Here is chapter 2! It is a bit darker and please tell me if the violence counts me to put it up to mature, if so then I shall do just that! Anyway thank you for the creative input still looking for someone to edit my work so there is not so many horrid typos so if anyone is interested please note me, so without further interuption I give you chapter 2 of Dragons Embrace!

WARNING! There is violence!

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The rain thoroughly soaked the lost woman. Arms tightly wrapped around her trembling body, Katara looked numbly forward. She was a fool for coming to this city.

The tears came hard and fast, the tremble in her shoulders more from her confined sobs. A hero of the world, a water bender who aided in ridding this world of a horrible fate done by fire nation hands. Katara bitterly thought of her title placed upon her. What was the point of a title when you were still the same as you were a year ago?

That made her ponder as she headed down towards the stables. Was she the same? She no longer was afraid to travel alone, nor afraid to be who she really was; a water bender. For years since the death of her mother, Katara had feared her abilities.

She also had helped the avatar, even loved him... until...

"Until-"

That woman... his hands...

Shaking her head in an attempt to ignore those painful memories Katara entering the stables looked over to her solitary ostrich horse that rumbled while looking at her with its brown eyes.

Bending the water from her clothes to the ground just outside the stable door, Katara made her way to the mount. Gently grasping the reins, the woman buried her face in the soft down coat of the ostrich horse. The creature taking a step to brace the new weight against its chest, looked down at the woman who wept in its fur.

Where will I go now?

Her mind spoke the words bitterly, Aang was no longer there for her. Even though he would willingly take her back upon Appa's back; she could not do that. Not yet...

"Oh! Lady you gave me fright!"

Katara jumping at at the young man's startled voice, looked over to see the teenage stable hand with a rake at his side looking at her with bewildered eyes. His body drenched having heaved the stable waste out to the compost heap, he looked like a drowned rat. The woman blushed while she faced him, her back to the ostrich horse.

"My apologies... I was debating on heading out." She spoke softly as he scoffed at her.

"It is raining like there is no tomorrow out there with night coming in as well. Do you not know where a inn is or lack the funding?" he asked resting the rake on its designated hook by the stable entry.

"I... uh... well I was going to stay with a friend but he is... he is not home right now." She spoke, the waiver in her voice noticed by the youth as he looked her over.

"Uh huh, well look my father runs a little inn not to far from here, perhaps you could stay there for at least until this rain stops?" he asked with a slight crook in his grin.

Katara watching him smiled bitterly, she knew this rain would not let up any time soon and remaining within this stable would not be suitable for her. A small nod of her head was all that was needed for him to smile and lead her off back into the rain.

"Hurry! This way! We will cut through!" The youth spoke over the now sheet of water falling upon them as they ran down combined alley ways between rows of small businesses. Katara racing after him could not focus long enough to sustain any sort of bending umbrella over her rice hat that was now completely soaked.

"Hold up! I cannot keep- Geyaahhh!"

Katara felt the sudden change in direction rip her feet from the ground. Her back smashed into the building wall knocking all the wind from her lungs as panicked eyes locked with two sets of cruelly glaring men. Garbed in ruined clothing, long since past their proper use, the main thief held his broad arm right against Katara's throat closing her airways to near full.

Stale breath passed through the many gaps where teeth should have been as he narrowing his gaze looked her over. "We got the kid; boss! He had nothing!" the alleyway echoed with the other thieve's yells as two scraggly dressed men approached from the rains clutches, hauling the boy's limp form with feet dragging in the mud.

Katara with dulling gaze tried hard to focus on the youth, praying the blood from his temple was not from a serious wound.

"Quite you moron! You want to guards to hear you?" Snarled the man who had the woman pinned against the wall. The one who had shouted earlier coward away, his fearful eyes watching the blade hand of the 'boss'.

"Now back to this bitch. Ah ah ah!" The large thief leader having seen her right hand try to rise up, pulled a small pocket knife and in a swift motion dove the blade through her sleeve nicking her flesh as the metal bore into the thick wooden wall.

"We know you are a water bender!" The one thief who had coward not long ago blurted out just to have a boot crush into his gut. Spiraling in the air, the mud made a dull smack as he landed and laid there groaning in agony.

"Now let us pray you learn to keep silent. Yes we know you are a water bender. That betrothal necklace gives it away." The leader sneered, spittle flying onto her already drenched face as his free hand curled underneath the craved light blue stone her gran gran had given her after the death of her mother.

"Katara of the southern water tribe; Ally of Aang the Avatar; water bender." the leader spat the words as if it were poison, his pressure on her throat worsening. Vision nearly gone, her consciousness threatened to slip into darkness as fear already consumed her.

Snapping his fingers, Katara hearing the painful yelp looked to her right and saw the third thief who ignoring the painful groans of his comrade laying in the mud, forced the youth to his knees with a gut punch right in the kidneys.

"Now we can be easy, it all depends on how you wish to corporate that is." The leader sneered as he looked at her with a wicked glint in his eyes. As his eyes matched hers he smiling began to raise his free hand slowly for her.

