around the fireball, smothering into his palm. "Don't fight me."
"What?" Katara looked at him strangely.
"Walk away and don't fight me. It's simple."
"Reverse psychology won't work on me." She pushed a finger to his chest.
He looked down at her tan face. "Then go."
Katara weighed her options. She could walk away and do as Aang had asked her. She could just walk back to the camp and sit by the fire and pretend nothing had happened. And then have to face Zuko's gloating face for who knows how long. Or she could fight him. She could take him down and wipe the smirk off his face. Aang wouldn't have to know about it, they could be back before anyone suspected anything.
She glanced at the sun quickly falling over the horizon. "Let's make this quick."
Zuko motioned for her to take position.
"Hold on." Katara said as she stepped back and fiddled with the side fastenings of her gown. Zuko raised an eyebrow. "Don't be disgusting." She snapped. "Aang asked me not to fight with you. It might be a little obvious should I return with burn marks covering my clothes."
"So you'll be sparring-" his voice sounded hoarse, "naked?"
"Of course not!" Katara said as she folded the dress and leggings and placed them out of the way. She gestured to the white wraps she wore. "Look—clothing."
Zuko looked. He cleared his throat. "I, uh, need to meditate."
"Fine." Katara exhaled loudly as Zuko sat down across from her, closed his eyes and breathed deeply. "Try not to take long."
His eyes opened. They snapped shut again. He muttered something.
Katara walked around in circles while she waited. "Water, water, water." She mumbled. "Where is—ahh." She looked up at the sky. "Perfect." Within a minute the clouds had opened up, coating the ground with rain. "Come on, Zuko. I'm ready."
"Patience is said to be a virtue." He said without opening his eyes.
"So is getting up and fighting me." She curled drops of rainfall and tossed them at him. "I'm not waiting any longer."
His eyes slid open and he moved to his feet. "Fine." His feet slid apart and he took the stance of a firebender.
"Come get me." Katara said with a smile on her face, reveling in the power she felt as the rain fell down around her. "Come on, Zuko. You can't be afraid of a few raindrops."
A few. A few? It was very nearly pouring rain. He was drenched from head to foot. So he met the waterbender's gaze and pushed heat out from his skin, effectively drying his clothes. He would be dripping wet again in a minute. "Not at all. I'm just biding my time."
"You sound like an earthbender." She teased. "Come on, firebender! Come get me!"
"Very well." He turned in a circle and sent three blasts of fire towards her. When she dodged he aimed a slashing fire kick at her bare stomach. She ducked and slid the water beneath his supporting leg. He fell to the ground, and cast a line of fire that slapped against the back of her knees.
She fell to her knees. "A fire whip?" He smiled at her darkly. "Thief."
He pushed the wet hair off his face, but it fell back across his forehead, dripping water into his eyes. This must be why his people grew out topknots. He placed his hands in the think layer of water coating the ground and heated it to near boiling.
Katara cried out and bended the water around herself, moving it away and back to crash against Zuko on either side and crush him within it. He pushed out his arms and consumed the water in columns of fire that he then aimed at Katara, who used the rainwater to protect herself like a shield. She froze the falling rain on his body, which he melted. He sent long lines of fire at her, she sent whips of water at him. Fireballs, water tentacles, ice, boiling water, kicks and punches.
Winded and exhausted, Katara glanced at the sky. The moon was beginning to rise. "You won't win, Zuko. Look at that big, bright moon."
"You have too much confidence in yourself." He told her as he dodged another attack. "It will most likely be your downfall."
"My confidence? My downfall?" Katara rushed forward and raised the water, sending the wave to crash over his head. "I think you must have us confused."
Zuko punched his way through the wave with fists of fire. He flipped her off her feet with a well-placed firewhip around her ankles. He grabbed her shoulder, pulled her to her feet and pressed his palm against the small of her bare back, embers dancing in his hand. Her hands pressed against his chest and they both breathed heavily.
"I have you." He said on an exhale.
She bended the water from his tunic into a frozen dagger that she pressed against his heart. "Try me."
"It seems we are at an impasse." He said, their faces close, eyes challenging one another, neither willing to back down. He pressed his hand more firmly, lightly burning her back and pressing their bodies closer.
She looked up at him defiantly and pressed the dagger through his tunic, feeling it prick the surface of his skin and stain the ice red. "I will not surrender."
The rain ran down her forehead, past her blue eyes, down her flushed cheeks, ran over her pink mouth, slid down her throat-Zuko let her go so roughly that they both stumbled. "Then it is a draw." He was gone within an instant.
