The Warring Heart - a Zutara fanfic
Disclaimer: I do not own the Avatar world, or characters. They belong to Nickelodeon. I just own this story
Chapter 10: Pasts
A massive elemental battle had erupted near the caravan between Zuko's crew and a large gang of bandits. Or at least that's what Katara thought the invaders were. Her brain was still in shock and it wasn't processing the information too well. She numbly observed the scene behind a large shrub where Zuko had ordered her to stay in protection. Bright flames mixed aggressively with stone causing a thin warm cloud of dust to kick up.
She could clearly feel the vibrations of the bended stone and feel the heat from the bursts of flame. In her opinion she was way too close to the action. On impulse, Katara stumbled to her feet and sprinted from her minuscule hiding place, to make a dash for shelter behind a tree in the forest. Screw Zuko and his horrid hiding place. He had abandoned her to fend for herself behind a bush, a lousy BUSH! He could have placed her with the rhino or just take her into the fray alongside him. Even if she didn't have any water to bend, Katara could have done something. She hadn't watched idly while Sokka trained with hand to hand combat. She could definitely throw a punch or two.
Still, it was unfair Zuko had ordered her to stay put behind some shrub like she was a damsel in distress. Besides his hiding place sucked, it had left her out in the open and was too close to the fight. Zuko obviously wanted to play hero, which was rare role for that selfish prince, but then again he had been taking on some odd roles lately. Curious to how her 'prince charming' was fairing, she inched her head to the side the tree with her back firmly pressed on its bark. Her eyes scanned the uproar to find Zuko viciously battling an earth bender. The strength of his flame hurled his opponent onto his back unconscious. She definitely knew now that he had gone easy on her during their spar. Katara gulped and snapped her head back, resting it on the tree. Zuko and Iroh seemed to have everything under control and had looked fine. Not surprisingly, half of her wished that a stray stone would knock some sense into that prince's head.
Suddenly an agonizing sharp sting seared through her right shoulder. A pained gasp burst from her mouth as her left hand went to cup her shoulder. Katara winced and slowly looked at the area of pain. She found an arrow was deeply lodged in her flesh, pinning her to the tree. The blue cloth around the arrow was beginning to turn a dark shade of purple signifying that she was indeed bleeding. A sinister laugh was heard and she snapped her head up in horror to find a man steadily approaching her. He was tall and brawny. His unkempt hair resembled a dirty shade of brown. A square jaw held an evil grin as muddy eyes stared hungrily at her. A group of men followed behind him, sharing the same menacing look that he wore. She suddenly wished prince charming would hurry up and save her already, judging by the look in the man's eye, he had an ill fate concocted for her in the very near future.
"Well men, look what we ave' ere'." He mused, running his tongue over his yellowing teeth. "We gots erselves' a nice ittle' damsel in distress."
The men laughed, exposing their own rotting teeth. The leader stepped closer and rubbed his calloused paw on her cheek. Katara grimaced at his touch. It made her feel so dirty to have that trash handle her. Heck, she would prefer Zuko's odd attention than this man's.
"Ooh, your nice n' soft" he grinned.
His voice sent terrorizing chills down her spine. On its own will her mouth screamed, "GET AWAY FROM ME!" in reaction.
The words had barely left her lips when a fist violently connected with her cheek causing her body to jerk leftward. Her vision spotted white and a high-pitched cry tore through the air. Her pierced shoulder throbbed brutally as the arrow tore through her flesh. Katara quickly straightened up before any more damage could be inflicted to her already bleeding arm. She firmly held her shoulder in place with her uninjured hand. Distantly, she felt a sticky liquid trickle down her chin but at the moment that was the least of her problems. Katara glared at the man intensively with defiant and anger clouded eyes.
"Don't ya know it aint nice to ell' at people?" he sneered. "Ya know whot men?" he turned from Katara and started walking towards his gang "I don't think I like dis' one anymo'. She's too bloody and she's got a ittle' too much bite." He turned towards his archer "Kill er"
"Gladly sir" the man icily replied.
Katara's eyes widened in horror as the man notched a slender arrow into his bow and aimed it for Katara's head. He slowly drew back the string smiling. Tears softly streamed from Katara's shut eyes. She wouldn't torture herself by watching her impending death. Mental images of her brother and Aang flashed through her mind. She felt so sorry to have to leave them this way. All the things she had wanted to do, all she had wanted to become, now seemed like a far off dream never to be fulfilled. This was where it would end for her.