"Tell us; whore to the avatar. Where is he?" He growled, his voice growing gruff... Katara's fear suddenly faltered as the leader's eyes just moments ago so full of cruelty were suddenly wide.

His arm slackened off of her throat as he stumbling back crashed into the building across the way. Katara falling to her feet trembled and crashed to her knees as coughs racked her body loudly. The woman gasping for fresh air heard the weak sound and looked to her right at the two thieves who seemed at a loss of the sudden change of their leader's form.

"Boss?" The thief still laying in the mud from the gut shot weakly reached out for his leader as the third tossing the youth to the ground rushed over to the large fallen man.

"He... he's dead!" The lanky man cried as he leaning the corpse forward showed a blade had dug deep into the cruel man's heart from the back.

Katara wasted no time, eyes narrowed she slowly with shaky knees rose to her feet with her arms held out from her sides, fingers flared. Feeling the rain spilling onto her drenched form, a dark glimmer entered her eyes as the two thieves looked at her rising form.

"Oh... shi-!"

The thieves yells filled the alleyway as she unleashed her bending, shards of frozen water slammed into their bodies slashing at their weak clothing, cutting their pale soaked flesh. Crimson life spilled from their gathering wounds as Katara moving her form as if a fluid form of dancing made the gathered mud in the alleyway rise up and wash over the crippled thief as the other yelling leapt to the side as the mud crashed down covering the man and silencing his wails.

Katara turning with murder in her eyes froze, the stream of bended water curled loosely around her arms swayed in motion as she saw the final thief fall to the ground, his decapitated head laying in a pool of murky mud near his fallen feet.

There in his place loomed Zuko, eyes livid with unconcealed rage as his single bleeding blade was clutched tightly in his left white knuckled fist. His breath shook as his eyes snapped to the lump of mud where the final thief resided, the walls shivering as he struggled to get out of the suffocating tomb.

Looking from the dead man at the fire lords feet, the man walking over it without any thought headed for the mud pile as a very filthy head popped out and gasped for breath.

"Zuko!" Yelling his name, Katara's eyes went wide as she reached forward, her eyes meeting his for only a brief second as he lifting his blade looked down at the man.

"No! Please have mercy! Please have-"

Metal flashed in the pouring rains as all wails of agony were silenced.

All that was heard was the pouring rains as Zuko stopping looked to the woman who had collapsed unconscious in the mud. His eyes scanned her form and seeing all injuries were low, looked to the unconscious youth nearby.

Katara awoke with a violent scream escaping her lips, ragged breaths tore through her body as she burying her face into her hands trembled. Her mind having been plagued by the memories of what seemed moments ago.

A hand rested on her shoulder making Katara jump and snap her eyes over to golden ones.

"I- Iroh?" her voice rasped weakly as he simling held a steaming cup of tea before her. "You have been unconscious for twelve hours my dear." his voice filled with warmth and kindness as she taking the offered cup sipped at it letting the warmth spread into her body.

"As for the youth-" He started amaking Katara nearly spit out her tea but bit her tongue as he held a hand up to her for silence, his kind eyes looking at her.

"He will live, my nephew has taken him to the medical ward in the city." Watching her still he handing her a moist cloth, sat back and crossed his arms as she setting the glass down began to wipe the tears from around her red eyes.

"Now my question is, what did pety thieves want with you on a night that even thieves would not wish to go outside. It was as if they knew you were there." Iroh spoke as he sipped on his own cup of tea.

Lowering the cloth in her lap Katara looked forward blankly trying to recall that so sudden attack at night. "I do not know... but they knew who I was as well as what I can do, and that I was connected to the avatar. That was all they said before Zuko; wait Zuko... he rescued me... but how? How did he know where to find me?" Katara asked looking over at the old man who looking up from his glass met her eyes.

With a weak smile, Iroh setting his glass down looked to his right were a small cupboard resided. Opening the single door, he reaching in pulled out a small parcel wrapped in oil seal skin to keep the elements out.

"You see; my nephew has gained many abilities while out in world from his banishment." The old man spoke as he unwrapping it in his lap held it out towards the woman for her sapphire eyes to see.

"What... Impossible..." Katara whispered as she with a weak hand reached out and touched the worn parchment of the wanted sign for the blue spirit as within its folds rested a worn blue cloth strap.

"He stopped being the blue spirit for over a year now; he drowned his mask at the lake where he had set the avatar's bison free. Though being the blue spirit it has taught him in not being seen within the shadows. That and being out in this world for so long he has learned to track decently... though his fishing skills are not to great..." Iroh muttered straying for a moment from the subject before focusing back onto the confused eyes of Katara.

"With the skills he had learned as a banished prince and as the blue spirit, finding you was not that hard. Though, please tell me Katara." He spoke as his eyes grew solemn while his hands reaching out grasped both her shoulders.

"What did Zuko do to those men?" He spoke harshly as Katara paling looked at the old man. Her eyes gave it away as he with gaze widening released Katara's shoulders and numbly grasped his cup of tea once more staring into the liquid.

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Zuko stared at his uncle's small house, he heard the muffled voices but could not make out anything that was said. His hands tremble faintly as he ran one through his soaked hair while the other gripped the hilt of his double swords.

