WARNING: if you haven't noticed, the rating is already changed to an M because of this chapter. The following chapters/scenarios are not for those uncomfortable with sexual references, non-consensual sex (i.e. rape), sexual violence, nudity and obscene language. You have been warned.
THIS CHAPTER POSTED ON FF (dot) NET IS EDITED TO REMAIN WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF THE RATING APPLIED AS PER THE RULES OF POSTING IN THE SITE. (For the full version, please go to my bio for details.)
May 15, 2007 – Edited and reposted due to mistakes in the song lyrics. I apologize.
Chapter 9: Deliverance
I was having a dream. It was a nice dream that didn't involve hot tempered princes and little boys with the power of all the elements in his hands. I was in a place where nothing existed yet everything I needed was there. It was an infinite whiteness. Sure. Calm. Serene.
I loved it here and never wished to return to the real world again, where pain and suffering seemed to be the only feelings that exist.
A sweet, pungent smell filled my nostrils, and made me relax even more. I recognize it. The scent of spring blooms, summer shrubs, autumn leaves, and winter bark blended together.
Instantly, a voice called out from somewhere. There was no one else in this place except me. Who had dared to enter my sanctuary?
I was alert at once and on my feet, drawing out water from my canteen.
My canteen wasn't at my side nor was my weapons.
"Who are you?" I called out; sweat forming on my brow.
The voice was soft. "I am here for you. Katara, I need you. Come to me. You belong to me."
My body clamored to be brought to the voice but I resisted. I wanted to stay in this place.
"No," I said as strongly as I could. "I want to be here."
"You don't understand," the voice said. "You belong here with me. We will make our own sanctuary that's just for the both of us. Wouldn't that be nice? It will be filled with all the things that we need. There will be no one else there but us. No problems, no worries…just you and me. We'll spend our days in bliss. Tell me that's what you want."
I was instantly wary but the scent came on stronger and I was suddenly pliant against this voice's will. "I will come with you," I responded.
I drew out my hand.
A strong embrace enveloped my slender frame and I thought no more.
…
Spasms such as never before racked my body. The pain came on strong. It felt as though my body was being thrown on a hard floor.
I cracked open one eye. The last person I wanted to see for all eternity came looming before me, his face mere inches from mine. I could feel my pupils dilate in fear and apprehension at his cutting stare. I tried to speak but a cloth covered my mouth. My limbs were bound tightly with nylon ropes. I struggled.
"There, there," the prince said, his voice melodic and soft, sounding just like the voice that spoke to me earlier. Damn! That's why the voice sounded familiar. The 'dream' I had came crashing against my consciousness. The scent. His voice.
Mind control incense.
I groaned in self pity for falling for such a trick. He had shown me the incense years ago, when I began my training as a bodyguard for him. I thought that I had already developed my resistance for it but I was sadly mistaken.
"My little Katara," he continued. "You were such a naughty little slave. You ran away from me. Why is that?"
I didn't answer but stared at anywhere except for his eyes. I was in his room back at his ship.
Okay, must think. Must use years of training.
Item no. 1: Captured by the Prince. Bad. Very bad.
Item no. 2: Pinioned to his bed by ropes and his body. Definitely worse. Strangely aroused at his half-naked body so close to mine.
Item no. 3: My seriously sex-in-a-draught body betraying me at a time like this. Ridiculous.
Item no. 4: No immediate means of escape. Consider me dead.
I forced myself to look at him, to those pools of molten gold that had fascinated and frightened me for so long. I took a deep breath and forced all the calm I could muster in that gaze. He sensed my sudden quietness and smiled.
"Still using the same tactics I taught you," he remarked with a hint of satisfaction. "Act calm in times of danger and only then will you be able to think a way to get out of it. You were always my best student. You're not in any danger, my Katara. At least, not yet."
His laugh was darkly ironic and spoke of things I would not rather think about at the moment.
His finger trailed from my cheek to my exposed collarbone, igniting a spark in my belly. He saw the desire surface in my eyes and grinned.
"I always manage to do that to you, don't I Katara?" he breathed, his lips following the trail of his fingers. "Arouse you before I could even really touch you."
The banished prince began sucking and licking at my neck while I willed myself to remain unresponsive to his touches. His fingers deftly undid the knot of my tunic, and then I felt the assault of the sea air on my bared stomach. He let his hands trail to whatever part of my body it could reach, his touch making my temperature rise and my breathing heavy.
When his mouth went lower, brushing against the valley between my breasts, I trembled violently, lust consuming me in its flames and I was its pliant slave. Thoughts of betrayal and vengeance ran away from my mind as I focused more on his searing kissed all over my body. I yearned to touch him, torture him in the same way he was torturing me but I was still bounded. I writhed against him, trying to convey to him to let me go. He ignored my efforts and continued on to his sweet punishment.