Her body tensed, awaiting the arrow that would bring her death. Unexpectedly, an earsplitting scream ripped through the silence, one that was not her own. An intense heat suddenly appeared before her. Katara snapped her watery eyes open to find a familiar figure standing protectively in front of her, his body emitting an intense, sweltering heat.
"Zuko…" she softly whispered.
Katara's gaze floated down to the severely scorched archer whose body was convulsing spasmodically. She doubted that he would live; his skin was utterly destroyed, though it could have just been wishful thinking on her part.
"Who the el'…" The leader wasn't able to finish his sentence; Zuko had rapidly closed the distance between him and the man in the blink of her eye and sent a blazing fist deep into his gut.
The man coughed a couple of times before keeling over and curling himself on the forest floor staring wide eyed into the distance.
"If the rest of you wish to escape here with you're health intact I suggest you leave now." the prince snarled.
The men left their leader where he had fallen, and scattered wildly trying to escape the enraged boy. Once they had all left, Zuko turned and glared fiercely at Katara. She suddenly felt vulnerable and helpless under his gaze. All the relief that had accompanied her rescue was sucked out of her by his hard stare. He clearly was not happy with her.
"I thought I told you not to move!" he roared.
"I'm sorry" she whispered, breaking the intense eye contact. "I thought, I thought you were just going to abandon me."
Katara wiped her face with the back of her hand trying to remove her tears. She soon realized that she had only succeeded in smearing blood across her cheeks. Katara felt like a helpless wreck. He was making her actually feel guilty for disobeying his orders. Further, a big chunk of her pride had been hacked down by her absolute need for rescue, and even more when he, her number one enemy had rushed to her aid. She felt Zuko approach her and heard him take a deep breath. She suddenly noticed his hand was reaching out to touch her bleeding shoulder.
"No please don't touch it!" she pleaded, her eyes screaming for mercy.
He calmly gazed into her eyes and cupped her face with his hand, stroking her cheek with his thumb "Shh, trust me" he cooed.
His stare was completely mesmerizing. It no longer held the raging fires of earlier, but now displayed soft warmth. Katara nodded gently and let him inspect her wound. He delicately touched the tender area but even with all his caution his touch sent great jolts of pain through her body. Zuko began to slowly peel back the clothing that surrounded it. Katara winced at the hurt and glanced at her shoulder. Her entire arm was drenched in sticky red fluid. She quickly twisted her head in the opposite direction not wanting to see the gruesome damage. Her shoulder was now fully exposed, as was the arrow that was in it.
"That's in deep." Zuko whispered. He softly massaged the area before continuing. "This is going to hurt a bit."
Zuko lit a small flame which danced above the tip of his pointer finger. He carefully burned the shaft until the tip was close to her skin, letting the feathered part fall to the ground. Before Katara could object he quickly pulled her forward into him, which left the bloody, burnt arrow in the tree and a howling Katara in his arms. Her mind screeched simultaneously with her voice as hot pain charged through her body and mind. She felt her warm blood spill out of her wound. Katara buried her head in Zuko's chest, sobbing violently. He pulled her back to tie a piece of ripped cloth tightly around her bleeding shoulder. She distantly felt him pick her up and sit her down cradling her in his lap while he rested against the tree. With his free hand he applied pressure to her wound. Katara continued to cry and in response, Zuko gently shushed her in an attempt to calm her. An exhausted Iroh ran over to the two, his face full of concern.
"Uncle, can you get some bandages from the wagons?" Zuko asked before adding a sincere, "Please?"
Katara wearily watched Iroh nod before turning towards the direction of the carts. Somewhere some part of her was touched by the 'please' Zuko had said, though she wouldn't dare comment on it. Katara had to admit, she was starting to get very comfortable in his arms and she didn't want to do anything that would cause her to leave his protection. She blamed it on the loss of blood, either that or the fact that her mind had had one shock too many.
"Hey Zuko, this is like déjà vu isn't it?" she hiccupped, forcing a grin onto her tear stricken face.
"Yeah I guess it is." He replied softly.
"We're going to have to stop making a habit of this."
