Cell :: Chapter 4

What if Katara had gone through with using her healing water on Zuko's scar? There wouldn't have been any left for when Aang needed it most after Zuko's betrayal in Ba Sing Se. There also wouldn't be anyone around to stop the Fire Lord. Zutara darkfic.

Warning: This is a dark fanfiction. Mature themes and hate, etc. This is EVENTUAL Zutara; they will not be reciting their love for each other by chapter 5.

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He wove his way through the small group of people standing next to his post. He looked around curiously, rubbing a hand through his fluffy black hair. It always shot in every direction anyway, so he was never concerned with messing it up.

"Oi, Tsai!"

He looked up then, searching for the source of the voice. His partner was waving at him from in front of the cell room door.

"Lin, what the hell is going on? What's with the party?" He gestured to the group of six people. "And why didn't they bring any alcohol?"

The older man looked stern then. "I'm not in the mood for your jokes right now. You're late for your post anyhow."

"I wasn't joking," Tsai responded defensively. "Seriously, where's the alcohol?"

"Tsai!" Lin roared.

"Okay, okay. But, really, what's going on?"

Lin fingered his beard, grunting. "Apparently, someone bought our ward."

Tsai's face fell. "Are you serious? Who would do that?"

"Of course I don't know. It's not my place to ask details," Lin replied. Tsai had known the older guard long enough to notice the trace of nervousness in his voice. He felt it, too.

"What should we do? Should we… you know…" Tsai trailed off hesitantly. He eyed the group of people talking quietly. They were completely ignoring the lowly cell guards. The prison warden was, of course, the first person Tsai recognized. There were also two other prison personnel who oversaw the guards. Aside from those three, Tsai couldn't figure out what purpose the other half of the group served. The other three men wore elegant robes fit for Fire Nation aristocracy.

"Of course not," Lin hissed quietly. "That would cast some serious suspicion."

Tsai leaned in to whisper to Lin, "Did those rich looking guys buy her?"

Lin shook his head. "I don't think so."

The two guards watched the group of men silently for a few more minutes. Then, a thought struck Tsai. "Hey, are we being relocated then?" The thought somewhat upset him. He had been working with Lin for over two years, and he really had a soft spot for the old man.

"I don't know," Lin replied solemnly. "We'll just have to wait and see. I'll tell you this though," he started ominously, "Xiao Ji and Ying told me they are being relocated to the Boiling Rock."

Tsai didn't know Xiao Ji and Ying very well. After all, he only saw the two older men for a few minutes twice a day when he and Lin changed shifts with them. Knowing that the two of them were being moved to the Boiling Rock was unsettling. Lin and he could just as easily be moved.

Then, the group of men turned and walked away. Tsai and Lin glanced at each other, uncertain.

"Should we like…" Tsai started.

"Leave? No," Lin finished, shaking his head. "We'll just have to stand guard here like normal until someone tells us different."

Tsai snorted. "Stand guard over who? No one's in there, bud."

"No shit, Tsai. No. Shit."

Tsai rolled his eyes as he took his place on the opposite side of the cell door. After a few minutes of silence, he asked, "Well, can I go get some alcohol, so we can kick back--"

"No."

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The next morning found Zuko wandering aimlessly through the halls of the palace. It had been nearly a week since he had done anything useful. His confrontation with his father five days earlier had left him annoyed. Even Mai had been avoiding him because of his black mood.

Ty Lee had left to return to Ba Sing Se. Zuko did not give a flip about that; what he did care about was he had promised Mai they could visit Ba Sing Se in a few months. He desperately wanted to talk with his uncle, but he did not want to deal with Azula. Now that Ty Lee had left, he could feel Mai's eagerness to go to Ba Sing Se even though she had not spoken of it since her friend left.

Because Mai had been avoiding him like the plague, he only saw her at night. And she made sure she was already asleep when he came in the room. He hadn't gotten any action since he had last cornered his little sex slave.

The thought of getting a piece of ass had his feet turning in the direction he had traveled many times over the past few years. When he reached Katara's cell, he noticed there was only one guard standing watch. The younger one had already left, so Zuko figured it must be time to change shifts; the older guard was simply waiting for the two replacements.

Because Zuko usually visited in the middle of the night, he rarely saw the dayshift guards. He didn't even know their names even though they had been guarding Katara since she was first placed in the separate cell. He was pretty sure he knew the nightshift guards' names. He didn't use them in case he was wrong.

He lifted a hand in a sort of wave as he stopped in front of the door and started to unlock it.

"Prince Zuko, I… you… ergh," the guard stuttered.

Zuko looked at him questioningly.

"Um, good morning, sir," the older man said lamely.

Zuko raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Good morning." Since the guard had somewhat started a conversation, Zuko took the opportunity to remind him that Katara would need more oral contraceptive pills in a few days.

Once Zuko had entered the cell, Lin slapped his forehead and mumbled, "Oh, shit."

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Zuko locked the main door behind him, and then looked over to the cell. She was sitting down, facing away from him. Her hair looked more matted than usual; he wondered if she had been ripping it out again.

"Hey," he muttered, casually shedding his robe. He wasn't in a hurry.

She didn't reply, but he saw her head perk up.

"I reminded the guard to get you more birth control pills," he told her.

Her shoulders stiffened, and she slowly started to turn around. When she was half-turned toward him, she growled, "What?"

Zuko startled. "Either you've gotten really fucking hairy, or you're not Katara." He about-faced and stormed out of the room, grabbing his cloak as he did so. He grabbed the guard by the neck, eyes ablaze.

"Where the hell is she?!"

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A/N: Sorry for the lateness and shortness of this chapter! They both have the same cause. I've been super busy with school work. Plus, I have two anime cons in the month of November, so I've been busy working on my cosplays. The next chapter should be back to the normal length. Thanks for reading. Review, please!