**I got completely off track with this story when I began Dance of Slavery, and I apologise! I'm back on track now, and will be desperately trying to get chapters out as quickly as I can. I hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think!**
I found myself watching as Zuko and Aang trained. Zuko was a very great teacher to Aang… I'll give him that much.
As I watched them, I wondered what it would be like be a fire bender; To move through those movements that came so easily to Zuko. Biting my lip, I began to copy their movements, their motions, and found that the fire bending technique was a lot harder than water bending. I tried to focus on Zuko's sharp movements, but kept getting distracted by the muscles of his arms tensing and flexing. Why was I noticing such a thing about him?!
"Trying to learn fire bending, huh?" Toph's voice caused me to drop my stance and blush deeply as if I was caught doing something I shouldn't have been.
"N-No!" I felt my blush deepen, "I just… It's easier to fight your opponent when you have a better understanding of their fighting technique."
"Please, Sugar Queen, I don't need my eyesight to know you're blushing right now."
My cheeks only got hotter.
Aang jumped high, using his air bending to propel himself in the air and land beside us. "Hey!" He smiled brightly, then noticed the obvious embarrassed look on my face. "What's wrong?"
Zuko walked over, his golden eyes causing me to quickly look away from him.
"Oh, Sugar Queen here was either checking you or Zuko out. I'm pretty sure it was Zuko. Oh! And she was trying to fire bend."
"I was not!" My voice squeaked, "A-And I did not!" My face was hot with embarrassment as I noticed the smug look on Zuko's face. "I was not…" I mumbled.
I couldn't believe Toph. She was being so… mean. She was just… being a child and making things up. … Right?
"So, you were trying to firebend?" Zuko asked in an amused tone.
"I was not." I said defensively, my eyes narrowing at him. "It's just easier to understand and fight your enemy when you have a decent understanding of their bending technique."
Zuko stepped closer to me, and it took everything in me to not step away from him in retaliation. "Would you like to learn how, Katara?" His breath was hot as he lowered his face close to mine, "I must warn you; Fire is a hard element to control, it is a passionate element, and it takes patience to control such a passionate thing."
My breath was stuck in my throat as I held it in. I could feel the heat radiating off of him and sinking into my pores. His chest, his face… they were so close to my own. Zuko's breath washed over my face in a warm yet refreshing wave each time he exhaled.
Coming to my senses, I stepped away, glaring, "I don't want anything to do with fire bending, nor you." I turned on my heel glaring at the air before me, and stomped away in anger.
Zuko was just so infuriating! Talking to me like I was some kind of child? Ha! Zuko was just a spoiled, bratty prince who got exiled by his daddy, and I hated him!
I found myself down at the river, and decided I should practice my water bending. The waves I was creating only got worse with my anger as I thought about Zuko. Soon, I created a wave and lost control of it. The cool water came splashing down hard on me, soaking me through my clothes. "Great…" I stripped, then water bended the water out of my clothes. I paused midway through drying my clothes as a thought occurred to me. A nice, relaxing soak in the water sounded great at the moment.
I sighed, relishing in the feel of the water surrounding me as I slowly sank into the water. The water soaked through my skin, awakening my senses, and making me feel rejuvenated and at ease.
My limbs moved through the water as I swam around in mindless patterns, and I reveled in the feel of the water touching my skin. I sighed and relaxed, feeling completely placid like the water around me. I was floating on my back, gently smiling up at the sky, when I heard it.
A soft murmur. Male. Another murmur, rougher than the first.
I froze, feeling a bit scared. The voices were not familiar to me. What if they saw me? I'm a naked fifteen year old girl bathing in the river. If men saw me…
In the Southern Watertribe we were taught about anatomy and sex at an early age, and the women were expected to be married by the age of fourteen. However, the act of having sex was a very forbidden thing, yet a very sacred act that only a married couple could perform. Even kissing was considered sacrileges. No one was ever raped or sexual assaulted in the Southern Watertribe. We were all a family within each village of the Southern Watertribe. Why would we hurt one another? Knowing all of this… my Gran Gran told me about the world outside of our tribe and how it is cruel, and if a man saw a pretty girl he wanted but couldn't have… he'd hurt her, take her forcefully, and maybe even kill her afterwards to protect himself.
I sunk down in the water, hiding behind a large rock trying to stay out of view. I was breathing softly… slowly.
I heard footsteps getting closer, and strained to listen to them. They were wearing armor, I could tell by the heavy, clanking of their footsteps. Fire Nation? They came into view, confirming my suspicions of them being Fire Nation, and I realized I had to act quickly.
My arm swung out, causing a water whip to hit the two men. I rose slightly out of the water, wanting to inspect my attack, and I gasped upon seeing four Fire Nation soldiers. I panicked, and began swimming quickly to get away once they saw me. Swimming was getting me nowhere, so I allowed the water to embrace me and lead me to shore as I manipulated it. I was so wrapped up in escaping unharmed that I completely forgot about my exposed body.
I hadn't been thinking when I attacked them…
One of the men grabbed me, trapping my hands in his gloved, larger ones. Painfully. I felt a snap in my wrist and sudden hot pain shooting from my wrists throughout my body.
I let out a pained, terrified scream. One of the others, especially Toph, might hear me…
"Shut her up!" One of the Fire Nation soldiers yelled.
The one holding me wrapped a cloth around my mouth, I shouted and screamed, kicked and trashed, but it was all futile.
One of the men walked up and looked my exposed body up and down, a sick smirk stretching across his lips, "Beautiful little heathen. It's a shame you're not of the Fire Nation." His rough hand grabbed my breast painfully.
I wanted to spit in his face. to kick in between his legs. Freeze his blood. All I could do… was glare at this disgusting man.
Someone had to be coming for me… right? Toph could have heard me… or Sokka… or Aang? Hell, even Zuko. Someone had to have…
Sleepy… I was getting so sleepy and tired. I realized there was a cloth over my mouth and nose, and each time I breathed…
Each time…
Each…
*.*
Black. That's all I could see. That's all that surrounded me. Nothing else. My limbs ached as I tried to move them. Really they felt sluggish more than sore. Nausea was slowly creeping up in my throat, causing me to try to swallow against the feeling. I tried to move, tried to take in my surroundings, but I couldn't find the strength to do anything besides lay against the floor below me.
I whimpered softly… What was wrong with me?
Everything came back slowly. I was bathing, captured by Fire Nation soldiers. … No one came to save me. … Why hadn't anyone come?
"You're awake." A gruff male's voice met my ears, and I recognized it as one of the voices from before.
My eyes dashed around, trying to find him in the darkness, but I couldn't see anything. "Where am I? Let me go."
"Can't do that." I felt something fall from my eyes, and realized that I had been blindfolded. "You're a prisoner now."
"Do you have any idea-"
"You're from the Watertribe, the water bending girl traveling with the Avatar. And no, we're not after him."
My eyes narrowed into a cold glare, "You're lying."
"Am I? There's a large bounty for the Avatar and the Fire Lord's traitor son. Don't you think we would have captured them too?"
The man before me did have a good point… "So why me?"
He smirked, his golden eyes looking into mine, "You're our next sell."
"… Sell?"
"Don't act so naïve, girl. You know what I mean."
My face paled… Unfortunately I did know what he meant. He was going to sell me to the highest bidder. Someone like me- exotic, young- would go for a high price within the human trafficking business.
What was I to do? I was bound, naked, and there was no water around me besides the water that floated in the air. I was helpless… Me, Katara- master water bender- was helpless… I was captured by the enemy, and now was facing being sold off to some pervert who paid the most for an exotic girl like me…