He only nodded gently in response. A servant soon appeared with a bundle of clean bandages. Katara cringed as Zuko removed the makeshift dressing and carefully replaced it with a fresher one. She could feel the pull of unconsciousness on her weary body. Distantly she felt him rise and pull her tightly into his chest. Katara allowed her head to loll on his shoulder, no longer caring about whom he was and only caring that he was helping her. Zuko carefully mounted his rhino and sat her in front of him securing her by the waist with his arm, letting her limp body rest against him. Katara could feel she was slipping into sleep but held on long enough to address something that had been bothering her since they had arrived in Nashi.
"Zuko, I'm sorry."
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Glints of silver twinkled in the shadowy sky. Invisible clouds blocked out sections of the glittering tapestry as well as the moon which usually showed its guiding face. A soft salty breeze embraced a fatigued band of men and one girl, who where wearily returning to their ship. The journey back had been a quiet one. Most of the men were tending to their wounds or double checking the cargo. Even the energetic Iroh began to feel the sweet tug of sleep. Katara had already fallen prey to a sweet slumber. Her body was secured by her captor on a traveling komodo rhino.
The indestructible Zuko also started to feel tiredness through his aching limbs. The encounter with the group of rebels had taken much energy out of him, more than he had thought. He had gained a few scrapes and cuts, but compared to the injuries of Katara, his were nothing. He softly stared at the sleeping girl who was currently resting on him. He carefully studied her face, particularly the swollen cheek where that bastard had hit her. He pulled her closer into him and affectionately placed his warm cheek on her brow.
Anger and guilt swirled aggressively in his mind. Why did she disobey him? He had told her to stay put for a reason. He had left her near the brush so he could keep an eye on her. He could clearly remember the panic he felt when he heard her scream but couldn't find her. If she hadn't run off he would have been able to reach her a lot sooner to keep those damned men away from her.
Fire burned in Zuko's eyes as he focused on Katara's blood stained shoulder. If she hadn't ran, she never would have been shot with that arrow. If I had been that damned Avatar she probably would have listened. He thought darkly. Zuko gazed hatefully into the distance, questioning as to why Katara hadn't trusted him. He never physically harmed her while she was his prisoner, nor had he treated her badly. Well, not that badly, not to the extent where her life would be seriously threatened. Usually his threats were nothing but bluffs. He wouldn't dare hurt her severely. Zuko sighed deeply. There was nothing he could do about the past, and dwelling on it would not help her or him.
After hours of riding through the dark, the group finally arrived at the ship. The crew that had remained on the ship hurriedly unloaded the carts, while the servants went to tend to their masters. Zuko carefully climbed off the rhino with Katara cradled in his arms. One of the prince's servants speedily approached them.
"Sir, do you need anything?" the servant panted.
"Yes, get me hot water and fresh bandages. Have them sent to my room." He wearily replied.
"Will that be all Sir?"
"Yes"
Zuko made his way through the ship to his room, being careful not to bump Katara into anything. He opened the heavy door and laid Katara on his futon with her stomach facing the ceiling. While he awaited his servant, Zuko removed his armor and plated shoes. Shortly after, a knock was heard and the servant appeared with the water, bandages, and a silver tray. Another servant followed behind him, carrying several parcels which held all of the items that were purchased for Katara, heaped into his thin arms.
"Sir here is what you asked for." He said before continuing. "You're uncle suggested that I bring you some food and tea as well."
Zuko nodded to the man as he and the other servant bowed and took their leave. Zuko removed Katara's bloody bandages from her shoulder. The next matter would be her clothes… Her dress was heavily stained with blood. Unfortunately there weren't any other females on the ship to change her and he didn't dare trust her with his crew or his perverted uncle. That only left him. Zuko took a deep breath and quickly, yet gently, removed her dress. He was relived that she wore undergarments.
The prince quickly set to work to clean her blood stained skin, desperately trying not to concentrate on her lack of clothes. He took the wash cloth and dipped it into the steaming pail of water. After thoroughly squeezing it he carefully cleaned Katara's injury. As he gently cleaned the wound, Katara began to shift uncomfortably, reacting to the pain in her arm. Zuko stroked her forehead gently before continuing to erase the crimson stain. Once finished, he took fresh bandages and carefully wrapped her shoulder and secured the cloth.
Deciding that the girl needed to be dressed for bed, he went to the parcels of her clothing, and rummaged through them till he found a heavy blue nightgown. Zuko lifted Katara so she was resting against his kneeling body. He gently pulled the gown over her head and softly slipped her arms into the loose cotton sleeves. Once finished, Zuko returned her to the bed and tucked her in.
