Hell's Rain
by Kaline Reine

Disclaimer: I do not own the Avatar series or any of the characters/settings. This is just a fanfiction story written for my own amusement.

WARNING: Adult situations and graphic sexual content. May also contain borderline, if not full-on, rape. Also some character death, angst, and other dark themes. If it's not your thing, then turn back now. You have been warned. This is written solely for my own amusement. If you don't like the pairing or the plot, then go elsewhere for your entertainment. This is my first Avatar fanfic... That being said, if you think you can handle it, then I hope you find it an enjoyable read. Feedback is welcome and appreciated.


Chapter 7:

Katara opened her eyes. She rolled over to look at the clock on the wall. Once again, she'd had to spend the night on the small, cramped sofa just to stay remotely warm. She knew more cold wouldn't be good for her illness. She got up. Her hair clung to the side of her head. It was slick with oil and grime. Tossing the pillow and blanket back onto her bed, she crossed the room and waited.

A guard came in, as soon as he heard her moving around. He brought her breakfast and silently left before she could even ask him about her bath or anything else. She assumed he must have forgotten.

She wasn't feeling well already, and she was too hungry and tired to care right then. Her head hurt and all of her muscles ached. Waterbending would be difficult, if not impossible now. The pain would definitely hinder her movement when she shifted through different stances and motions. While she was eating, she vaguley wondered if they were keeping her sick on purpose. It would work to their advantage if she were weak and helpless, so that would make sense.

She noticed that Zuko had at least let them know she needed medicine though. The strange white herbal powder had been placed beside her usual glass of water. She mixed it in and drank it down quickly. She just wanted to feel better. It was better quality food today, and they'd even given her some kind of fried meat with bird eggs. She was skeptical at first, but after a few days of eating stuff that could practically be considered garbage, it tasted delicious.

The girl stayed in the room all day long, with no more interruptions; no one for companionship. Nothing. It was quiet and desolate. She'd never felt so isolated before. At times, it felt like she would go completely crazy locked in this room... And all she wanted was to be able to clean up. It shouldn't even be that much to ask, really.

Eventually, another guard came in with her dinner. She noted that they'd skipped lunch though. She'd only gotten two meals today.

'So much for his fake promises...'

At least there was no need to hide food in her room this time. The quality was decent and she knew there would be more later... She ate her dinner in silence, knowing full well there was no use in asking them about anything again, or even in arguing with the guards. She'd tried that numerous times already and it never worked. They were all completely stubborn. Even worse than the man they served.

It wasn't until a few minutes after she'd finished everything that someone knocked on her door again. She was sure it was a guard coming in to take the food tray and empty plates back, but she told them to come in anyway.

"Pardon me, I'm here for the prisoner?" A fire nation female sauntered in. She was clad in something similar to the male guard's uniforms, with red armor over black and red clothing, so Katara assumed she must be a female guard. That was kind of rare around here. She was also a brunette, her hair long and straight, but her eyes were the familair yellow color that seemed so common among the fire nation.

"That's me..." She replied meekly. "I'm Katara."

"Oh, you're a girl? Well no wonder they asked me to this." When she noticed the girl's confused expression, she elaborated. "I'm here to take you to the bath chamber, my dear."

"Yes! Finally!" Katara's baby blues lit up. "I've been waiting for a while. Lead the way and I'll cooperate."

"Great. Right this way..."

The woman seemed to trust her, somewhat. She didn't bother to put her in chains or restrain her in any way. She seemed so strong and confident, a lot like Zuko... She walked outside and down the hall, motioning for the girl to follow behind.

Katara was a little uneasy, but she knew it would be refreshing to be able to bathe, finally. She tried to keep up with the woman's brisk pace. She noticed the other woman was considerably taller than her.

"We apologize for the inconvenience..." The guard talked to her while they twisted through the maze of hallways. "You see, no one has used this island for a very long time. When we got here, none of the plumbing worked right and most of it had to be repaired or replaced altogether. We've just finished with the royal bath chamber a few days ago, then the guard's quarters, and most recently the spare chamber. Which is where we're going now."

"So that's why it took so long?" Katara almost wanted to laugh. "I thought they were just ignoring my requests out of spite this whole time."

"That may also be the case..."

The girls passed many other rooms. Just as they walked by what smelled like the kitchen, another guard came out. He didn't question them, merely nodding to the female guard who was leading Katara around. She nodded back as they passed. It seemed to take a while, but they finally reached their destination.

The guard opened a big white door, and waited for Katara to walk inside. When she did, she took note of her surroundings... There was really nothing but a big hole in the middle of the floor, with a water faucet on the far side of it. It resembled a fancy garden tub. For the spare bath chamber, it was still pretty nice. Everything was carved out of smooth stone for the most part, a lot like the rest of this tower.