Zuko finally reached there, that secret spot where I could feel all of my heat building up, where I ached for the thrusting invasion of his body. As I watched in anticipation, he suddenly looked up with a feral grin on his face. I felt myself become a puddle at his intense eyes.
"No, not yet," he said, licking his lips. "Consider this part of your punishment, my pet."
He climbed back so that his face was level with mine and yanked off the gag in my mouth. I barely had time to protest in pain before his mouth enclosed mine.
It was far from a kiss; more of a clash of lips and teeth. He violently tried to force my mouth open, which I did more than willingly to allow the assault of his tongue against mine. He drew my tongue to his mouth and bit down. Hard.
I whimpered in protest. In answer, one of his hands went up to my nape, threading through my hair. He pulled me off him so harshly by my hair that I could feel my scalp tearing apart.
"Not ever again," he grated. He was up for three rounds that night. I thought that I would die from the fatigue. He rarely let go of me.
It seemed an eternity before he let himself go. My body sighed in relief. I was unduly tired. It felt as though I ran a marathon from the South Pole to the North Pole.
I collapsed on the floor at his feet, breathing heavily. The prince leaned towards me, saying, "Your punishment is only beginning, my pet. Don't think I'm over with you yet."
He straightened up and took his robe hanging from a post nearby.
"There's no time for rest," said Zuko, belting his robe. "I'm taking a short shower. We have training to do. Be ready when I get back or you're cleaning the deck for a month—alone."
I sat there, stunned, and watched his retreating back as he went inside his private bathroom. His punishment was unusual for lack of better word. Whoever heard of dying from being oversexed? Usually after such an athletic…exercise…he would let me rest. It seems as if he's purposely trying to tire me out, hoping I'd drop dead from exhaustion.
Well, he's succeeding, I thought harshly as I tried to stand up though my knees were still shaky. I grabbed my clothes from the floor and put it on. I reeked.
I think a shower is in order as well.
I'll have to plot my escape later.
…
"You're slowing down, Katara!" Zuko spat as I went down on the deck floor. There was a manic gleam in his eyes. I grunted but stood on my feet albeit shakily. We've been training for at least two hours without rest.
Where does he get his stamina? I asked the heavens when I blocked an attack from behind.
"Don't tell me that what happened in my room exhausted you," he sneered when he was near enough.
"It would take more than that to tire me, my lord," I answered cockily.
He smirked. "My lord, is it?" He lunged at me, effectively pinning me down to the ground.
"If you really think of me as your master, then why did you leave me?" Zuko asked furiously, glaring at me.
I gathered as much calm as I could. It would not do to show fear at this time.
"You threw me out," I replied softly. "It broke my heart to leave but you gave me an order. I was compelled to obey." I blushed at my admission.
His hands moved from my arms to embrace me fully, his face buried against my neck. We breathed heavily of the salt-scented air and let the serenity of the ocean be the only sounds heard.
"Do you know what happened to me when you were gone?" Zuko whispered close to my ear. "I was absolutely half mad with want. I refused to believe I did such a foolish thing…letting go of my greatest servant."
I could feel my heart breaking. I thought that he missed me. As in, me, as a person. But he only missed the part where I would willingly take an arrow for him.
In his eyes, I would only be forever as his slave.
With great difficulty, I pushed him away, and got on my feet.
"I'll prepare your bath, master." I almost spat out the last word in distaste. I turned around and ran to his rooms, ignoring his repeated yells.
…
"What was that about, Katara?" Zuko demanded, bursting in and finding me kneeling beside the bathtub filled with hot water.
I chose not to answer him. "Your bath is ready," I said instead.
His lips curled at my defiance. "I see."
With one swift movement, he had thrown me to the wall and his mouth descended on mine hungrily. It felt like a kiss fifteen years in the making. I can feel his hurried movements against me as he took of his clothes and mine. Within seconds bare skin pressed against bare skin, and I shivered at the contact.
I tried pushing him away, not in the mood for athletic sex but he pressed himself harder. I felt his length pulsating beside my soft thighs and I was lost in the frenzy.
My moans only increased his pent up desire. His hands traveled all over my body.
When I felt his lips latched on to my neck did I find the strength to speak.
"Please let me go," I pleaded and it only made him double his efforts to turn me into a puddle of Katara.
It was quickly over. After withdrawing from me, he threw me in the bath and he followed. I sat still, catching my breath.
"Never again will I let you run away from me," he whispered savagely. "Your home is here with me."
It was the last thing he said before he claimed me again.