For a while, Zuko allowed himself to sit beside her and watch her sleep. On its own will, his hand reached out to tenderly stroke her cheek. Even in her pained state he had to admit, she was beautiful. There was a strong temptation for him to just lie down with her and capture her in his arms, but Zuko resisted it. Now was definitely not the time for that behavior.
Instead the prince rose to prepare himself for his own sleep. Zuko quickly bathed before changing into his nightwear, which only consisted of a pair of soft burgundy trousers. He plopped himself down against the wall beside the futon and pulled his warm quilt over his body. He slowly sipped the tea the servant had brought, ignoring the food. The prince gazed upon his prisoner until soft sleep plunged him into darkness.
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Katara's cerulean eyes slowly opened to a crimson room, her surroundings were warm and comforting. Katara was strongly tempted to lie in the soft bed but her stomach said otherwise. It cried its protests, persuading her to get up to find it food. Reluctantly she sat up, leaving the insulated covers behind. Hot piercing pain shot through her shoulder, urgently reminding her that she was injured. She leaned on the wall and rubbed her eyes to focus them. Katara looked at her right arm and tried to move it. As she did, it began to throb violently.
She soon discovered her right arm would be virtually useless, and that would be a huge problem. She was right handed. How would she manage her daily tasks? Using any form of utensil would become a difficult chore, as would a number of things. Katara heaved a sigh; this wouldn't make her situation any easier. She slowly edged her way out of the bed using her left hand to support her. Walking over to the bundles of clothing, Katara picked through them to find a pair of loose fitting cotton trousers and a long sleeved, buttoned shirt that stopped at her mid thighs. Its collar, along with the bottom of the shirt, was heavily embroidered with white fabric.
She folded her nightgown the best she could and placed it on the bench. She noticed that her old clothes were there as well, and still dirty. The young waterbender then glanced over to the unmade futon. She shook her head knowing that this time it would have to stay a mess for she was in no condition to straighten it. A small white cloth in the corner of it caught her attention. Katara went to the bed again and picked it up. It was a sling for her arm! Zuko must have left it there, for her.
Wait… Katara clearly did not remember falling asleep with a nightgown on or with clean injuries. Was Zuko the one responsible for that? Katara shuddered at the thought, Zuko seeing her partially nude with her unconscious. She was definitely going to question him about that later. Katara left the room and allowed her feet to wander aimlessly around the ship, somehow managing to lead her to the deck.
Outside, a grey blanket covered the sky. The sun and all of its rays were not able to penetrate the cloudy barrier. Strong gusts of wind pushed against Katara, threatening to lift her into the sea. Katara leaned into the wind and walked over to the railing. There wasn't any land in sight. Grey clouds and water seemed to stretch endlessly. The environment lowered Katara's spirit. The cold air seemed to rip through her lungs causing her to cough a couple of times before her breathing returned to normal. Suddenly a firm hand grabbed her wrist. Katara whipped her head around and saw the young fire prince behind her.
"What are you doing out here?" he yelled loudly, his voice fiercely battling the sound of the wind.
He didn't wait for Katara to answer, not that she was going to anyway. Instead he pulled her inside of the ship. When they were under the iron door he continued.
"You could have gotten sick out there!"
Katara looked at him with curiosity "Why do you care?"
"Because," he stammered seemingly taken aback by her question, "Because if you get sick and die, who will I have to bribe the Avatar with?"
Those words seemed to tear Katara in half though she barely knew why. "Oh." She whispered softly, lowering her gaze.
Katara barely heard him softly sigh before saying, "Are you hungry?"
She nodded her head, and followed him idly to the dining room. Her mind thought heavily on his words. It wasn't the fact that her friend and brother were in danger that hurt the most; it was the fact that he... that boy… he didn't…Katara shook her head at what she was thinking. Since when did she care about Zuko's feelings toward her? He was her enemy, plain and simple, but… but it wasn't that simple.
Somewhere between the time of her capture and now, her feelings changed towards him. Maybe it was because they spent a lot of time together, maybe it was those uncomfortable words he had said in the kitchen, maybe it was when he held her close, or maybe it was when he saved her from those men. She pushed her confusing thoughts to the back of her mind. What mattered most was her freedom because if she was free, Zuko couldn't blackmail Aang, and her friend, her brother, and the world would be much safer.
Katara took a seat at the table in the dining room while Zuko called for a servant. The prince sat across from her, his gaze, everywhere but on her.