There was a towel laid out for her on a small bench. She noticed a small drain on the floor. Next to it was a table. There were some small bottles near the tub, each with a simple label. She heard the door click shut, and she waited.

"Okay. Get undressed." The guard ordered. "You can put your clothes right there." he pointed to the table, which was kind of obvious.

"What? With you still here?"

"It is regrettable, as I know how much people value their privacy, but yes. We cannot afford to have any prisoners escape. Especially you. Prince's orders. Besides... We're both girls, so it shouldn't even be a big deal. Not when I have to share shower stalls with the male guards every day. Before we left, you said you would cooperate, did you not?" She left absolutely no room for argument.

When Katara had said that, she hadn't known exactly what it would mean. She made a mental note to be more careful what she agreed to next time.

"Well, okay..." Nodding, she just did as she was told. She was still a little unsure whether she should.

Soon the blue and white garments were all lying in a heap on the small table. She unwrapped her underbindings and laid them there too. It was a little embarassing and belittling to be nude while the only other person in the room was fully dressed, but she knew would be worth it for a nice, soothing bath.

"I'll just be taking these, for now." The woman picked up her discarded clothing and it caused the girl to panic.

"What?! No!" Katara made an effort to snatch them away, but the guard was too quick for her. Her nimble fingers grabed only empty air.

"Relax," The guard only smiled. "We can't have anyone confusing you for fire nation, and since we don't have any water tribe clothing, I'll have these washed for you while you bathe. It shouldn't take long. I'm afraid you'll have to stay here until they're all clean. It wouldn't make sense to get clean and then put on dirty clothes. So no need to rush."

"Oh..." The waterbender blushed, feeling kind of silly. "I'm sorry. I'm just a little jumpy... Go right ahead."

"Look on the bright side. It would give you some privacy for a little while. But keep in mind, there are two male guards who will be posted right outside the door. They have orders not to come in, and they'll stay a good distance away so they can't peek in on you. If they do, let me know and I'll take care of them. Under no circumstances are you to bend anything in this room, and that includes the water."

"I just want to bathe in peace. Really." Katara assured her. She was already busy turning the faucet on and adjusting the water temprature to her liking.

"Enjoy your bath. Just remember, absolutely NOwaterbending!" She was dead serious. There may even have been a hint of a threat in there somewhere.

Cerulean eyes narrowed. "Of course not."

As soon as the obnoxious guard was gone, she knelt down to turn on the faucet. She adjusted the water temperature, and waited for the tub to fill. There were footsteps echoing down the hall but they weren't close enough to cause alarm.

After it was considerably full, she climbed right in. It was deep enough for her to easily submerge her whole body in it, up to her shoulders. She was just glad she could touch the bottom. And there were some ledges along the sides, like in a hot tub. All things considered, it was much nicer than she'd expected.

Katara picked up the bottle labeled 'Shampoo' first. She was so worried about her hair. She resolved to wash it out twice, just to make sure she'd gotten all of the oil and grime out. It was peaceful being in the water. It was her element and it made her feel much better... Soon she grabbed the bar of soap and began scrubbing at her skin furiously. She felt so filthy.

The door opened and someone came in.

"So as I was saying, the renovations should be-" The male guard stopped talking.

To Katara's complete and utter horror, Zuko was standing next to the man when they walked in. The fire prince's jaw dropped. He stared for several long moments, before turning away. His face was bright red.

The young waterbender almost thought it was cute, in a way. If she weren't so furious, she might have giggled. As things were, she wanted to murder them. The one saving grace was that the water had been turned a milky white from all the soap she'd used, which did wonders for concealing her feminine charms.

"Kataraaa- ah, uhm..." He had no idea what to say. Zuko continued to fumble for words.

"Our sincerestapologies, miss." The guard forced himself to recover. He bowed and closed the door quickly, before calling through it. "We were unaware that anyone was in here!"

"Well you should knock before entering a room! Especially a bathroom! Idiots!" She huffed, listening to their hesitant footsteps tiptoeing away.

Katara shrugged. They seemed to be way more worried about it than she was. And she'd gotten even more of an eyefull a few weeks ago on her first night here, when she'd walked in on Zuko... He'd been stark naked. At least she had the water to help hide herself. She was just thankful she'd been so relaxed, or else she might have tried waterbending at them. It was a reflex she'd developed over time.

A short time later, the female guard came back with her clothes.


A/N: I am so sorry it took me so long to update this new chapter, guys... I hope you're still enjoying the story. I thought this scene was cute. xD And at least I managed to squeeze one more chapter in before Zutara month is over, lol. I'm a sad panda right now. Thank you for all of the encouraging reviews, I really appreciate it. Yay for longer chapters!

-k.R.