I have finally followed through with the Avatar Fanfic! Go Abbi! Anywho, I hope you like it...I'm only posting the first chapter until I get at least five reviews telling me it's okay to continue. I don't know if it's any good; it popped in my head during a chem exam...hey, I believe the main idea is I'm thinking of SOMETHING at least. Anyways, enjoy chapter one of 'Dancing Fire Lilies'. Kinda sextual, so be aware!
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER
The soft beat of the drum pounded in my ears as I rose from my crouching position on the floor. Candles were placed on the floor around my feet to illuminate my body as I moved to the music playing in the background. My ankle-length skirt swirled around me as I spun around, then stopped abruptly, the beads at the bottom making a clicking sound. I slowly slid down into a split, my hands making circular motions in the air above my head. As soon as I was fully straddling the floor, I swung my back leg around and laid flat on my back, my skirt that was slit up to my thighs falling in between my legs. I arched my back upward, curling into a ball before snapping up quickly, my ponytail swinging at the sudden movement. Spinning around again, I jumped into the air, bending my legs at the knee and putting my arms into the air. My final move that I had practiced was to slide down to the floor onto my side and lay still as the music died down behind me.
A hushed silence fell over the crowd as I stood and bowed, then a thunderous applause followed as the other dancers came out to join me for the final dance of the night. We all stood in a line, our heads down, waiting for the music to start. Yet again, it all began with the drum, though this rhythm was a tad more erotic as each dancer moved off in a different direction, leaving me in the middle to spin around with my left leg bent at the knee and my arms raised up over my head. Once I stopped, I immediately went down into a handstand as the other dancers swirled around me. Arching forward, my feet came into contact with the floor, leaving me in a back-bend. I stood up, and as soon as I was standing straight again, my legs spread in front of me. Sliding to the floor into yet another split, I winked at no one in particular in the audience. The sound of men cheering rang through my ears as I stood again. Picking up the beat of the drums, I popped my hips and chest to the rhythm. The other dancers twirled into position, dropping to their hands and knees on cue and crawling out toward the edge of the stage. I kept popping my hips as my hands traveled the length of my body, rising into the air and clasping together above my head. I popped my hips one more time, this time having my whole body follow as I joined the other girls on the floor. Only, instead of crawling, I laid on my back facing the audience. My hair hung off the end of the stage as I looked at the now upside-down group of men. Continuing to swirl my hips on the floor, the music came to a halt, the drum slowly following suit.
We were met with another round of silence. Finally, after forever and a day, cheers erupted from the audience. I sighed and stood with my fellow dancers, taking a bow and running off the stage. Our instructor met us backstage and clapped her hands together.
"Great job, girls! Especially you, Katara. Great job." She said to me, nodding her appreciation. I was happy she was proud of me, even though I didn't follow the dance steps. I waited for the other girls to leave to 'tend' to the audience, and when they were gone, I sighed with relief and pulled my hair out of its ponytail.
I'm Katara, a waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe. Now, you may ask, what is a seventeen-year-old girl from the Water Nation doing in a Fire Nation village? Better yet, what is she doing dancing in the Fire Nation? Well, it's a pretty sad story, though I'm not asking for your pity, so do not feel sorry for me please. When I was a little girl and even before then, the world was at war with the Fire Nation. They believed that they were the best, and wished to share their 'wealth' with the other three nations. That didn't go over too well, and now here we are, in the middle of a war. As a result of this war, many people were being separated from their families, me included. I remember what had happened like it had happened to me yesterday, when in actuality it had been several months since.
I was goofing around with my brother outside the village walls when we saw it. Black snow. There was only one other time we had seen snow such as this: when the Fire Nation came and took my mother away from me. My brother, Sokka, grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the entrance of our small village, but before we could so much as take a step, another strong hand grabbed my other arm and forcibly yanked me away from my brother. I fell to the ground and was immediately picked back up as I was being dragged toward a ship. I looked back to find Sokka lying on the ground with scorch marks on his rump and tears rolling down his face. He cried out to me, and it was the last thing I heard before the big, iron gates shut and the ship pulled away from my home.
After this, I was brought here, and was going to be sent to the special prisons the Fire Nation created for waterbenders when one person spoke up. Through the tears in my eyes, I saw the figure of a boy about the same age as me step forward. Wiping away the water in my eyes, I quickly realized it to be the son of the Fire Lord. What tipped me off was the rather intimidating scar that lay across his left eye, though that wasn't what I was concerned with at the moment. I was wondering why the Prince of the Fire Nation was standing up for me. Through the haze that had settled in my brain, I heard snip-its of the conversation Prince Zuko was having with his father. He had said something about me only being a young girl, then something about it not being fair to me, then finally something about me dancing for him here at the palace. His father must have agreed, because through the next several months, I was named head dancer of the 'Dancing Fire Lilies'.