Katara looked around. What an unusual boy. "Great." She said as she looked at the pieces of firewood she wanted to bring back to camp that were now more like pieces of driftwood. She healed her burns and bruises, dressed herself and collected what wood she could carry.
When she finally found the campsite, her brother nearly jumped on her. "Katara! Where have you been?"
Katara bit her lip as her other companions approached. "Just wandering. I brought firewood!"
"It's raining." Aang pointed out. "We can't exactly build a fire."
"Oh." Katara said. "Well, we can use it tomorrow."
Iroh wandered by and offered her a cup of tea, which she accepted thankfully. "Have you seen my nephew in your travels?"
"Uh," she coughed the tea down. "Nope. No, haven't seen him. Sorry."
Toph looked at her with foggy eyes. "Really?"
"Nope. I have no idea where he could be. Sorry." Katara placed the firewood down and headed to the tent she had set up earlier, bending the water from her hair and clothes before entering.
"She's acting strangely." Aang said.
"You're reading too much into this." Sokka said. "She's just tired."
"I don't know." Said Toph.
"Trust me, I know my sister." Sokka assured them. "She'll be fine once she gets some sleep."
Much later Zuko stormed into his tent. Iroh poked his head in. "Hello Prince Zuko, did you have a nice walk?"
The young man grunted in response.
"Would you like some tea? I found the sweetest leaves earlier this afternoon. They make great tea!"
"No, thank you, Uncle. Goodnight."
The older man just nodded his head and left the tent, his eyebrows traveling upwards. He was not blind. The young man was dripping wet and bleeding from several scratches on his arms and legs.
As his Uncle left, the exiled Prince fell back onto his blankets and dried himself. His right leg throbbed just above the knee from a gash that had not yet stopped bleeding, and showed no inclination to do so. Nor did his thoughts give him any chance of sleeping in the near future. Damn the foolish watertribe girl with her waterbending and her startling blue eyes. Her long brown legs and round pink mouth. Damn her icy daggers and her cool skin when he had touched her. He rolled over to his side and tried not to think about the girl or the pain she inflicted upon his body. But his leg burned and his mind remembered how well her wet coverings clung to her body. He groaned and slapped a hand to his leg. The pain was better than the images.
Hours later he was beginning to drift into sleep when he felt something stir above him. His eyes blinked open in uncertainty, and he recoiled when he saw her kneeling beside him. "What are you doing here?" He hissed.
"Be quiet." She whispered. "I have to heal your wounds."
"No." He snapped. "Go away." He could feel his heart pounding against his ribs. He'd just be startled in the middle of the night, of course his heartbeat would race.
"And how do you intend to explain the cuts and bruises to Aang and your Uncle?" He didn't answer, just looked at her strangely. "Just lay back. This won't take more than a minute or two." He lay on his back and tried to control his breathing. He could practically feel her eyes wandering across his body. Her hands, cool and covered in soft water pressed lightly against a long cut running down his forearm. The area tingled as the skin repaired itself. She moved to the gash above his knee. She slid her hand through the cut in his pant leg and laid her hand on his bare skin. He jumped.
"Calm down." She whispered with reassurance in her voice, her hands gentle and cold against his burning skin. She touched his thigh soothingly, urging him to lay back down. "I know what I'm doing."
"No, you don't." His voice was nearly a whimper. She didn't hear him. His stomach tightened uncomfortably. He pressed his lips together and did not look at Katara, who was wholly focused on her task.
She finished with his leg and scooted a little closer to his side. She leaned over his quietly trembling body and unbuttoned the top of his tunic. She moved it aside, fingers lightly brushing against his chest. She placed her fingers on the place where her dagger had been over his thrashing heart. He let out a strangled breath when her braid fell over her shoulder and brushed against his skin. "Does it hurt?" She asked, seeing his distress.
"Yes." He groaned.
"Is there somewhere I've missed?" She moved her cool hands over his arms and chest to see if there was a tender place that she had not noticed.
He withdrew, drawing himself together and away from her. He sat back with wild eyes. "You're finished. Now leave."
"Are you sure?" Katara looked at him in puzzlement. "You're acting very odd."
"Get out now." He growled. And with one last glance back, she ducked out of his tent.
He fell back onto his back and let out a shaking breath, his skin burning all the more where the memory of her cool hands lingered. Agni would grant him no sleep tonight.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That's all, folks!
Thanks for your potential support.