A/N: So...this is my first A:LA fan fiction. I've been reading them for over a year now and have had sooooooo many ideas (all Zutara) and I am finally sitting down to actually write them all. So, yeah, here's my first story; a collection of drabbles, oneshots and short stories. Hope you enjoy them.
Disclamer: I don't own A:LA or any of the characters only my own OCs that may or may not show up in this story.
A/N#2: This was originally meant to be a drabble but for some reason I was not made to write those (SUCKS!) so it evetually became a sort of oneshot.
This particular one is dark but I just LOVE dark Zutara... It's hot :) This is my first attempt at a story based on dark themes and torture so I hope it's okay.
Please read and enjoy. Constructive criticism is highly appreciated. :)
Summary: After Aang's fall in the Crystal Catacombs, Katara is captured by Zuko and Azula and handed over to The Fire Lord who then uses her to attempt to extract information about the rebels of the Southern and Nrothern Water Tribes as well as the Earth Kingdom rebels. He also uses her as bait.
Rating: T (or M, depending on how sensitive you are)
Warnings: Dark themes, coarse language, violence, mentions of torture and light smut.
Title: The Prisoner
She is the Fire Lord's most important prisoner; a close ally of the Avatar, princess of the Southern Water Tribe.
She was bait.
For months he kept her, beneath the Fire Palace, away from the moon and water. He starved her, beat her and tortured her but still she refused to give the whereabouts of her father and friends. And in return he would double the beatings and the burns while she fought to stay strong.
Her once maroon prison rags were black with filth and hung off her skeletal body; her dark hair, once voluminous and luscious hung like limp threads, caked with dirt and matted with blood, clung to her face and framed her thin shoulders. Her lips are thin and chapped, her cheeks sunken, her skin bruised, dirty and bloody but still she fought.
Her once vibrant blue eyes were cold, hate-filled and dim,her hands blackened and burned, fingers bony. Her legs, bared to the cold and the dark were thin, the skin hidden beneath cuts, bruises, dried blood and dirt. She had come to accept this new life of pain and captivity as long as it meant her friends and family were safe.
That is until his first visit.
After enduring beatings and threats at the hands of the Fire Lord for several hours, she is finally able to curl up in a corner, once they have left, hold her knees and pray to Yue. This has become a normal routine for her until today.
After months of being in the Fire Nation, he visits. He is wearing a red robe with a hood pulled low over his face, when he enters. At first she doesn't hear him, too caught up in her prayers to notice a new, unfamiliar figure. He pauses at the door, drinking in the waterbender he had fought so many times before, taking in her broken and frail state. His chest suddenly feels awfully tight and he wants to throw up his dinner.
Everyday for the past few months after visiting his uncles' empty cell to clear his thoughts and seek advice from an empty room once filled with wisdom, he stands outside the door to hers and stares at it, unable to decide whether he is ready to see her or not. He wants to but he is scared. He could not stand to see the hate and disgust directed towards him. He deserved it, he knew that but knowing it and actually seeing it were completely different. But today, he is unaware of why and how, and he does not hesitate at her door after he sends the guards away. He does not pause to think or brace himself, he just walks in.
The first thing he notes is the stench of blood, sweat and stale dry air. He suddenly feels very hot under his robes and his throat burns. He ignores these discomforts, clenches his fists and continues forward, gold eyes scouring the darkness for any sign of a body. He sees her, a mass of stringy hair and dirty rags, huddled in a far corner of the small cell. He cannot see her face, her head is bowed, but he sees her bared arms and legs and nearly gags. Another painful stab to his chest and he turns away. But only for a brief moment and turns to face her again, face expressionless, body tense. As he nears her cell, several small rodents scamper past him, brushing the hem of his robe, but they are unable to tear his attention from her. He hears her soft murmurs and realises she is praying. He almost turns back, feeling he is intruding in on a private moment but something makes him stay and walk forward.
It is not until he opens the iron bars, disturbing the eerie silence, that her murmurs stop and her head jerks up so fast he wonders if she has hurt herself. He freezes at the bars and stares at her, still and says nothing and stays still. Then slowly, across of scaring her, he pulls his hood back. He watches her expression change from one of confusion, to shock, to panic then finally settle on hate, disgust,betrayal and something he is so familiar with it does not take long for him to recognise it. His presence caused her pain.
"What do you want?" she finally spits so venomously he feels his skin start to burn. He doesn't speak. He sits in front of her folds his legs and just watches her, heart breaking further with each passing second. This seems to anger her for she suddenly leaps to a stand, swaying slightly and points an accusatory bony finger at him. "What? You're here to witness your 'victory' firsthand?" she sneers, shoulders trembling as she fights to catch her breath. Again he say nothing and bows his head in shame and guilt, aware of the fact that she is in this current position because of his own inability to make the right decisions.
"I'm sorry." He murmurs and for once he truly means it.
"Fuck you Zuko!" She screams, voice hoarse and shaky. She is on the verge of tears.