He was still very shaken about the whole incident...

The fire lord was simply tracking the distraught woman. Watching her from the shadows after she had gone into the stables, he saw her sorrow... he remembered how she begrudgingly accepted the teens offer of shelter. It was clear she wanted to run, but from what? What was there for her to run from?

Then he had seen the thieves stalking her through the rain. Two of them clearly following the one who had key eyes set on the water bender.

Tossing his head to the side, Zuko sneered at himself in disgust. He held back and did not fight for right away thinking she would get away but they had caught her by surprise and knew who she was...

Then they were using the youth as a tool to get what they wanted from her; they mentioned the avatar and the leader was going to...

Throwing his head back, Zuko unleashed a huge plume of fire into the air. When he realized what they intended to do to her... His rage had soured and he became numb.

But why? Grabbing his head with both hands he hung his face to the ground as water trickled down his face, the scarred flesh making the rain trace the taught lines.

Why did it piss him off so much? Why did seeing her so helpless make his blood boil into a uncontrollable rage? The youth, he could care less for but...

Mai...

Clenching his fist, Zuko shaking his head faced forward with shoulders stiffly held back, headed towards his uncle's house.

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"Please if you could my joints are old." Iroh had asked so sickly sweet with that big grin of his, Katara could not refuse his wish and having taken both their cups from the room that she had know figured was Zuko's, headed into the kitchen where three large candles illuminated the room.

Following her nose more then her sight within the dim lighting, Katara resting her hand on the metal tea pot sat the two cups on the counter and lifted the pot from its resting place on top of the fireplace where coals remained the life of the former roaring fire.

She heard the door slide open as she began to pour the tea, frozen in place, the water stilled and wavered with the twitch of her free left hand. Her eyes focused, her eyes alert... there, the wood creaking with a foot stepping down!

Katara with pot in hand summoned the steaming tea stained water forth like a shimmering blade right into the face of the intruder.

Eyes wide, the man ducked down as the water struck the shutting door freezing instantly in place. Moving with fluidity, Zuko lunged inward, arm snaking around hers, the man using his weight over her form pressed them both hard against the oak table making the tea pot clatter to the ground scattering the remaining droplets of water onto the wooden floor.

"Katara! Calm down!" Zuko whispered harshly into the struggling woman's ear making her freeze and look forward right at his face no more then a few inches from her own.

"Z- Zuko!" She cried as their eyes were locked. Bodies close, her warmth seeped into his chilled soaked form making Zuko give into a involuntary shudder.

"Oh! Oh my... well then, the tea can wait." Both sets of eyes looked over as Iroh stood there slightly flushed with his hand on the door from Zuko's room, the old man clearly bewildered by the sight before his very eyes.

Katara suddenly realized the position they were in... Zuko stood between her legs bracing them from his so she would not kick out at him, and pinned her arms to the table so she could not bend... yet to a untrained eye...

Blushing a vivid crimson Katara letting out a shrill shoved Zuko off making him stumble back into the counter top causing the tea cups to jump.

"It was not what you think uncle!" Zuko sputtered with a bit of color to his normal pale tones. Iroh laughing outright patted his nephew's shoulder while entering the kitchen and grabbing the fullest tea cup. "You two are always fighting it seems. You are friends yes?" He asked while plaintively sipping his tea.

Katara straightening her clothes, meekly summoned the ice from the wall, melted it before allowing it to drain into the basin where it poured to the outside. "I am a bit jumpy after what has happened... Oh." turning she gave a bow to Zuko making the soaked fire lord look at her oddly.

"Thank you... for saving my life Zuko. I am in debt to you." She spoke softly making him grimace at her. "Stop it, I am not fire lord here, nor to you." he spoke as she rising back up once more smiled at him faintly.

"Then how about me saying thank you as a friend?" she asked holding her hand out to him. Zuko eyed the hand suspiciously making his mile quickly turn to a scowl. "What? Something wrong?" she sneered as he watching her merely smirked.

"Oh it is just this whole time every time you would raise a hand to me water is flying right for my face." He spoke with a slight note to his tone as he recalled the two times she has thrown ice his way, the first time succeeding.

"Well fine then, oh Iroh, thank you for letting me use the spare room, I am going to wash up." she spoke with a curt glare at Zuko making him watch her with anguish knowing the room she spoke of.

Following her form as she passing the elder entered his room with a gentle shutting of the door, Zuko eyed his uncle who smiling looked at him. "What? I figured it would be proper payment for her to at least wash up and have a proper bed to sleep in from your rude manners yesterday." He spoke while sipping his tea happily.

"Wha! Rude manners? She! I! GEYEAHHH!" The fire lord bellowed as a very happy katara standing in the bathing chamber summoned the water from the container surrounded by hot coals to splash over her bare form.

It was not such a waste to come here the water bender came to realize.

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So input! Reviews, shall I keep putting more chapters up yes or no? Again anyone who would like to help me edit my work would be lovely seeing I cannot seem to catch all my typos and badly worded sentences, either way I hope you enjoyed this chapter^^