A/N Okies!
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar!
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Katara walked out to the garden, looking around for her opponent.
"It looks like he's late, so much for challenge…" Katara scoffed and was about to turn back, when she heard a rough voice behind her.
"Don't get too cocky…."
Katara gasped, turning around and seeing the muscular man behind her.
"Ready?" He smirked, taking off his vest
"I was born ready," she whispered, reaching for her weapons, unfazed by his well built body.
He shot out a fire ball, hurtling towards her head.
Katara thought quickly and dodged, throwing a shuriken towards his arms. He effortlessly dodged it, shooting out rings of fire.
Thinking quickly, Katara back flipped, dodging the flaming objects. Then, she stopped in front of him and swiftly sweep kicked. (A/N Yes she has a bit of good moves because, hello she trained to be an assassin, be swift ; )
Zuko smirked and jumped, dodging the kick and landing behind her. He grabbed her braid and brought her down.
"I win…." He breathed panting.
"No, you….don't," Katara gasped, standing up and facing him once more. She threw three kunai at him, two missing him and one pinning him down by the pant legs.
He grunted as he was brought down, colliding with the hard ground.
"It seems I win…." Katara smiled and began to walk away.
Zuko, refusing to give up without a fight, stood up and tackled her to the ground.
Katara grunted as she fell to the ground, his weight and hers falling towards the ground.
"You fight dirty Zuko…." She growled, struggling to get out of his grasp.
"You should know that by now….and it's Prince Zuko" He whispered, poising to bring down his flaming fist.
Katara gasped and turned her head, his fist hitting the ground. Swiftly, she rolled out from under him and stood up, bringing out another kunai.
"This fight's only beginning…." She breathed, charging at him, kunai poised to stab him.
He swiftly turned, making Katara miss, and then grabbed her wrist with the kunai, and twisted it so that instead of the kunai pointing at him, the kunai pointed at the back of her neck.
Katara growled as he firmly held her hand. "No fair…." She gritted her teeth.
"Life's not fair….." He whispered into her ear.
"Fine, stab me if you want……see if I care…." She spat out.
"That seems like a good idea…." He firmly held her hand holding the kunai and lightly made the cold metal of the dagger touch her neck. "Are you sure?" He whispered once more, sending strange shivers down her spine.
"Yes, I am." Katara stated, trying to mask her fear with bravery.
"Then so am I." He lightly moved the kunai across the back of her neck, leaving a bright red trail. He felt Katara wincing slightly at the sharp, burning pain of the scratch.
"Had enough?" He whispered.
"Your….father said….I should suffer…..so be it…" She gasped out.
"Fine…." Zuko lifted the kunai slightly and let the tip make another line, this time perpendicular to the pervious line. Katara grunted as the kunai went in deeper this time, over the same two lines.
"You try to act brave, but I could see through your little mask….weak and defenseless inside…." He traced over the same line once more, drawing more blood.
Katara let out a pained cry as the pain shot up her body. One of her hands unable to move, as it was holding the kunai causing her pain, which was held by the arrogant prince. Her other hand at her sides, clutching the sides of her pants in pain, wanting to strangle the prince.
"Why did you even come? You knew you were going to lose…." He continued giving her deeper and deeper cuts.
Katara cried out in pain as kunai once again ran across her cut. She just wanted to fall down to the ground, just fall down and die, instead of this torture.
"Just let me die!" Katara cried out, ignoring the pain shooting up for the 10th time.
Zuko frowned and whispered in her ear, "Wasn't this what you wanted?"
Katara growled and tried to free her hand holding the kunai away from his grasp, with no avail.
"Answer me! Wasn't this what you wanted?" He pushed harder onto the kunai, causing a trickle of blood to fall from her neck.
Katara yelled in pain as she felt her knees buckle. "Yes…."
Zuko smirked and whispered, "Thought so…." He released her hand and walked away.
Katara simply fell to the ground, kunai still in hand, at her side. The sharp pains radiating from her "x" mark, burning from the contact of dirt.
Slowly, she closed her eyes, seeing the blurry figure of the prince walk away.
I'll get you back you bastard….
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Katara slowly lifted her eyelids, focusing on the world around her.
"Ah Miss Katara! Are you feeling well?" The nurse asked.
She nodded, rubbing the back of her neck, feeling a cloth bandage there.
"Miss? Would you like some ointment to take with you? I need to clear out some beds, so if you can walk, then…."
"Yes please, I will take some ointment with me." Katara stood up, getting used to not walking around for three days.