He is too.
"You honestly think you can waltz in here and apologise and everything becomes fine and dandy?" he flinches. "Well guess what? Nothing is that easy! But of course," She continues bitterly, "for stupid, spoilt arrogant, stuck up Prince like you, it is! I trusted you! And I thought you really had changed, but I was wrong and that cost the world! A-and now...Aang... He's dead and no one can bring him back!" It is then he realises that the waterbender is unaware that the Avatar is still in fact alive. He opens his mouth to say this when she suddenly falls heavily on to the cold stone floor. Their reactions are instant. He is up and holding her within seconds and she is lashing out and attempting to scratch his face with her nails and bite his hands.
She is awfully strong and determined for someone as frail and skeletal looking as she, he notes.
After managing to push her off him, he leaves, just like that. Leaves her to accept defeat and bury herself in her pain and sorrow.
He visits again a few days later. Her condition has worsened drastically, she looks even skinnier than before. His heart catches in his throat but only for a moment. This time he doesn't hesitate.
He enters her cell and sits before her, as she watches him carefully, he reaches inside of his robes-he hears her breathing hitch-and pulls out something wrapped in cloth, which he slowly and carefully places in front of her. Her wild eyes dart to the bundle then back to him in question. He says nothing and moves back to lean against the cold wall, long legs stretched out in front of him.
He faces away from her, pretending to find the moulding wooden door far more interesting than the terrified prisoner. A tense silence follows in which the Fire Prince is watching the waterbender from the corner of his eye and said waterbender is eyeing the bundle before her with apprehension. Finally, with small tentative fingers, she reaches out and touches the cloth then wrenches her hand back as though she has been burned. She does this again, but keeps her hand on the roll for longer.
Unwanted tears suddenly spring to Zuko's eyes. This was the girl he had fought in the North Pole, the girl who would rather die than give up her friend. The girl who had beat his ass countless times and made him look like a helpless loser. The same girl with a temper that could rival his, is sitting in a cold, dark dungeon, utterly defenceless and weak, terrified of a mere, fist sized roll of cloth. Zuko has never hated himself more than he does at that very moment. He watches as Katara finally takes the ball into her hand and with shaky fingers and ragged breaths, unwraps the ball. Zuko is now openly watching her, trying to gauge her reaction, anxious even.
A small strangled sound escapes her when her eyes land on the small ball of rice in her hand. He wonders just how long it has been since she last ate. From the way she is staring at the rice it must have been too long. He waits. She does nothing but eye it warily yet hungrily.
Zuko is tempted to speak but quickly decides against it and eventually she lifts the rice to her face, sniffs it once, twice then takes a small bite, quickly followed by a larger, more needy bite and on the fifth bite, the rice is gone. Her head shoots up and she looks at him, almost pleading. He sighs softly and shakes his head.
A moment passes and the needy look is wiped off her face. Without a word or "thank you" she turns away and faces the wall.
He leaves.
He returns three days later this time with two rice balls and a dumpling, stashed far in his robes so as to remain undetected by the prison guards, his father and Azula.
Again she eats the food, says nothing then turn away. He stares at her thin back for a few moments before he finally leaves.
On the fourth visit he comes with a surprise.
He comes with water.
She stares at it, amused. "What makes you think I won't bend and escape?"
He chuckles, dry and humourless, "Well, for starters, you can barely stand, and," he lifts his head and regards her with a sincere expression. "I trust you."
She tenses, takes the water and turns away.
He leaves after collecting the empty container from her.
The next time he visits, she has a deep, nasty cut running from her neck to her shoulder. Her arm is limp against her side.
He gives her the water and rice and leaves with the empty containers.
Later in the night, next to the naked, sleeping form of his girlfriend, he weeps silently for the waterbender.
He finally decides to tell her about the Avatar.
"He's alive, though in a comatose state. He is with your brother and the rebels." Her face brightens and her eyes sparkle. Zuko sees green.
He knows it is pathetic to feel jealous over a stupid Water Tribe peasant girls' joy at hearing that her friend, the only hope in ending the century long war, is alive. He leaves quickly, stuffing the cloths and containers within his robes.
The next time he visits his face is devoid of any emotion. He does not bring food or water nor is he wearing a hood. She realises something is not right when he strides forward and roughly grabs her hair, ripping several strands from her tender scalp. She cries out, more in shock than pain.
"Where are the rebels?" he growls, forcing her to her trembling feet. She sways and clutches his powerful arm. She is afraid of this Zuko. When she does not respond he flings her across the cell like a weightless rag doll which she quickly realises is how he probably sees her.
She cries out again when her already sore and wounded back slams hard against the solid wall. He is quick. He has already loosened his trousers and is shoving her against the hard wall, her bare shoulders scraping painfully against the rough surface.
"Ah!" she wails and with quaking hands tries pushing him away.
But it is pointless. He has not been beaten, starved and kept from his element for nearly a year. She has.