…
Here you are again
I can feel you breathe down my neck
Whispering his name
While whistling those killer melodies
I lay beside him, his arms around my small frame. His grip was so tight that I knew he was preventing me from escaping.
I snorted uncharacteristically. As if I could. Not with the security tightened up.
I lay still, waiting for a chance to slip away. We were in the middle of the ocean so escape was nigh to impossible.
But I have to do it. I'd rather die than stay here. Being tortured everyday by loving a man who could never love me back.
I'd die in the waters. It was a nice thought. I'd die in my element.
You give me that face of an angel
Like you once had
And I am nothing
But a creature of habit
His grip slackened. Now's my chance. I drew his arm away ever so carefully. But my heart was thudding fast. He was a light sleeper.
My heart skipped a beat when he opened his unscarred eye.
"Where are you going?" he asked groggily.
"To the bathroom," I replied gently, drawing a hand to close his eye. "It's still too early. Sleep."
"You'll go away if I do."
"I'll still be beside you in the morning."
"Promise?" He was like a little boy.
I smiled in spite of myself. "I promise. Now let me go or I'll pee in your bed."
"Ew!"
He immediately drew his arm away. I stood up.
"Sleep my prince."
Zuko did not need further encouragement and slept on.
I fished my clothes from the floor and threw them on. I tiptoed out of the room, hoping against hope that he thought I was going to the bathroom, and not outside.
Running away in circles
But I've been found by
This gentleman
That flew me up high
There were no soldiers in the hallway. Good. Fighting might cause a racket that could wake him up completely.
I climbed up the deck. There was a single sentry moving around. I hid behind boxes and coils of rope lying around, avoiding him.
I was prepared to jump to the icy waters below when I remembered the whistle that Aang gave me. He said that this whistle can only be heard by animals.
Was it too much to hope that Appa could hear this whistle? Nevertheless, I took it out of my pocket and blew as loud as I can. I didn't hear anything.
My heart sank. We were too far off in the ocean to be heard anywhere.
Well, this is it. I'm going to die. I'm sorry that I didn't get to say goodbye to Aang and Sokka.
But most of all, I was sorry that the man I loved the most could never be mine.
Now I can see clearly now
I'm telling you to let go of me
Now that I've found my way back home
Where I belong
As I was about to jump to my icy death, something flew overhead.
"Katara!" someone shouted. Sokka.
I was saved.
No longer a slave
Running away in circles
'Cause I've been found
By this gentleman that flew me up high
"Sokka! Aang!" I yelled back, not caring that our shouts already alerted the whole boat. In seconds every guard was up at the deck with me.
Aang summoned wind that carried me up to where Aang hovered above us. I was immediately lifted to Appa's saddle where I landed with a thump on Sokka's outstretched arms.
"Aang! Sokka! Appa heard my call!" I yelled in joy at seeing my friends again.
"Yeah. We were flying some miles away but Appa made a sharp turn. We knew that you used the whistle," Aang explained.
A fireball went flying past us.
"Can we leave the explanations later?" said Aang. "We have to escape them first."
"Katara!" a voice yelled below. It was Zuko. He fired bursts of flame one after the other, hoping to take us down but Aang was swiping them away with a wave of his staff.
I refused to look down.
"Let's go!" Aang said, and pulled on Appa's bridle.
It was the second time that my heart broke that day.
Get out of my head
Get out of my dreams
Get out of my soul
Get out, get out, get out, get out, get out
No longer a slave
Running away in circles
'Cause I've been found...
Because I knew that I would never love another besides him. And I was running away from him again…when I promised I would stay.
…
I watched as the girl I had loved fly away…back into the arms of the man I knew she loves.
She loved that Water tribe boy, not me. It brought a sharp pain to my chest to know that.
I had loved her for so long. I had given her everything that was in my power.
But it wasn't enough for her.
When I had her back in my arms I was resolute in showing her that I was the only one for her. I was obsessed at punishing her but I was only punishing myself, making love to her, pouring out my heart and soul to her during the times we were together.
It didn't mean anything to her.
My heart blackened.
The next time she would be in my arms, I'll show her real punishment.
Never would I love her again.
…
Whew! That chapter was long and hard to write! The full version is over 4000 words long! Please, REVIEW! I think my brain cells are fried. It was hard to think up what happens when people do the deed so I had to rely on my stack of FHM magazines and chats with my horny best friends, (who are all male and are currently laughing at my being a virgin. The bastards.) and so now they're wondering what prissy little old me is doing wanting to know what happens. They think I'm getting laid soon.
This chapter had a different style of writing but I kind of like it. The song is by Kitchie Nadal entitled, Deliverance.
Rienne :P