That pretty much puts us back to the present, where I was currently walking out into the audience. There was one person I really wished to see right now, and I was praying to the Spirits that he was out there right now. Scanning the crowd, I smiled when my eyes came upon him. His raven hair hung in his face messily, out of its topknot, just the way I liked it, and his amber eyes seemed to radiate an orange glow in the candle light. He had his arms crossed, and a light frown played on his handsome face as many girls danced around him, trying to get his attention. But I knew he didn't want any of them. He only came here as orders from his father, but that didn't mean I couldn't have some fun with him.
I walked toward him, swaying my hips to the beat of the drum that played softly on the stage. His face lit up when he saw me, and his name escaped my lips through my happiness of seeing him. "Zuko..."
"Hey, Katara." He said, a small smile seen spreading to his lips. I smiled myself, though mine was a more wicked one as I climbed into his lap and locked my hands behind his neck, tangling my fingers in the soft hair at the nape of his neck. His smile faltered a little, and he glanced behind me at the other dancers that were glaring in our direction. I peeked over his shoulder at some of the girls that were dancing behind him; they were glaring too. Perfect, time to make my move. Slowly, I began to move up and down and side to side on his lap, making him grab my hips like I knew he would. "Katara, please. I'd really like to get out of here alive tonight, and by the looks on these girls' faces, I doubt that's going to happen if you keep it up." He muttered through clenched teeth, but I didn't stop my movements. I needed something from him before he left, and he knew just what it was I wanted him to give me. Though, thanks to his stupid pride, he simply held my hips still. I wasn't giving up that easily, though. Instead, I moved my hands from his neck and slid them down his chest. I could feel his chiseled muscles through his peasant-tunic, and a shutter ran through my body unintentionally.
'Oops...' I thought as I glanced at his eyes. They darkened, and he smiled evilly, sending another chill through my body. He knew he was the cause of the sudden body spasms, and he was going to use that to his full advantage. Grasping my hips more roughly, he began to move them erotically, like I had before. I groaned and rested my forehead on his shoulder as I felt my underwear dampen. I could feel the other girls' eyes practically searing my skin at the treatment I was getting from the Prince, and I moaned again as I felt one of his hands slide down my side to the slit of my skirt, his fingers touching my bare skin.
His breath was warm on my neck as he whispered, "Not today, Katara. Better luck next time." His fingers brushed my thigh and I gasped, pressing my lips against his clothed shoulder to suppress the urge to scream. It wasn't like I wasn't used to this, after all, we did this all of the time, but it surprised me each and every time the way my body reacted to his touch.
Through another stifled groan, I mumbled, "Th-that's what you think..." And then, I turned my face to his neck and placed a soft, sensual kiss on the creamy-white skin. He froze and went rigid, and I smiled in victory. I won! Then again, I always win, because I always knew the one thing that drove him crazy. I moved my head from his shoulder and stared him in the eyes, icy-blue meeting amber. "Now, how about you give me what I want." I raised my perfectly-arched left eyebrow and he rolled his eyes, reaching into the pocket of his tunic and pulling out a crisp piece of paper. He folded it once and placed the money in between my teeth. I nodded my thanks and was about to get off of him, but he placed a hand on my shoulder and sat me down again.
"Wait, you forgot your change." He said and dropped two gold coins down the top of the tight belly-shirt I was wearing.
"Zuko!" I hissed as the cool metal came in contact with my warm flesh. He smiled and crossed his arms as I squirmed to get the money out without drawing attention to myself. I could feel his body shaking softly with quiet laughter as the coins fell out onto his lap. I sighed in relief and glared at him, the smile never leaving his face as he picked up the coins and placed them in the palm of my open hand that was inches away from his nose. Jerking off of him, I hit him lightly and playfully on the arm and mumbled, "Thanks, friend. Glad to know I have an effect on you."
He stood up with me and put his arm around my waist, resting it on the opposite hip. We walked out of the club together and down the hall toward the dancer's chambers. My work was done, and all I wanted to do now was sleep. As we passed one of the firebending soldier's bed chambers, I heard moaning followed by a growl come from the other side of the closed door. I shivered and leaned in closer to my friend for comfort. He rubbed up and down my side and whispered, "Katara, it's okay. I'll see to it that you're not reassigned as a concubine. Don't worry about a thing."
I nodded and pushed the thoughts from my mind as we continued our walk down the hallway.