DISCLAIMER: don't own AVATAR.
Whoo, things have been getting, what with all those great ideas people have been giving me. I especially like chickygurl's and Kayko15's ideas… sheer brilliance, I tell you.
ANNOUNCEMENT: no more ideas 4 right now, please, I have enough suggestions to keep me going for a while. But I will eventually ask again, so b on guard! Thank you, that is all.
7 Life Hurts
Zuko and Katara walked in a comfortable silence towards his ship. Katara stole a small glance at Zuko. He was kinda cute, and that scar, it just made him more alluring, although she already knew the truth behind it.
The silence continued as they walked up, onto the deck of the ship. Unfortunately, Music Night was still on.
All the men stopped singing, dancing, and playing instruments, and stared at the banished Prince. But more importantly, the lovely young woman walking behind the banished Prince.
"Ah, Prince Zuko, caught yourself a lady, huh?" One drunk soldier called. Zuko scowled at the behavior, but Katara froze to the spot.
"Katara?" Zuko paused and looked over his shoulder to see Katara staring at the soldier who had spoken. He stood up.
"Ryiku, at your service, madam," the soldier said with a bow and a sick grin. Katara backed away from the man.
"You," was all Katara could say. She continued to back away.
"Yes, what about me? Would it be my devastating good looks?" The man called Ryiku earned a good whack on the back of the head by Zuko at this.
"You, you, you helped, kill my mother…" Katara admitted the last three words in a quiet voice, but everyone heard. Ryiku's smile just got bigger.
"Yes, that was me, dearie, I was hoping to take you then, but my Captain refused it, said I could come back after the Prince finished his ordeal, don't think he meant for me to come back for you, think he meant only for himself." Ryiku might have continued on like this, if a flaming fist hadn't got him, square in the jaw.
"You, report back to your bunk. Now." Zuko hissed. Ryiku stood up, rubbing the spot where Zuko's fist had made contact.
"So, now what? Plan to take her yourself, Zuko? Well, when you're done, tell me how she was, and if she was good, I might stop by later." Ryiku was punched again in the jaw.
"She's not a whore." Zuko declared. Ryiku shrugged.
"Fine, whatever, good night," and as Ryiku passed Katara.
"Especially to you." He added in a whisper just for Katara, who was still in a daze, to hear.
Zuko nearly growled when he saw the soldier whisper something in Katara's ear, but she didn't seem to hear it. Too lost in her memories.
When the hatch door closed behind Ryiku, Music Night continued. Zuko grasped Katara's upper arm, and led her below deck.
"This will be your room, it's right across from mine, and the soldier's bunks are on the other side of the ship. I don't think you want to see Ryiku, or any other soldiers, near your sleeping quarters." Zuko said, and led Katara through a door.
Katara looked rather stunned as she entered the room. It was very fine, filled with antiques, and other expensive looking things.
"There are clothes in the wardrobe, and the washroom is through that door. You might want to freshen up at some point." Zuko explained, pointing out the wardrobe and washroom.
"You make sure to lock the door from the inside, so that none of my soldiers get in." Zuko told her quietly. Katara nodded once. With a sigh, Zuko finally looked at Katara. Like, looked at her, and he saw the state she was in.
Her eyes were wide, very wide, Zuko swore he could see memories flashing before her eyes. He also saw thin trickles of tears running down her cheek, plopping softly in her lap.
Everything was right in the world. The sky was that cold, arctic blue that it was suppose to be, and the climate was as cold as ever. Everything was right in Katara's village, the only village in the South Pole.
No one expected the attack. It was far too peaceful. No one expected for them to come.
No one expected the firebenders to attack their small village.
Katara, Sokka, and their mother had been playing out in front of their tent, when screams rang out, as did the sound of an engine hissing, as if it were about to stop.
The waterbenders and warriors all rushed out to fight. Among the waterbenders, Katara's mother was present.
The battle didn't' last long, the warriors were stripped of their weapons, and the waterbenders quickly exhausted, so they couldn't stand, let alone bend.
Katara and Sokka were both held by a soldier. They did not know what was going to happen, but when it did, it would be forever engraved in their minds.
A loathing man walked up to the group of exhausted waterbenders. His metal boots scrunched the snow beneath them as the man looked each waterbender in the eye.
"Disgraceful, your petty tricks for bending, simply disgraceful." The man hissed.
Back, away from the action, stood a 12-year-old Prince Zuko. His face looked grave and solemn, his father had sent him here for reasons unknown, but Zuko wished not to be here. He did not want to see more people die at the hands of his people.
Zuko's eyes traveled to the young girl one soldier was holding back. She was kinda pretty, maybe, someday when this whole mess was sorted out, he could come back for her. Take her to the Palace, and show her not all firebenders were bad. Yes, he would do that someday, once this whole mess of a war was sorted out.
He engraved the girl's face in his memory, but he soon forgot about her.
The man's hand shot out, and grabbed the final waterbender in the group.
"RAYNA!" A warrior called out, and began to thrash, trying to get free from the soldier who held him.
"Mommy?" The young Katara called. Rayna looked at her daughter with a smile.
"Don't worry, sweetie, mommy will be back soon." Rayna called. Katara, slightly bewildered, nodded.
"You, come here, and hold the woman down." The soldier who held Katara let go, and grabbed Rayna, holding her out before his Captain.
"Stay out of the Fire Nation's way, and what happens to this woman will be the only time it happens at all." The man hissed. He threw a giant fireball at her, and before she had a chance to scream, she was dead, all smoke and ashes.
"MOMMY!" Katara screamed, and rushed to her mother's ashes, as did Sokka, and their father had finally broken free from his soldier.
They all huddled around Rayna's remains and wept, wept until dark had come, and the other members of the village had to drag them back into their tent.
On his ship, Zuko sat in his room, meditating. When he heard the door open, he spoke to the person behind him, he already knew who it was.
"Why'd you have to kill that woman, Zhao? She did nothing wrong." Zhao sneered.
"She had done something wrong, Prince Zuko. She defied the Fire Nation." Zuko sighed, and continued to stare at the candles in front of him.
"Oh."
"Katara, come here." Her father ordered. Katara nodded and obediently crawled up to her father.
"Katara, your mother wanted me to give this to you when you turned 14, but I think you need to have something to remember her by." Katara's father opened his hand, and in his palm, sat Katara's mother's necklace. Katara gasped.
"No, Daddy, I could never take this." But her father hushed her.
"Yes, you must, your mother would have wanted it." Katara nodded, and her father helped her put it on. Katara fingered the charm.
A lone tear slid down her cheek.
But in the present life, Katara wept. Zuko watched, slightly confused, as she cried.
Katara's hand traveled up to her collarbone, seeking the cool stone pendant of her mother's necklace. But all she felt was skin. Oh, that's right,
Zuko still had her necklace.
Ok, I have a rather short attention span, so the longer the chapter, the longer it takes me 2 write said chapter.
CHANGE OF THOUGHT
WOO HOOO! I'VE GOT OVER 100 REVIEWS! I'VE GOT OVER 100 REVIEWS! YES!(Inner Devil: let me explain, Z2 has, I do believe, never gotten anymore than 60 reviews 4 1 story, so getting more than 100, is rather overwhelming.)
I would like to thank chickygurl for her wonderful idea, I'll be using more of your ideas later on!
I was originally planning to include several other people's ideas in this chapter, but if I did, it would probably take me a about a week before I finished. I don't like writing over a long period of time.
INSANITY AT ITS FINEST Zukoscute2
LONG LIVE THE HIPPIES!