He has hiked up her rags to her hips now, batting away her attacks with little effort.
She wants to scream; she wants to die. She wants her mother.
Tears stream down her face in giant rivulets. "Zuko...p-please..." she screams, she begs, she struggles but all in vain. He pushes against her and she slumps against him, loud sobs racking her body until she catches a movement in the shadows and everything falls into place.
Everything makes sense; she now understands why Zuko is doing this. He is pushing against her, fast jerky movements and he is grunting, quite loudly, his face buried in the crook of her neck, large warm hands hold her thighs around his hips. He is moving against her but he is not quite inside her; she still has her innocence.
Katara decides to play along, crying out at the right moments, screaming bloody murder and digging her bloodied fingernails into the soft material of his shirt. Finally he groans and shudders against her and with what little strength she has left, she bends the blood from the wounds on her legs onto herself and him before passing out in his arms.
Zuko has never hated himself more. Leaving the broken girl in a crumpled, bloody mess on the floor, he exits the prison room and into the filthy corridor, where his sister leans against the wall comfortably, a wicked smile on her face. She pushes off the wall when her eyes land on him.
"Did you enjoy her, brother?" He scowls and continues walking briskly. She follows.
"I've had better." he lies.
Suddenly Azula cuts him off; she stands in front of him, face flawless black hair neat and gold eyes filled with malice. "You may have fooled father into believing that you actually hate the peasant with that little stunt, but I know better." Zuko scoffs, sidesteps her an stalk off. But she catches up quickly and easily. "You're weak Zuko and sooner or later father will see that an make me his heir."
Fuelled by rage, Zuko attempts to push his sister aside but he intercepts hid motion and easily avoids it. "I'm not weak." he hisses, his failed attempt not affecting him by much, "compassion does not make a person weak, it makes them stronger" and with those last words he walks off, leaving a princess furious and shocked.
As he strides away, confident for the first time in years, Zuko finally understands what his Uncle had been trying to tell him all those years; he now understands his destiny. He now knows the right thing to do.
...
She wakes up hours later feeling exhausted and drained. Her eyelids crack open and she groans when she shifts her body to get comfortable on the concrete floor. She aches all over, even worse than before. Water suddenly appears before her and she gladly accepts it greedily gulping it down without pausing to breathe. A soft chuckle tickles her sensitive ears.
"Take it easy," he says "It's not going anywhere."
She does not listen and ends up choking. After her coughing fit she raises her head to look at him, a bright blush on her face. She is surprised to find he is not wearing his robes, instead he is wearing clothes designed for stealth. He notices her confusion and smiles.
"I'm getting you out of here."
They run for what feels like hours, darting behind large objects or pressing up against walls. Her chest burns and her legs ache but the thought of freedom keeps her going and she pushes herself to keep up with the Fire Prince.
And finally they are out of the palace and she sees the moon and feels the breeze for the first time in almost a years. Tears spring to her eyes and she crumpled against Zuko. He catches her and pulls her to a clump of thick bushes where they hide. It is then that she notices he is carrying a bag, from which he pulls out clothes and papers.
"Wear these." he instructs, shoving the clothes into her arms. He has given her a disguise, much like the one she had worn during her stay in he Fire Nation, undercover as Sapphire Fire. She does as he instructs, too excited to even think about modesty. He abruptly turns away, cheeks pink. When she is finally dressed she kneels next to him and waits.
"Go to the nearest port, there is a boat waiting, find Captain Jee and give him these." he shoves three sheets of parchment into her hands. "He will take you to the Foggy Swamp. Your brother, your father and the Avatar will be there. They know you are coming."
And with that he moves to stand but she grasps his arm in an iron clad grip and pulls him back down. Her eyes are wide and her face is flushed. He wants to kiss her.
So he does. It is slow and tender, merely a light brush of their lips until her hand finds its way around his neck and her fingers dive into his thick hair. She pulls his face closer and deepens the kiss, greedy for his lips. He groans softly and quickly complies. Katara, despite their current predicament, grins.
They pull away, their insatiable thirst for one another heightening. Zuko almost pulls her back for more but the impending danger looming nearby stops him. He shakes his head and turns away from her. This is where he says goodbye.
She waits.
He speaks words she had not expected.
"I love you." his lips are pressed against hers again. He does not need to explain, she understands. She kisses him back with equal need and desperation. He pulls away abruptly and leaves.
She reaches the Foggy Swamp within weeks and is reunited with her friends and family.
The Avatar awakens.
It is not until a month after her arrival that she hears the news.
This time his punishment was not the same as the last. This time he is not banished. This time there would be no next time.
He died for the Avatar to live; for there to be peace.
He died for her to be free.
Zuko died because he loved her.
And she would end the reign of the Fire Lord because she loved him back.
A/N: sniff* Originally, I had not planned for Zuko to die but afterwards I guess it sort of fit. I'm actually working on an alternate ending but I decided not to post it with this, it would sort of ruin the effect. I hope you liked it. Please criticise.