"How's your shoulder?" he asked
"Fine."
"And your face?"
Her face? She had forgotten that she had been hit there. She tenderly rubbed her swollen cheek slightly wincing at the pain that it gave.
"It still hurts a bit" she murmured
A servant brought out a platter of eggs, rice and fruit for her. Katara began to slowly eat, struggling with the utensil in her left hand.
"You were asleep for about four days." Zuko said
Katara said nothing to him. She sat quietly on the cushion and ate her food. If he still thinks of me as a pawn, a prisoner; then I'll just treat him accordingly, as the enemy. She thought bitterly
"Why are you after Aang?" Katara asked her eyes fixed on the eggs she was poking.
"It's none of your business." He stated, anger seeping into his voice.
"Well it obviously is if you're going to use me against him."
"What makes you think I have to tell a mere prisoner anything?" he shouted
She glared at him, got up from her pillow and began to leave the room. Right now, she felt that she couldn't bear to be in his presence.
"Where are you going!" He bellowed
"What does it look like genius? I'm leaving!" she retorted
Zuko angrily rose and stomped across the room. He grabbed Katara by her uninjured arm and pulled her back towards the table
"You're not going anywhere!" he ordered
Katara fiercely kicked while screaming "Let me go!" Her wound, reopened and blood began to penetrate her clothing
"Stop fighting!" he roared.
Like hell she would! Katara continued her assault desperately trying to get away from him.
"Why don't you ever listen to me!" he snarled
"Why should I listen to a spoiled, bossy, uncaring, arrogant, brat like you!" she angrily countered.
Her words seemed to pierce him. Zuko released his grasp from her arm. Katara saw that this was her chance to escape; she heatedly began to walk out of the room. She hadn't got farther than the doorway before a hand seized her arm, spun her around, and forced her violently against the wall. A fist swiftly flew toward her. Katara immediately cringed and snapped her eyes shut. A heavy 'thud' was heard above her head. Cautiously, she reopened her eyes and saw a furious Zuko in front of her. His forearm rested upon the wall above her head, his body uncomfortably close to her own. Zuko's golden eyes glared down at her trembling form. This was truly one of his more intimidating sides.
"Who do you think you are judging me?" he hissed
Katara let her gaze fall to the ground. She knew she had really struck a nerve.
"Look at me!" he ordered while grabbing her by her chin and forcing her head to face his. "How dare you pass judgment on me? It was I who saved you from certain death and you dare judge me!"
Her eyes shifted to the side. Guilt plagued Katara's mind in uncomfortable waves.
"I'm sorry Zuko, it's just that I…"
"You what?"
"I still can't trust you."
"Why not?"
There was a stupid question. "You're my enemy." She explained.
A thick moment of silence passed between them causing Katara to feel a little edgy. That prince was formulating something in his mind, but what?
"Katara," he began, moving his hand from her chin to cup her cheek. "The other day you had said you hated me and my kin. What is it that we did that angered you so?"
He had said it sincerely enough that she might have answered, but instead she allowed her face to twist into a scowl. She was not going to let him talk her into spilling her past events, not now, not ever.
"It doesn't concern you" she spat.
"It obviously does if it causes you to hate me." Zuko replied. "Look at me Katara, what happened? I can already tell that this issue has been eating away at you for sometime no matter how much you try to stuff it down."
Damn, this guy was good. He was reading her like an open book and it did nothing for her nerves. Katara could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. Why couldn't he just leave her be?
"Why don't y-"
"Katara," Zuko fixed her with a no nonsense glare which made her feel so exposed. "Tell me."
It was unavoidable now, his constant persistence, and his intense gaze. Katara could feel the words rolling off her tongue before she could even stop herself.
"When I was little, that damned nation of yours raided my village. I can still remember the flames that engulfed the huts. My mother, my mother fought her best to try and protect us from those men, but she couldn't…" At this point tears flowed freely from her eyes, as her body shuddered at the memories.
"I…she…my mother….she…." Katara's voice was completely cracked by the overwhelming anguish.
Before she knew what had happened she found herself engulfed in Zuko's embrace. His hand moved in rhythmic circles on her back, in effort to pacify her.
"Sshh...It's alright." He soothed. "Katara, I'm sorry, but I had nothing to do with that."
"I know, it just that, you're the prince of the Fire Nation." She sniffed.
"That may be so," he began. "But can you truly blame every single one of my people for your mother's death?"