"Thank you miss." The nurse bowed and rushed over to her bed and started clearing it away.
Katara sighed and shot glares at the people who walked past her.
Going into her room, she was stopped by Jiyin.
"Katara! What happened! They said that they found you in the garden unconscious! Someone thought you were murdered with the kunai that was in your hand!" Jiyin nervously check all around her, seeing a white bandage on the back of her neck.
Jiyin gasped, "What happened there?" She nervously touched the bandage, Katara wincing in pain.
"Don't touch it, please, it still stings…" Katara rubbed the bandage gently, wincing in pain once more.
"Oh sorry." Jiyin lowered her face and spoke up again, "I saw what happened that night at dinner, Lord Ozai was really mad."
"So, that's his problem." Katara shot out.
"Well, at least that bruise is gone." Jiyin pointed out.
Katara nodded, it must've been the treatment that the nurse gave her.
"Well Katara, be better soon, we are needed this night once more." Jiyin went into her room, shutting it quietly.
Katara winced as she unknowingly rubbed her jaw. It seemed like there was another scratch there, the nurse didn't see.
Growling, she went into her room and shut the door, reaching into her knapsack and pulling out a white bandage. She poured some ointment onto the pure white bandage and stuck it on.
Looking at herself in the mirror, she frowned when she stared at the bandage; it made her look like a veteran of the war.
Letting out an exhausted sigh, she plopped down on the bed, wincing once more at the contact of the bed to her wound. Sighing, she slowly closed her eyes, feeling sleep take her over.
Katara ran around wildly, throwing knives at the Fire Nation soldiers, bring them down. Then she ran into him, that arrogant prince. The two circled each other until Katara yelled and charged at him, weapon in hand.
He swiftly dodged and knocked the kunai out of her hands. Gasping, she felt his strong hold on her upper arms.
"Nice try, but no…." He whispered again. Katara squirmed trying to get away.
"No use getting away from me…..you're too weak…"
Katara jolted awake, sweat lining her forehead. Cursing at herself, she got up and changed for this evening's event.
Silently slipping on her dress and putting on her make up, she thought about the dream.
Am I really going to fail this mission? Am I?
She pinned in a bright blue comb on her bun and slowly headed out the door, wishing she didn't have to see that arrogant prince one more time.
Really hoping they would give her a new "man" to sit with, she fiddled with the fan in her hands.
Entering the dining hall, she met up with the other geishas, Jiyin jumping up and down once more.
"Isn't this great? She said we could stay with the man we sat with 4 nights ago!" Jiyin jumped up and down once more.
Katara twitched.
Great…the gods must be testing me……
"Excuse me, miss." Katara went up to the head lady, in charge of all of them.
"Yes?"
"I was wondering, if I could sit with another man other than Prince Zuko?" Katara asked sweetly.
"No, I'm afraid you can't, unless he wants you to sit with someone else, there is nothing I could do." The head lady shook her head, heading towards the older girls to teach them new dance moves.
Katara narrowed her eyes at the ground.
The gods really must be testing me….
Ruefully, she stood beside Jiyin, until the guests arrived. A lot more than a few days ago, poured into the huge dining hall, chattering about boring stuff.
She sighed and went over to Zuko and sat down next to him.
When he stared at her, she merely glared at him, wishing he wouldn't stare at her so much.
Sitting down, she folded up her fan and sighed, wishing he would just let her go to another man. When she moved her head up, pain shot through her body, from the wound left by him.
Wincing and let out a sharp grunt in pain, Katara closed her eyes, hissing at the burning sensation.
Zuko noticed this and couldn't help but feel a bit guilty.
"Does it hurt?" He asked.
Katara clenched her fists and gritted her teeth the pain becoming almost unbearable.
"Of course it hurts…." She hissed out, tears of pain forming on the corners of her eyes. "What do you think?"
"I suggest you show me your respect." He whispered out in a threatening tone.
"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realize that I needed to give respect to the person who gave me a mark!" Katara hissed, burning pain once more in her, now evident scar.
"You think you're so smart with all your sarcasm don't you?" Zuko glared at her.
"Shut up….." Katara snapped, touching the bandage on the left side of her jaw.
He grabbed her wrist and held it firmly. Katara wincing as she felt heat coming onto her wrist.
"Don't ever tell me to shut up….I went easy on you last time…..next time I won't hold back." He whispered, his voice dangerous and venomous.
Katara just simply glared back and ripped her wrist away.
In time Katara….in time….
A/N Alright…..even though I didn't get 25 reviews….I am being generous….. XD
R&R!