"Yes" she childishly pouted before rethinking. "No."
"I didn't think so." Zuko gently wiped a tear off her face and she lifted her eyes to his in response. "Katara, don't make me suffer from my father's mistakes. If there is anyone who deserves your hate it's him."
Katara took a deep breath and processed his statement. He had made her feel so foolish to blame him for the mistakes of his father. She had to admit, he was right, Ozai was to blame for her mother's death, not him. Zuko had been a child when her mother had died and had nothing to do with the situation.
"I'm sorry Zuko…I don't hate or blame you for what happened. You were the first Fire Nation solider I had seen since the raid and therefore unjustly received my hate. I'm sorry."
Zuko curled her into his embrace. "Thank you Katara."
Katara softly nodded in response. She allowed her eyes to drift shut to his comforting touch and slowly leaned into him, giving in to his hold. She placed her head on his warm chest while sliding her arm around his body. If he had been startled by her compliance she didn't notice. Shortly after she had accepted the embrace she felt one of his hands slide around her waist, pulling her closer to him while the other gently caressed her head. Some part of Katara said that this wasn't right, to be hugging her supposed enemy, but at the moment he just didn't feel like her enemy. The two remained that way for a long time, neither of them truly wanting to end the moment.
"Come on, let's get your shoulder cleaned up." He soothed.
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Zuko led her through the halls to the infirmary while never taking his arm from her waist. It was a small metallic room. In one corner was a huge cabinet with a chair next to it. A barrel of fresh water was next to a little metal table. Zuko gently guided Katara into the chair before going through the cabinets to find fresh bandages and a washcloth. He then took a metal pail and scooped water into it until it was half full. Zuko held the pail in his hands and created a flame under it, quickly bringing the water to a slight boil. He placed the pail down next to Katara. He was surprised that she had already removed the bandages from her wound and had discarded them in a nearby bin.
Zuko then dipped the cloth in the water and began to clean her injury. Zuko was beginning to think that the arrow had been poisonous. He knew that her body required more sleep. Her wound wasn't healing the best it could and with the added emotional stress he was surprised that she didn't collapse on her own.
"Zuko…" she started.
Not wanting her to break the companionable silence with an inappropriate question or comment, he placed a finger on her mouth and shook his head, silently sending her the message, 'don't speak'
After cleaning, Zuko gently rubbed a salve onto her injury before re-bandaging her shoulder and standing up. He grabbed a small tea cup and scooped water into it. He then rummaged through the cupboard and grabbed various leaves and some powder. He put the mixture in a small tea strainer and brought the water to a boil using firebending. Once the cup was steaming, he handed it to Katara.
"Drink this, it will help you feel better" he explained
Katara took the cup and slowly sipped the sweet liquid. Zuko watched her expectantly waiting for the 'tea' to kick in. Katara stood up and looked quizzically at Zuko with hooded lids. She took a few dizzied steps towards the prince who pulled her into his chest.
"Wh..what…did..you..d..do?" she softly murmured
Katara fell forward into Zuko who swept her up into her arms and took her to his room. He laid her back down on his futon and pulled the covers over her body. Zuko stroked her face and removed stray strands of her hair that covered her face and stared at the sleeping girl admiring her. She truly was strong if she could walk around the ship unaided, go through a highly emotional event and still stand all the while with injury. If he hadn't drugged her, Zuko doubted that she would have lied down on her own and probably would have opted to wander the ship instead to collapse somewhere unknown.
The prince couldn't bring himself to be annoyed with her hardheadedness. Instead he was amused. This girl would ignore her own bodily needs and plunge headfirst into stressful situations. Recklessness he noted was one of her traits that and forgiveness. The prince had nearly been shocked at the rate she had forgiven him for his family's mistakes. Now, she was returning his affection and that was a thing to consider but unfortunately now was not the time to mull that enticing thought over, he had chores to do. Zuko wistfully gazed at her, and on an impulse bent over her slumbering figure to place a soft kiss on her warm cheek before leaving the room to continue his duties.
A/N: Yay! Another chapter out and done :D. This chapter took a while because The first part was added from the last chapter since the last chapter was getting too long. So I had to meld the end of the last chapter with this one so the story would still flow. As of now I can't decide if I like the way Zuko is or not. I've made him extra smooth but he still is a butt. And poor Katara keeps getting beat up. Hopefully I'll update soon, but in the meantime Read n Review:D